Self- checkout kiosks are available at most common supermarkets and as the general public are becoming increasingly more confident in self-service technology more and more people are choosing to use this payment method. Other than the occasional technical problem that most of us have encountered with these machines, self- checkouts tend to be the easier and quicker option when shopping, especially now that contactless payment solutions have been made available.
The number of payments made via contactless have increased dramatically over the last 12 months, and the success of this form of transaction method has led to the increase of the maximum payment via contactless from £20 to £30 in September 2015.
Now things have been taken even further and Integrating mobile payment technology like Apple pay could be the next big thing to come to self-service kiosks here in the UK. Already kiosks are being used for convenient check in and bookings, so it’s likely only a matter of time before Apple pay will be available at common kiosks in Britain, mirroring what is taking place across the Atlantic where the U.S. experienced Apple Pay at kiosks before the rest of the world; launching the technology at around 200,000 self-service payment kiosks around the whole of the U.S. last year.
Combining Apple technology and kiosks has many benefits for both consumers and businesses. No physical cash is kept inside the machine, meaning there will be less attempts to break open or damage the kiosk. As there is no need for money, card or coupon sections, there are less components on these Apple Pay kiosks and therefore less maintenance is needed. The benefits for customers are perhaps the most important benefits of all: convenience, ease and speed.
Additionally, owing to the fact that less maintenance is required than a normal self-service machine and there is no need for a person to be present during the transaction, this type of payment machine may be successful in places that are unattended and not attached to a commercial property, reducing staffing costs for businesses.
Among consumers, Apple Pay is already the most popular method of mobile payment since its launch in October 2014. It works with many self-service kiosks such as laundry machines, vending machines and parking meters in the US.