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KIOSKCOM: SSKA advisory board stresses self-service in tough economic times

October 14, 2008

NEW YORK — Several of the Self-Service & Kiosk Association's advisory board members met yesterday to discuss the challenging economic climate that is affecting businesses throughout the world.

The meeting took place on the eve of the biannual KioskCom Self-Service Expo, this time in New York. The expo runs from Oct. 15 until Oct. 16.

Photograph by Travis Kircher

Dick Good, chairman of the SSKA, speaks to the advisory board about self-service in the face of a challenging and changing economy.

V. Miller Newton, president of SSKA, opened the meeting by pointing out that retailers, regardless of their specialty, should feel a need to become engaged in self-service.

"We're on the eve of probably the greatest financial crisis of our time," Newton told SelfService.org after the meeting. "Companies are definitely hunkering down. They're going to cut costs. They're going to be budget conscious."

Yet in the midst of the belt-tightening, Newton says there is significant opportunity for retailers to get a leg up on their competition by utilizing self-service to cut labor costs and increase consumer engagement.

"I think it's interesting that the KioskCom attendance is up 33 percent," he said. "I believe that self-service is a critical component and a must-have in this economic downturn."

Additionally, Newton urged the board members to take part in the association's new-deployer member drive, which provides a free year of SSKA membership to select deployers.

SSKA vendor members are asked to provide the association with a list of potential deployers that might be candidates for membership.

Executive director David Drain provided an overview of the association's activities, including a look at publicity the association received in the Atlanta Journal Constitution as well as a glance at the site statistics of SelfService.org.

During the meeting, Francie Mendelsohn of Summit Research Associates also provided statistics about the self-service industry and tips for deployers to keeping their self-service interfaces easy to use. Those tips included using large button icons, keeping text short and simple, and limiting the amount of sound included in the application.

Dick Good, chairman of the association, led a round table discussion focused on how the industry should adapt to an uncertain future.

The writer is editor of SelfService.org.