Chapter #5 - Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf Kiosks

After taking May off to report on the NRA 2010 show, Marie is back in kiosk mode with her latest installment in her kiosk program development story. In case you missed them or just need a refresher, you can read the previous chapters here, here, here and here.

Chapter 5 - Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf Kiosks

Some people believe that there is no clear distinction between custom and off-the-shelf kiosk programs. But there are differences. Let's start with off-the-shelf.

There are a couple of areas to mull over when choosing an off-the-shelf program. First is the number of units you plan to open. If you're opening just a single unit and there is no plan to grow beyond that, off-the-shelf is the way to go. The upfront investment is generally lower than a custom kiosk and with the multitude of designs available, you should be able to find something that will work for you.

If you're planning to roll out more than one unit, however, off-the-shelf may not be the way to go. I always tell my customers that the biggest mistake start-up businesses can make when developing a kiosk program is not building a solid branded design platform and maintaining that identity throughout the entire program. Stock kiosks don't always allow for this to happen.

Another area to consider is if you plan to test your concept before rolling out additional units. If yours is a brand-new, unproven concept, it would make sense to start with an off-the-shelf kiosk because of their lower upfront cost. Once the concept has been proven and you decide to develop more kiosks, then you may want to look into a custom program.

I must say that too often, the decision really comes down to money. If you're very price sensitive, off-the-shelf is the better option.

And now for the other side - custom kiosks. Virtually all regional and national kiosk programs will incorporate some level of customization. This is because there are so many different elements to a kiosk's design including branding, size, number of product display areas and overall functionality for your customers and employees. Additionally, you have to take into account the mall property groups you plan to lease from as each one will have different design criteria. If you're planning a national roll out, custom is definitely the way to go as it'll help strengthen brand identity and recognition while allowing you to make necessary revisions to accommodate mall guidelines (plan for at least 3 to 4 designs to enable you to lease within these properties).

If you're deciding between off-the-shelf and custom, here's a quick list of pros and cons for each to consider:

Off-the-Shelf

• Lower cost
• Ideal for testing an unproven concept
• Speed to market -- about 4 weeks
• Standard design concepts
• May not express your brand
• May not fit your parameters

Custom

• Ideal for building brand identity/recognition
• Unique design
• Will be functional for selling your product/service
• Higher cost
• Lengthy design process -- about 2-3 months

--Marie VanDrisse (Connect with me on LinkedIn.)