Touchmonitors aim for mini kiosk duties

The 1247L and 1229L 12in LCD touchmonitors are ideally suited to complement the rise in point-of-display mini kiosks.

With increasing choices and options for consumers, a new trend in mini kiosks placed at the point of display (POD) promises to be an effective way for retailers to maximise valuable floor space and capture potential sales.

Mini kiosks are the perfect choice for applications such as shelf-edge information displays, price checkers, payment terminals, shopping assistants, digital photo stations and gift registries.

The 1247L and 1229L 12in LCD touchmonitors from Elo TouchSystems, the global leader in touch technology and a business unit of Tyco Electronics, are ideally suited to complement this rise in POD kiosks.

"Traditionally, a kiosk has been a bulky, floor-standing enclosure that contains a monitor and peripherals", says Mike Sigona, Elo's Market Manager Europe.

"Today, however, due to the cost of valuable retail space, traditional kiosks have been slimming down".

"Many retailers are using small displays such as 12.1in for applications where their POD location may not have the space necessary for a full-sized kiosk".

"It enables them to place the selling tool at the point where the product is displayed".

According to Sigona, retailers using mini kiosks retain the advantages of a full-sized kiosk - a self-service, easy-to-use multilingual expert system and touch interface with the added advantage of maximising their selling space.

"Sometimes traditional kiosks are placed in the back of a store because that's the only space available", Sigona comments.

"Mini kiosks are often a quarter to half the footprint and cost of traditional full-sized kiosks and can be incorporated into existing retail layouts, including pole- or shelf-mounts".

"This smaller footprint and reduced cost make mini kiosks a valuable option not only for large retailers, but also for smaller locations where both of these criteria can be especially restrictive".

Elo has two standard touchmonitors that are ideally suited to driving mini kiosks: the 1247L and 1229L 12in LCD displays.

Elo's 1247L is a rear mount touchmonitor that fits within a mini enclosure designed by the customer and retains branding and signage.

"The 1247L offers higher brightness, better contrast, and wider viewing angle than most 12in LCDs (300cd/m2, 300:1, 120 x 90 degrees)", explains Sigona.

"Its long lasting product cycle is assured because the enclosure is controlled by Elo specifications and panel upgrades to the model are possible in the future without external changes".

"An integrated precision minibezel provides a watertight seal".

"Furthermore, the 1247L can be left unsupervised", Sigona adds.

Elo's 1229L is a desktop touchmonitor that can be located on a counter top and left semi-supervised.

"The 1229L is more than a typical desktop monitor", Sigona confirms.

"It has been designed for touch".

Elo's 1229L has features important for use in public applications: a very stable base that can be bolted down; lockable controls located on the side and not the front of the monitor; cabling that is unobtrusive and hidden from the user's view; a watertight seal; and attractive styling.

"The 1229L is a mobile, portable, low-cost touchmonitor that is reusable and can be relocated throughout the store as needs change, just like a regular monitor", adds Sigona.

"It is also available with integrated multifunction options such as a magnetic stripe reader (MSR), rearfacing customer display and biometric fingerprint recognition".

Unlike some passive POD systems that use a monitor and looping video, Elo's 1247L and 1229L will drive touch-based mini kiosks that are fully interactive.

According to several independent studies, Elo's IntelliTouch surface wave technology is the preferred choice for kiosk applications.

Both the 1247L and 1229L touchmonitors use IntelliTouch technology to provide a crisp, colourful image that is scratch and dirt resistant, stable and drift free, with a clean touch interface.

Elo can also provide custom solutions for those occasions when a customer's requirement falls outside of its standard product range.

For example, Elo's custom design group is currently working with a major European retailer on an 8.4in LCD touchmonitor.

In addition, Elo provides over 100 tips on kiosk planning, design, implementation and rollout on its website.

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