Self-Serve & Marketing Kiosks: The Ultimate in Phygital
Multi-location (MULO) brands have long been using various forms of digital advertising and transaction processing. Labor costs and shortages, combined with consumer demand and love of interactive experiences, have given rise to a whole new category of phygital (physical + digital) options and solutions.
At the Summer Fancy Food Show, media and big box buyers were given access to digital vending machines, enabling them to select a free product sample from these self-serve marketing kiosks. This was a terrific application of the technology and also gave retail managers a spark of an idea that they could carry into their locations.
Also in the realm of B-to-B marketing, an upcoming industry event (Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation) focuses exclusively on this form of distribution.
The conventional “vending machine” has its origins in ancient times (the first century). According to various sources, Hero Alexandria, a Greek engineer and mathematician, invented a machine that dispensed holy water upon insertion of a coin.
Fast-forward to the 1880s, when machines started dispensing postcards and chewing gum. Cigarettes, soft drinks, snacks, and candy were all added to the digital “menu” over the years. Walk through any airport and you’ll spot kiosks that dispense travel-related products, cosmetics, and electronics.
Technology innovations and consumers’ acceptance of (and often need for) self-serve gave rise to a wide range of new phygital applications.
Of course, we can buy products via “machines,” but we can also use them to:
- Try on make-up (Sephora has a device that does color matching)
- Take selfies in-store and share with our friends and family (while sharing contact data with the brand or event producer)
- Sample new products out-of-store (e.g., pop-ups, festivals and sporting events)
- Get news of new products and sales (via in-screen advertising)
- “Skip lines” by pre-ordering and even paying for merchandise and food (which is now commonplace in many retail stores and restaurants)
- Check in at locations like doctors’ offices, service businesses, and others
- Engage in contests
- Provide service feedback
- Allow consumers to customize products
- Find our way at large venues (like entertainment centers, hotels, and attractions)
Both the hardware and software have evolved to meet the needs of MULO brands and consumers. The Kiosk Group‘s website showcases just a few examples of the various sizes and types of devices these brands can utilize. From iPad to gigantic screens with QR codes, possibilities abound.
Self-serve and other types of kiosks can also help brands collect a wide range of data about their customers. This may be especially valuable in high-traffic spaces like malls and at events, where collecting information about visitors could otherwise be challenging.
We’ve come a long way from the holy water vending machine, but innovations in this phygital category can yield miraculous business results if well used.
For more about phygital transformation, please join us at Street Fight LIVE 2025 at Microsoft on September 30th.
