MULTIMEDIA IN SALES & POINT OF PURCHASE

Picture this: You are a salesperson working at a retail shop or an exhibition booth. Every day, you get potential customers asking questions that can already be found on brochures. What do you do? Should you hand them a copy of the brochure and tell them to read it themselves? Or should you attend to each and every customer and answer the same basic questions over and over again?

Our solution : Set up a Multimedia Information Kiosk! Let the computer demonstrate the basics and leave your salesperson to concentrate on more important sales functions - closing sales for instance.

• What is an Information Kiosk?
• Uses of an Information Kiosk
• What can you do with a Multimedia Information Kiosk?
• How is a Kiosk set up?

• Multimedia Service Providers You can Approach
• Useful Links

What is an Information Kiosk?

An Information Kiosk is basically a console that has a built-in computer that has multimedia capabilities. It offers on-line information which a user can select via a touch screen. Some advanced kiosks can handle transactions and other complex functions besides offering basic product and sales information in the form of sound, graphics or video.

Just imagine if you set up a kiosk at your store display window, you can deliver your marketing message even before any customer enters the store. Or to those who do not want to enter the store. Or even when the store closes for the night.

Uses of an Information Kiosk

You are at an exhibition center and wish to know the location of a specific company you are looking for. An Information Kiosk presents you with the layout of the exhibition hall. You simply key in the company you are looking for and you will be presented with the exact location of the company on the screen. Other applications include:

• Ticket Dispensing (e.g. Theaters)
• Self-service Ordering (e.g. Restaurants)
• Maps/Guides (e.g. Institutions, Airports)
• Transactions

What you can do with an Information Kiosk?

• Use it as a 24-hour salesman
• Use it as a Sales and Advertising Tool
• Use it as a Receptionist
• Provide selective information & not bore user with unwanted information
• Interact with your customers
• Visually interesting and attractive to potential customers
• FUN to use, yet informative
• Keep customers occupied by proving basic information while you spend time closing sales
• Generates revenue

How is a simple Multimedia Kiosk Set Up

• Gather promotional Content - brochures, text, video, etc
• Decide how to attract potential customers in ONE minute
• Determine what information to offer
• Categorize information for easy-navigation
• Media preparation - record sound with Sound Blaster, digitize video using Video Blaster RT300, etc
• Integrate media elements by using an authoring or presentation tools
• Combine multimedia program into a multimedia PC with a Touchscreen monitor
• Place Multimedia into a Console
• Decide location of kiosks

What Tools to Use

If you intend to create a simple interactive brochure with graphics and video, presentation tools will do just fine. For more complex applications that allow customers to key in details or carry out transactions, you should use authoring tools. Here, we've only listed a few of the presentation and authoring software available in the market. Of course, you would need other software to create sound effects, video, dazzling graphics and stunning animation.

Presentation Tools

• Golddisk Astound
• Adobe Persuasion

Authoring Tools

• Macromedia Director
• Authorware Professional
• Icon Author
• Multimedia Tool Book