Data driven? - The value of in-store kiosks

September 24, 2019

In any business data is power, allowing a brand to better understand their customer’s habits, needs, and wants, and to communicate with them more effectively about the products or services that meet their needs.

In the online world, capturing customer data and understanding customer habits is relatively simple. But when it comes to bricks and mortar, it can feel harder to ask customers to provide their information and time-consuming to enter it.

One highly effective way of solving this problem is to invite the customer to enter their own data for a reward using kiosks that enable them to sign up for newsletters or customer loyalty programs.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Customers are more than familiar with the idea of handing over their data, but they do so with the expectation of a reward.

In her 2019 Internet Trends report famed analyst Mary Meeker noted:

91 per cent of retail customers prefer brands that provide personalised recommendations and offers
83 per cent of customers are willing to passively share data in exchange for personalized experiences
74 per cent are willing to actively share data in exchange for personalized experiences

So how can you collect this data in real world business and what incentives can you offer?

The Customer Loyalty Kiosk

Data and analytics firm Accenture, found 75 per cent of people are more likely to spend money with a company that does one of the following:

Knows their purchase history
Makes recommendations based on past purchases
Recognizes them by name

A great way of capturing this information is as part of a loyalty program which tracks customer expenditure with a brand and offers them discounts and deals based on their purchasing history.

Most POS software providers now offer this as a feature of their programming, but in many cases signing a customer up for a loyalty program at the point of sale can add significant time to a purchase transaction.

Alternatively, retailers and business can encourage customers to join a loyalty program using a self-service kiosk positioned in their outlet.

This allows customers to enter their own data in exchange for the perceived rewards that come with loyalty.

The Newsletter Signup Kiosk

In a similar vein, retailers can also offer a kiosk for newsletter signup, allowing customers to provide their information in exchange for further information about a brand.

When linked with email or SMS marketing, newsletter signup also allows customers to feel part of a unique club which offers discounts, deals and incentives to those who opt to be “in the know” about a brand.

In addition, newsletters allow retailers and business to showcase their latest products, lines, and services directly to their consumer.

It further enables them to understand the products, services and deals that pique their interest via analytics like click-through rates, page visits and purchases, allowing the business to better understand the information a customer seeks, and the type of incentives that prompt them to buy.

The Customer Survey Kiosk

Meanwhile, another way of capturing customer data is to offer your customer an improved experience by asking for their feedback through a survey.

Again, this allows a business to ask for data, and utilise it to improve their offerings, promotions, deals and even the customer experience within their outlet.

Once You Have The Data, It Matters What You Do With It

As reports consistently note, customers are willing to hand over their information, but when they do so they anticipate a reward.

So, what do you do with it when you have it?

Offer personalized deals and promotions, based on their purchasing history
Provide personalized product and services recommendations that better relate to them as an individual - as Mary Meeker notes 91 per cent of retail customers prefer brands that provide personalised recommendations and offers
Leverage retargeting ads - The Digital Advertising Alliance found nearly 70 per cent of consumers would prefer at least some ads that have been tailored based on their interests
Apply insight to omnichannel – Smart Insights explains by next year more than half of all customers expect businesses to anticipate their needs and make appropriate recommendations across every touchpoint.
Use data to improve the in-store and online experience (Salesforce found 73 per cent of customers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations, and 54 per cent of customers say companies need to transform how they engage with them)
Create better customer profiles – Internally this data allows business to better understand in detail exactly who their customer is, including their needs, pain points and decision-making triggers. The data can then be used to make better customer personas and ultimately better business decisions.

You can learn more about creating customer loyalty and newsletter signup kiosks using simple mobile devices and our tablet stands here.