Kiosks introduction

Imagine being able to hire additional employees without paying them a salary. While that can land you in trouble, installing kiosks at your business can be an attractive alternative. Kiosks are user-friendly machines that act like virtual employees, collecting and delivering information quickly and consistently without human interaction.

The entire kiosks industry is taking off — a recent study by IHL Consulting Group predicts that kiosks transactions will approach $1.2 trillion by 2009. One of the main reasons for this growth is that they can provide a variety of services from simple to complex:

• Printing professional-quality digital photos
• Managing self-serve checkout lines at supermarkets
• Checking in and printing boarding passes at the airport
• Printing or displaying detailed directions, grades, retail pricing or availability, bridal registries, and more
• Accepting bill payments
• Taking job applications
• Verifying fingerprints, iris scans, or other security measures

You're probably more familiar with kiosks than you think. The most common kiosks, the ATM, have been around for decades. (Read more about ATMs.)

This BuyerZone Kiosks Buyer's Guide will detail the types of kiosks you can provide for your business, the touch screen technology and display options available, your purchasing options, and the various costs involved.