Having spent over twenty five years guiding retailers and brands into self-service solutions, it has been fun to reflect at the various industry events this winter on how we got to this multi-screen Modus operandi, which is fast becoming second nature. We’ve witnessed the evolution of desktop to kiosk, kiosk to mobile and digital signage to mobile. Consumers move freely among devices in planned and impulsive ways.

At the same time we’re experiencing this technology evolution; we’re also encountering a broadening of the applications for self-service.  We think this trend offers new opportunities for forward-thinking retailers, so there’s not much time for looking back.

A major self-service at retail theme is the enabling of shoppers to explore endless aisles and access the breadth of what the retailer has to offer. These are engagement solutions that empower customers in the store like shopping kiosks, gift registry kiosks, and interactive digital signage with expanded inventory visibility for categories from jewelry to shoes. They are all very intuitive uses for in-store self-service.

A second intriguing theme involves offering ancillary services that are a draw to busy, connected consumers. By providing frictionless ways for customers to accomplish life’s pleasurable and mundane tasks, self-service offerings can solidify the store as a destination and even encourage repeat visits. We think this aspect of self-service lends itself to some imaginative applications.

Here are three examples of how self-service can expand access, enable perpetual connection, and eliminate speed bumps for consumers:

Some big box retailers and pharmacies are recognizing the value of self-service health assessment like that offered by the SoloHealth Station® as a strategy for increasing footfall and sales. The value of certain Lifestyle types of screening, like weight and blood pressure is continuity, which plays right into traffic-building and loyalty-building objectives. Interactive, self-service kiosks are ideally suited to deliver targeted messages about Lifestyle brands in the store that have relevance to the assessments individuals are experiencing and can promote healthful living and incremental sales.

With the increased acceptance of the phone as a shopping assistant, there’s a realization that phone charging can be a real draw in most any retail setting. Consumers first encountered mobile charging stations like the Keo Connect charging and concierge kiosk in airports. Phone charging displays can come in many formats and their value can be extended when coupled with consumer information services, promotional programs, and advertising messages.

Retailers should also consider the traffic-building aspects of providing access to commonly used services. One of the early examples of this concept was self-service photo kiosks like the ones we produced for Sony and others. More recently we designed and produced a DMV in a Box kiosk for Intellectual Technology, Inc. that was placed in motor vehicle branches across the United States. It is not a stretch to think of partnerships that would place other kinds of convenient services in the retail environment.

Consumers form relationships with retailers that meet their needs and expectations in consistent and satisfying ways. Self-service has a role to play in helping stores with doors, deliver on that proposition not only for shopping – which we hope is mainly a pleasurable activity - but for services that make the store a logical and convenient destination to accomplish some of the mundane tasks that keep us all moving forward.

The ultimate test for the execution of self-service is being secured at retail presently. The connected consumers have made themselves heard and the majority of successful retailers are experimenting with ways to reduce their legacy silos, into Omni-channel solutions to offer their loyal consumers convenience, selection, and service when they want it, where they want it, the way they want it! In return retailers are finding consumers with a renewed exuberance for loyalty, bordering on evangelism for the retail brand!

Self-service at retail caters to the merger of online and bricks and mortar experiences that will help keep the store the focus of the next generation shopper’s journey. While many readers are working to update a retail roadmap that acknowledges a multi-pronged path to purchase, those of us who are in the business of developing self-service solutions have been facilitating that for a while. We’re energized by the fact that we are constantly adding more tools to our arsenal.

The definition of self-service is broadening. The emergence of mobile technology has expanded what it can mean to offer self-service and solutions can offer a convergence of the screens convenience to the connected consumer.

The look and feel of self-service has evolved as kiosk developers have advanced their designs to include touch screens and digital signage. Cutting-edge technologies like gesture-based interaction and augmented reality can add new dimensions.

Two key insights we can draw on the future of self-service at retail from the many projects we’ve managed at Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. are that:

1) Success comes where the technology of what’s possible intersects with the expectations of what’s desirable on the part of consumers.

2) There is an emerging segment of shoppers who are emboldened by their online activities, and this is shaping their preferences in store.

The solutions we present must be both intuitive for a digitally-minded set of consumers who seek consistency in their experiences and mindful that shopping is becoming a more personally directed endeavor. Sixty-eight percent of those participating in a 2013 study by Latitude Research acknowledged that shopping today is "less about the brands/products themselves and more about me (e.g., what I'm feeling or needing)."

As retailers move to adapt to these insights there is a balancing act to both catching and retaining customers. Self-service technology caters to both of these objectives.

A major self-service at retail theme we are seeing is enabling shoppers to explore and access the breadth of what the store has to offer. These are services that keep people in the store.

Self-service shopping kiosks come in all sizes from large floor standing, endless-aisle designs incorporating digital signage to tablet counter-units. Now a number of retailers are rolling out category-specific solutions that expose shoppers to the full spectrum of inventory.

Consumer behavior is driving the inclusion of bar code scanners in self-service solutions to activate access to the ratings and reviews that consumers demand and complementary items that retailers would like to promote.

Service-oriented kiosks like gift registries have been around for a while, but retailers are becoming more creative in how they use them with options for mobile connection.

A second self-service theme involves offering experiences that draw customers to the store. Self-service offerings can solidify the store as a destination in the minds of consumers and even encourage repeat visits.

Some big box retailers and pharmacies are recognizing the value of self-service health assessment like that offered by the SoloHealth Station as a strategy for increasing footfall and sales. The value of certain types of screening like weight and blood pressure is repetition, which plays right into traffic-building and loyalty-building objectives. Interactive, self-service kiosks are ideally suited to deliver targeted messages about brands in the store that are relevant to the assessments individuals are doing and can promote incremental sales.

Consumers first encountered mobile charging kiosks like the Keo Connect charging and information kiosk in airports. There’s a realization that phone charging in today’s world of battery-draining content consumption can be a real draw in most any retail setting.

Retailers should also continue to think about the traffic-building aspects of providing access to commonly used services. One of the early examples of this concept was self-service photo kiosks like the one we produced for Sony. More recently we designed and produced a DMV in a Box kiosk for Intellectual Technology, Inc. that was placed in motor vehicle branches, but it is not a stretch to think of partnerships that would place other kinds of services in the retail environment.

Conclusion

Consumers form relationships with retailers that meet their needs and expectations in the consistent and satisfying way that self-service solutions can. They are also drawn to retailers who offer new engaging-experiences and ways to assist with tasks. Retailers whose blueprints include self-directed experiences will catch and retain a new segment of digitally-driven shoppers.