Why Kiosk Design Should be Left to the Experts

I love the technology behind Intel’s latest foray into retail self-service. Their grocery checkout terminal concept allows shoppers to send grocery lists to their mobile phone and retrieve and scan electronic coupons. The touchscreen interface also provides customers with useful information, like a recipe look-ups. The kiosk provides effective cross-selling opportunities for the grocer and reduces transaction time by giving the consumer the choice of self-checkout.

So far so good. But the kiosk they have designed is far from ideal in my opinion. It breaks lots of rules of ergonomics and would be very difficult for some customers to use - particularly those in wheelchairs.

As a company specialising in self-service systems, NeoProducts has years of experience designing easy to use and very accessible kiosks. Its Affinity model set a new standard for this back in 2001. Its side-mounted screen, with plenty of leg-room underneath, is perfectly pitched for both standing and seated users, and can be reached comfortably without stretching. Thousands of these kiosks have been in heavy daily use since then without any usability issues emerging.

But the lessons of this seem not to have been learned by newcomers to the world of kiosks. Intel!...we should talk.

HMV Rollout Kiosks from Neo

HMV, the UK and Ireland’s leading specialist retailer of music, DVD/video, computer games and related products, has introduced self-service kiosks into its stores to improve the overall customer experience in a deal with YESpay, a global payments services company, and its partner NeoProducts.

Customers will be able to use the kiosks to locate stock, view sample clips as well as ordering content for home delivery. They can also download MP3 tracks for immediate take away on a media or a storage device. YESpay’s EMBOSS Chip & PIN payment service integrates with the self-service kiosks, enabling faster, easier and more secure payments.

Following a successful trial, the retailer will rollout transactional kiosks throughout its entire store network.

Dave Elston, Ecommerce Manager at HMV, said: "The technology accepts all UK credit and debit cards, allowing prompt payment and delivery of goods securely. With customer demands increasing and people wanting to buy music in new ways it’s important to ensure that with new shopping methods, payments are met securely."

"This technology will allow us to offer customers a means of ordering and paying for products that were either not available in store or by offering easy payment for audio downloads. Eventually the aim is to roll-out further to all stores, gradually increasing the quantity of kiosks in any given store. We saw over 27,000 product searches conducted over the Christmas period, which we believe have contributed towards physical product sales in stores."

Stuart Kitching, Account Manager at YESpay International, commented: "Our work with HMV is a perfect example of how electronic payments can be exploited to interact and engage with customers in new ways. These kiosks are also an innovative way of allowing customers to listen to music before they choose to make a purchase."

Carey Liddy, Project Manager at NeoProducts, added: "Self-service kiosks present an opportunity for retailers to engage with potential and existing customers differently in a way that can ultimately improve a retailer’s long term performance."

e-wrap Launched in the Championship

Hot on the heels of its Premier League debut at Aston Villa, e-wrap makes its first appearance in the Coca-Cola Championship.

West Bromwich Albion became the second football club in Europe to launch e-wrap. Fans of the Baggies are now able to personalise their mobile phones, Nintendo DSs and iPods with some great designs.

To help Baggies fans stand out from the crowd, e-wrap has designed exclusive and unique West Brom wraps, one of which is shown here on an iPhone held by Albion centre-half Leon Barnett. There are 18 other designs to choose from.

e-wrap is the latest electronic device decoration and protection technology - high-quality vinyl skins in a wide range of designs for most mobile phones and other hand-held devices. The customer selects their preferred design and device using a NeoProducts touchscreen kiosk. An e-wrap in their chosen design is then cut to fit their device.

e-wrap Launched in the Premier League

NeoProducts launched its exciting new product e-wrap for Aston Villa at their home game with Fulham in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday 30 August.

e-wrap is the latest electronic device decoration and protection technology - high-quality vinyl skins in a wide range of designs for most mobile phones and other hand-held devices. The customer selects their preferred design and device using a NeoProducts touchscreen kiosk. An e-wrap in their chosen design is then cut to fit their device.

Aston Villa have commissioned their own e-wrap design. This will allow their fans to be the first in the Premier League to show their elegance on their mobile phone.

It is possible to e-wrap almost any electronic device from phones through to games consoles and digital cameras in lots of exciting designs. But custom designs (like Villa's) can be added to the range with ease.

For more information and to become part of a genuine world first retail revolution, please contact:
Jurgen Strack
+44 (0)121 486 4302
+44 (0)7855 430662
Press release on prlog.org

We are very pleased to announce that Fujifilm have entered a new three-year deal with NeoProducts to supply digital photo kiosks in the UK. NeoProducts have been supplying digital photo kiosks to Fujifilm in the UK since 2006. Over 3,000 units have been purchased by Fujifilm, to supply their massive retail customer base.

The kiosks range from desktop units designed to take customers orders for prints and photo gifts through to fully functioning instant print kiosks. With a constantly evolving digital photo marketplace, Fujifilm and NeoProducts work closely together, to ensure that Fujifilm maintains its lead with the latest and greatest services for their customers. NeoProducts also supplies kiosks to Fujifilm in Australia, Canada and Ireland.

David Honey - Fujifilm Strategic Business Group Manager - said:
"NeoProducts has a long track record and proven expertise in the design and development of kiosks, and has delivered good service to us, so it was logical to appoint them for a further 3 year period."

Now That IS Cool!

This week at Australia's Photo Marketing Association 2009 Exhibition, held in Sydney, Fujifilm launched a range of new products that are keeping them at the forefront of digital retail technology. It’s no longer just photo, with Fujifilm showcasing “Lifeware” downloadable application software and funky e-wrap vinyl “skins”, which turn mobile phones, iPods, PDAs and laptops into individual fashion statements.

Fujifilm also showcased self service music downloads which brings to the customer a “virtual” digital music store with around 1 million tracks. Customers can sample tracks and load their own compilation album to a range of personal digital devices.

All of these offerings are presented to the user through a range of kiosks designed and manufactured for Fujifilm by NeoProducts.



The newest of these kiosks is the multi-application NXT. The NXT kiosk is now offered with an optional back-lit face, which changes colour depending on the application that is being accessed. This has prompted more than one reaction along the lines: "Now that IS cool!

Securing Australia's Borders

Launching today, Sydney International Airport joins other Australian Airports in applying leading edge self service technology to improve Australian Border Security: SmartGates. As well as improving security, this system reduces the pressure on immigration staff and makes life easier for the weary traveller.

Increasingly, the expansion in the number of international travellers, coupled with the need for ever more sophisticated screening processes has meant that border security must innovate to manage higher throughput in a challenging environment.

The Australian Customs Service has embraced this challenge and is now a world leader in automating border security.

Australian Smart Passport holders can now self check through customs and immigration by scanning their passport and interactively answer entry questions at one of the 80 Smartgate kiosks. The traveller then proceeds to one of the automated gates where a biometric recognition system verifies their status and allows them entry.

The Smartgate kiosks were designed by Neo for Sagem, who deliver the complete system. So now one of the first things that a traveller entering Australia sees is a kiosk from NeoProducts.