Are kiosks still relevant in a mobile world?

Are kiosks still relevant in a mobile world?
Tags: Mobile
February 20, 2012

When I tell people that one of the specialties of my company is building and developing customized interactive kiosks for tourists, many people ask how kiosk companies are still viable with the rapid growth of smart phones. Because a smartphone can do many things a kiosk can but doubles as one's own personal device, the basic assumption is that a smartphone would make kiosks obsolete. Common sense would tell us that this would be the case, but then why is the kiosk industry growing and still thriving today?

The answer is that while mobile phones have the capability to mimic the functionality of kiosks, consumers just don't use smartphones in that way.

Let me throw out a few boring stats to illustrate. It was estimated that by the end of 2011, approximately one in two people will have smart phones. With the millions and millions of people owning and buying smart phones, why would kiosks not be going the way of the dinosaur? A study showed that 80 percent of the time spent on smartphones are spent either on gaming or social networking.

What about the remainder? Looking up maps and using the GPS for directions? That stat doesn't even warrant a category. Looking up local restaurants and shopping destinations? Nope? The remaining 20 percent is split between news, entertainment, and "other." Some of the best features of a smart phone are completely underutilized. Phones can be used to access online coupons, look up local destinations, get an airline border pass, make reservations, use an NFC capability to act as a credit card, etc. Yet, none of those things even register on a breakdown of smartphone usage.

So the question becomes will smart phones ever completely make the kiosk obsolete if it has the potential? Well the answer is maybe, but past consumer behavior seems to indicate that this probably won't happen. For years smartphones have had the ability to act as a GPS receiver and provide real time mapping capability, yet only a small percentage of smartphone owners use it. Many consumers still use dedicated GPS devices for their cars rather than their phones, and people are still buying new GPS devices. While the dedicated GPS industry has slowed, it is in no way gone.

Rather than think about the number of ways that the smartphone could make a kiosk obsolete, I'd rather think of ways in which kiosks and smartphones can co-exist. Interaction between smart phones and kiosks could be one particular answer to this question. Comments are welcome below to discuss where you think kiosks will be in five or 10 years or ways in which kiosks could be integrate with smart phones.

Reader Comments

Gopinath Murthy

about 3 months ago

For the discerning, too much is happenning with smart phones, too soon. There are too many things cluttering a mobile phone. The sizes first became smaller, then are getting bigger. Interacting on larger screens is simpler, focussed and a kiosk lends a solidity, a trust factor to a company, service or brand. There cannot be a either this or that; rather alternative channels for a user to choose. Kiosk deployments in India at least, are on the rise; how much longer? We'll have to watch.
Bhaskaran K

about 3 months ago

One important difference is that a smart phone is a 'personal device' whereas a kiosk is not a personal device. During cost-cutting or efficiency-increasing drives it will become imperative to use shared resources for activities that need not be 'purely personal' - ie., I just want to see the status of a booking on-line, I just want to see what is the score, I just want to know what is the stock price for a few stocks this morning, I just want to request for a film show ticket, etc for which it is enough if I have access to a connected device for 30 min totally. I do not even need to own a smartphone, for this, - may use a phone only for receiving calls.

The more and more we have activities 24X7 on our smart phone and are compelled to use them for all things in life, the more we get stressed out, according to some studies, and perhaps that is why people use these smart phones more for relaxing - to listen to music. But believe me, live music and live dancing (for those who are a more active type) is much more relaxing. So I feel kiosks definitely have their place, and will definitely find more and more uses... Of course for some of these uses, smart phone could prove to be better, easier and more convenient, but perhaps not for all uses, all applications and users from for all segments of society and geographies.
Jeff Yapalater

about 3 months ago

One reason the smartphone is not used more is because of battery life. This is a major issue with these devices. I carry two batteries and I have to remember to have them charged. Another task I have to remember daily. What a hassle. So, I am careful of what I do with the phone. and as you say social networking and actually talking take a lot of battery use.
It is such a shame that the Nexus is an energy hog. They say all 4G are. With advances today who would think battery life would still be an issue. So my belief is that usage will increase tremendously when the battery life is greatly extended. Was battery life a consideration when these polls are taken?
Thomas Keane

about 2 months ago

A few thoughts on kiosk issues which we find relevant to this comparison between smart phones and fixed kiosk units; we supply an internet access terminal in airports. Clearly, the vast majority of travelers moving thru have at least one device, inclusive of a smart phone, by which they could access the internet. We offer free connection, in exchange for a short, 15 second 'engagement' with a sponsor purchased advert. We have massive utilization. Comments from users; "I want to save my battery"......"the phone screen is way too small to effectively use the internet on this phone" (by the way, this has remained consistent thru the first small Blackberry screens to the latest/greatest Iphone/Android/HTC larger screens...),....."the connection is better/faster"........."better keyboard at the kiosk"........."better HD graphics at the keyboard"........"better web sites - more robust content - at the kiosk"......

And, more are traveling with less; the smart phone has solved for email, thus the laptops are staying home......meaning when the true web experience is required, the phone is not a favored option.