When we look at successful electronic kiosks, what comes to mind are the types that promote advertizing, those that collect information and ATM’s. The question is, are there other uses for electronic kiosks now that handheld devices have become such an important part of our lives?

A group out of Connecticut has created a kiosk which they believe will introduce the generation of kiosks to the main-stream market. The group has designed a kiosk which will allow the use of tools we are familiar with such as using the internet and ordering products online, as well as collecting information from customers in order to sell to targeted business groups. Either to the retail partner where the kiosk is placed or to marketing groups which could use the information to send emails or mailers for selected products or offers.

So the question is will potential customers be interested in using such a kiosk to order products and become subjected to these marketing campaigns or are we more comfortable ordering products from the comfort of our own homes from sites where we usually do our shopping?

The technology aspect of these kiosks is interesting in its own as it does give companies the ability to offer more products, sizes and selection, than would be offered in their brick and mortar environment. It also offers stores the added use of the digital displays while customers are shopping, as additional advertising space, attracting customers to special offers or the latest products. Could this advertising space more valuable than the database of collected information or is the combination of the two which becomes that next generation of kiosks we will see in the malls, coffee shops, bars and in traditional retail stores themselves?

If we take a look at how technology has changes over the last 5-10 years, handheld devises have become the latest way of searching the internet and ordering products right from our mobile devices. In most cases we are comfortable linking our cells to websites and if we happen to be on campus or in a Starbucks or Penera, we might have to enter a little bit of information to gain access to the Wifi offered on-site, but it becomes second nature and accept the risks that come along with it. We know we might expect small amounts of spam from registering at a new location, but for the most part we know where the information or to whom, it is being offered to. With a kiosk in a mall, are we really sure who will get our personal information and have we as a collective, become leery of where we give what information?