FRANKLIN, Tenn. · When it comes to paying for goods and services, consumers continue to take matters into their own hands, according to IHL Consulting Group. The group found in a recent study that North American consumers are on pace to spend more than $525 billion at self-checkout lanes, ticketing kiosks and other self-service machines in 2007, an increase from $438 billion in 2006.
"We expect that expenditures made at self-service kiosks will rise by about 20 percent this year and another 18 percent in 2008," said Greg Buzek, president of IHL Consulting Group. "Demand for self-checkout systems and other kiosks should push the dollar value of transactions to nearly $1.3 trillion by 2011."
In the IHL study, "2007 North American Self-Service Kiosks," IHL examines the increasing use of five types of self-service kiosks where payment is accepted: self-checkout systems, ticketing kiosks, check-in kiosks, food ordering and postal kiosks.
