As people become acquainted to and more comfortable with using tablets, smartphones and other touchscreen technology within their shopping experience, it is easy for self-service providers to profit and capitalize on the new trend.

Not only do virtual shopping kiosks enhance the experience for many shoppers, the financial benefits of using them for storeowners make them the ideal sales assistant. Some of the benefits of using these virtual shopping systems are as follows:

Answer shopper questions

Since shoppers are accustomed to using touchscreen software, virtual kiosks can answer myriad questions with accurate pricing and information. Shoppers can browse through displayed and non-displayed items from one central location on the kiosk, minimizing the cost of a large store footprint. The unique interface makes it easy for shoppers to navigate through large item inventories, and it provides a better shopping experience by giving the user up-to-date information on whether an item is in stock.

Product promotion and upselling

Many retail settings, such as clothing stores, can benefit from the kiosk's ability to promote relevant items based on past shopper purchases and preferences. Virtual kiosks can simplify pairings for shoppers by offering item suggestions that promote cross-selling. This gives owners control of promoting certain items over others and possibly increasing sale amounts within every transaction.

Inventory control

One issue that retail store owners are constantly looking to minimize is the problem of wasted inventory. With the automated database of products in a virtual kiosk, inventory management is simplified making it easier to control waste and only renew stocks of items that are running low in quantity. This reduces costs associated with unnecessary overstocking, while also being able to better manage the in-stock quantities for high demand items.