interview
Expertise
across verticals
A blend of specialisation and diversification is one
way the self-service industry can weather the
inevitable storms of the future
By Philip Murphy, Business Development Manager, IOResource Ltd – www.ioresource.com
IOResource was established in October
2002 and has become a major distributor
of retail automation and mobility
products. As a trade only organisation,
IOResource is working with some of the
world’s leading retail automation and
mobility vendors to provide the latest
technology and solutions.
What have been the most
significant changes to the
industry over the past five years?
The principal change in the industry has
been the rise of self-serve checkout and
kiosks; this demand has been driven by
both businesses and consumers. The
grocery and convenience sector has
seen a substantial change in this regard
with cinema chains and quick service
restaurants following close behind.
Another significant change has
been the trend towards card only
terminals and away from cash. A key
influence of this trend is the tap and pay
functionality now available via Android
and iOS devices, as well as contactless
debit and credit cards for small
purchases. The migration away from
predominantly cash-based transactions
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has also influenced the increase in
use of biometric payments in some
markets. Most recently, the launch of
facial recognition software with self-
serve units for age-controlled products
such as alcohol and other software
enhancements. These include Pick List
Assist and Produce Assurance, which
use imaging technology to identify the
product to increase customer service
and product security.
What have been the main
challenges for your sector?
There has been an increase in the
number of consumer-grade tablets that
have entered the market; these entry-
level tablets aren’t fit for purpose in a
commercial environment. Mostly, they’re
used with Cloud SaaS software with no
support engineers physically on the
ground. Invariably, these units fail early on
in the life cycle of the technology project,
and the resulting disruption of the
business can be costly.
Retailers usually write off this initial
investment and deploy a device that's
designed for retail. The main challenge
is to educate the market that value
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always outweighs the price. The current
large growth in mobile POS must be
combined with the right hardware to
ensure its success.
Where do you see the kiosk
industry in the future?
The kiosk industry will expand at a fast
rate due to lowering costs and consumers
driving demand. Kiosks will inevitably
become more affordable for the smaller
retailer etc. This combined with the
SaaS model will help small and medium
enterprises to benefit from the many
advantages larger retailers do today.
Personalisation for each customer
will become the required norm, while
in non-transactional use kiosks will
continue to impact on the digital signage
industry as true interactive solutions
become more prevalent.
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What will be the market
drivers for the future?
A lot of drivers will be the same as those
we have today, but the primary difference
will be that the size of the market behind
these drivers will become much larger
as adoption of self-serve solutions by
consumers increases. Consumers want
speed of service, so customers choose
self-serve because they find it more
convenient, simpler and faster than
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