“Vending Kiosks – Automation in

Selling”

Presented By

P.Baskaran,
Senior Lecturer,
IFET College of Engineerng,
Gangarampalayam,
Villupuram
 Definition:
A "Kiosk" by definition is a small stand-
alone unit that performs a specific
function, generally without management
intervention and are generally intended to
provide information to those that use it. 
Kiosks are generally small, mobile, and are
designed to help the consumer find
information and they can be strategically
placed anywhere you wish to have a
presence but cannot or do not wish to
have a person staff the location.
Kiosk venues
 Tradeshows and consumer events, malls, grocery stores,
doctor offices or anywhere else that your potential clients
may visit. 

Kiosk functions
 Kiosks can be made to do just about anything you want. 
A simple kiosk will attractively display this information in a
way that consumers can easily find what they are looking
for.
Maintain your kiosk
 While the kiosk has incredible advantages, they do require
that someone periodically check on them to make sure
that they are doing what they are supposed to do. Keep
your kiosk looking good, clean, take care of blemishes,
and make sure everything is working properly. 
Types of kiosks:
 Telekiosk
 Financial services kiosk
 Photo kiosk
 An Internet kiosk
 Ticketing kiosk
 Vending kiosk
 Visitor management and security kiosk
 Building directory and wayfinding kiosk
 Mall Kiosk
 Custom Kiosk
The Key to Kiosks
( Karen M. Krol -2000)

 Starting a program
 It takes money to make money

 Not for everyone

 Working Out the Kinks

 A Wireless Future
 Checking out kiosks (Karen M Kroll,
Advantages of Kiosks 2000)
 Financial Service which includes: Bill payment, Check cashing and
Credit applications
 Retail product information such as in-store product lookup and
information
 Customer check-in such as airlines and hotels.
 Internet access
 Visitor management and security
 Human Resources for benefits information
 Retail check-out POS systems in grocery stores and hardware
stores.
Business benefits
 Reduction in staff and real estate requirements since one employee can
monitor multiple Self-Service Kiosks
 Unattended operation with extended service hours and off-site locations
 Provide users with a more enjoyable experience boosting customer satisfaction
 Track usage statistics
 Innovations – Vending Machine:
 An older soda vending machine.
 One of the newest vending innovations is telemetry.
(*Michael Kasavana 2000).
 New innovations in service vending machines
include internet kiosks and DVD vending.
 Cashless vending now allows consumers to use
debit cards or precharged 'keys' such as the U-Key
for added convenience. Vending is a multi-billion
dollar industry, and growing.
 Off-grid fuel cell based vending machines with
swappable hydrogen storage tanks are entering the
market
 Drink Vending Machines – Japan
 Automatiek – Snack Bar – Dutch – Netherlands
 Newspaper vending machine in Düsseldorf
Real time Applications of
Vending machine
Bulk candy and gumball vending

Cigarette vending

Full line vending

Healthy vending

Specialized vending

Issues relating to Kiosks:

Safety
Malfunctions
Kiosk Retailing – A Sample Study in a
Regional Platform (Pondicherry)
Need for the Study:
The following aspects stimulated the researcher to go for this
research.
 The growing customer base and their convenience expectation during
buying process.
 The necessity for finding solution to reduce the stress of human
components involved in the selling process.
 The need to identify the better alternative for applying “24 X 7 availability
and marketing concept” in the selling essential commodities (like water,
milk, food snack,…etc)
Objectives of the study :
Primary Objective:
 To identify the Consumer parameters of kiosks for checking its technical
feasibility and commercial feasibility those enable its implementation in a
regional market.
Secondary Objective:
 To identify the customer awareness about the utility of the kiosks.
 To find the common perception among the consumers about kiosks.
 To analyse the customer expectation and its matching facilities available
with the kiosks.
 To suggest the means of implementing in a metro or regional market.
 Scope of the study:
* Based upon this study the corporate sector can take
decisions regarding the utilization of kiosks in their selected
product lines at their discretion.
* This can even be applied in spares and and accessories
retailing.
* This research work enables the corporate sector to
optimize the utility of kiosks in their relevant product lines or
items.
Users:
This study can be used by the
* Companies in the FMCG Industry
* Retailers and Retail Chain of outlets (like Food world, *
Subhiksha. Reliance,…etc.)
* Supermarket owners.
 General Observations and findings from
the Responses:
 Few respondents feel that the implementation of kiosk
induces laziness in the attitude of the consuming
population.
 It has got more security threats and consumer feels
that there is probability of inaccurate product delivery
and service gap.
 If the companies are about install kiosks to concentrate
front end retailing, chances of cannibalizing
Intermediaries margins are like to happen affecting the
balance economic growth. In other side, Customers /
Consumers are likely to be benefitted as there is
probability of getting products at relatively lower price.
 The installation of kiosks may create employment of
skilled segment and all likely to create disguised
unemployment.
 Now also some individuals hesitate to use ATM itself due to the
fear of their operation knowledge and lack of awareness about its
utility.

 People doubt it’s pricing and billing mechanism as they exposed to

difficulty in Coin PCOs.

 It requires technical maintenance and regular supervision to ensure

absolute service to the buyers.

 The require combination of interactive options in product kiosk with

accessibility to Internet and Customer feedback processing and due
assurance of serving customer expectations through kiosks.

 It needs change in attitude of population surviving in cosmos and

towns.
 Consumers want simple operating procedures in kiosks.

 The respondents reflected their fear of losing their money without

product delivery.

 The respondents are in need of appropriate awareness and knowledge

to use kiosks through corporate ads.
 Analytical Findings & Remarks:
 Except a few, All most all the respondents are seeking for 24/ 7
availability of certain FMCG products which they are about to use on
day to day life.
 Among the respondents seeking for 24/7 availability, the requirement
of milk and other soft drinks is prevalent among the consumers
followed by groceries.
 Majority of the respondents say that they require automated selling
machine which is free from emotional stress on non stop service.
 The most suitable location as expected by the respondents in setting or
installing kiosk is Residential areas followed by Bus stops and Railway
station based upon its security and utility.
 The most volatile life style of regional population is the major factor
identified for the introduction of selling machines like kiosks followed
by changes in working timings.
 The respondent feel the working population with frequent changes in
their work schedules will be more benefitted from kiosks, relatively
with professionals followed by home executives.
 Almost the 3/4th of the respondents says that the implementation of
kiosks in cosmos and towns of state like Tamil nadu.
 3/4th of the respondents believe that they will more benefit than the
profit seeking producers as consumers.
 Nearly 3/4th of the respondents are expecting their product availability
at they access due to situation rather than their own attitude.
 Suggestions:
 The corporate players need to identify that all the customers
expecting 24/7 availability of certain identified FMCG products like
Milk and other soft drinks and so they should think of an
alternative like Product Selling Kiosks which widely used in the
developed countries like US, Japan,..etc.,
 From this study the Business seekers can think of technology
transfer from other countries so as to install and implement the
product kiosks in vulnerable points like Residential areas, Bus
stops and Railway stations so as to ensure the availability of their
essentially required FMCG products.
 The current customer are confident and ready to accept and use
product kiosks and the companies should not hesitate the
implement them in semi urban and sub urban areas
 As the customers surviving in semi urban areas are influenced by
situations and the growing exposures create situations that
induces the expectation of immediate satisfaction of arising needs
and that can be fulfilled by Kiosks to some extent.
 As the customer themselves believe that kiosk will benefit them
than the business holders, the corporate can think of
implementing kiosk at least as a trial in certain test markets.
An older soda vending machine.
An Internet kiosk with a
touchscreen in Vienna,
Austria in 2007
A typical American snack
vending machine
Newspaper
vending The Vendstar 3000, a
machine in typical bulk candy
Düsseldorf machine
A Dutch 'automatiek' A machine that made
Netherlands fresh French fries,
Australia
Rice vending Instant-noodles
machines, vending machine,
Japan Tokyo
Book vending
machine,
United Photo booth, Germany
Kingdom
Fishing- Dunbar Armored ATM Techs
bait watching over ATMs that have
machine, been installed in a van.
Spain
 A South Korean
ATM with mobile
bank port and bar
code reader
 Conclusion:
 The continuous change in the regional population life
style and their expectation forces the researchers and
business blue chips to think of new ways satisfying
their customer needs as the growing customer world is
adaptive and seeking for advanced changes in existing
market ensuring availability.
 This study will certainly give new input and confidence
level to the companies in bringing the automated
concept of Innovation in Marketing Management which
in widely existing other developed countries and in
some metros of our country itself.
Thank you
?! Please