From Shopping Malls to Covered Entrances: Semi-outdoor Kiosks Explained
How about a self-service kiosk machine that presents you the benefits of both outdoor and indoor machines? Maybe, the best of both worlds!
While both outdoor and indoor machines have already established their mark in diverse industries, semi-outdoor kiosks are gaining traction, especially in the retail and government sectors.
Semi-outdoor self-service machines offer the right balance between the rugged character of the outdoor kiosks and the small form factor, customer-friendly design of indoor kiosks. They are ideal for partially covered/exposed environments like the entrances of shopping malls, banks, telecom service providers etc.
Yes, they offer certain unique features and benefits to the service providers.
In this blog, we’ll go through the features, benefits and the common use-case scenarios of semi-outdoor machines, in pretty detail.
Stay tuned…
What are semi-outdoor kiosk machines?
A semi-outdoor kiosk machine is a self-service kiosk terminal installed in partially covered/protected areas like building entrances, lobbies, vestibules, protected walkways, etc.
These kiosk machines are partially enclosed so that they get partial protection from the elements of nature like sunlight, rain, humidity, dust, snow etc.
As they don’t offer complete protection, semi-outdoor machines cannot be treated like fully outdoor machines.
Semi-outdoor machine enclosures are made of IP65-rated steel, and they offer a decent level of ruggedness and durability. However, they are not made to withstand the impact of direct sunlight. Hence, they are loaded with temperature control devices to deal with temperature variations.
Semi-outdoor machines offer the middle-path for the businesses who would like to leverage the benefits of both outdoor and indoor machines.
Features of a semi-outdoor kiosks
Here are the features of a semi-outdoor machine designed to operate in partially covered environments.Â
- Intuitive touchscreen interface – semi-outdoor machines are equipped with intuitive touchscreens of either capacitive or resistive type.
- Sunlight-readable screens - These machines are loaded with sunlight-readable screens so that users can easily read instructions in partially covered areas.
- Weather resistance capability – the semi-outdoor machine enclosures are made of durable steel with IP65 rating. The material offers protection from dust, humidity, indirect sunlight and splashes of water.
- Integrated hardware devices – Based on the service providers’ requirements, the kiosk can be integrated with multiple hardware devices like printer, cash acceptor, cash dispenser, coin acceptor, biometric devices etc.
- Flexible mounting options – Service providers may mount the semi-outdoor machines in multiple formats like wall-mounting, free-standing or pedestal-mounting, whichever convenient.
- Remote monitoring facility – the performance of the kiosk machine can be monitored from a remote location. An admin can deploy software updates and patches, as and when required.
- Multi-language facility – the users can select the desired language from a list of languages to navigate the kiosk machine.
- Diverse payment modes – The diverse payment modes help users to makes payment either in cash, card, cardless or via mobile wallets.
Benefits of semi-outdoor kiosk machines
Every service provider or business should clearly understand the benefits of these highly versatile semi-outdoor machines.Â
- Lower cost of deployment – Compared to outdoor self-service machines, semi-outdoor kiosks have lower cost of deployment. Semi-outdoor machines do not demand the ruggedness and the high-grade durability of an outdoor machine. Hence, these semi-outdoor units are cost-effective than the outdoor counterparts.
- IP65 rated enclosures – Panashi’s semi-outdoor machine enclosures are IP65-rated, and, offer protection from dust and water splashes. Our semi-outdoor machines offer a decent level of protection from dust, wind, indirect sunlight, water splashes, occasional rains, humidity etc. And thus, they are suitable for a wide range of environments.
To learn more about IP rating, please visit the IP Code page here.Â
- Adaptability – Semi-outdoor kiosks can be installed in building entrances, vestibules, walkways, which are partly covered or protected. Whatever be the kiosk deployment site, the semi-outdoor machine perfectly adapts to the surroundings. And, the services offered via the kiosk get a decent visibility and customer reach, without limiting them to a fully-indoor environment.
- Energy efficient solutions – As semi-outdoor machines are installed in protected environments, they are not much affected by temperature variations. Hence, temperature control devices need not deal with excessive temperature variations, as in the case of outdoor machines. Therefore, they consume less power, compared to outdoor machines. Less power consumption means improved energy efficiency which point towards sustainability benefits.
- Improved brand visibility – When semi-outdoor kiosks are deployed strategically, they attract the attention of users/customers. This improves customer engagement, and thereby, enhances sales.
- Reduce cases of theft or vandalism – As the kiosk installation site is partially protected or monitored, it reduces the cases of theft or vandalism to a great extent. Outdoor kiosks are more prone to vandalism when they are installed in low foot-traffic, remote areas.
- Reduced maintenance – The partially covered kiosk machine gets protection from the forces of nature. In other words, the kiosk is only partially exposed to the forces of nature, and other unwanted human attention. This reduces the chances of corrosion, discoloration, or other external impacts, reducing maintenance.
Use-case scenarios of semi-outdoor kiosks
They are basically deployed in partially covered environments.
- Malls and retail settings – Retail establishments in malls can deploy semi-outdoor machines at the shop entrances to display their products and offers. Customers can easily browse through the offerings and order the items via the kiosk machine without visiting the actual shop. The semi-outdoor machine can also serve as a loyalty program touchpoint, where the customers can conveniently redeem their loyalty points.
- Gift card kiosk – Semi-outdoor kiosks can serve as gift card kiosks which prints gift cards upon payment. Due to the semi-outdoor kiosk design, the customers need not have to enter any shop or wait at the counter for the sole purpose of purchasing the gift card.
- Telecom service providers – Telcom service providers may deploy a telecom kiosk/ sim dispensing kiosk machine in partially covered up areas to offer telecom products and services. Telecom customers can make use of the semi-outdoor machines to purchase new sim cards, pay their bills, recharge their devices etc. without visiting a brick and mortar branch.
- Banking and finance – banks and financial establishments may deploy semi-outdoor banking kiosk machines at building entrances or vestibules. The banking customers may conduct several routine banking transactions like withdrawals, account balance check, loan applications without having to enter a physical branch.
Apart from outdoor machines, semi-outdoor machines offer much security to the users, as they are deployed in partially covered or protected environments.
- Government institutions – Government departments may deploy semi-outdoor government kiosks in buildings premises, or in other partially covered public areas and provide a plethora of citizen-centric services. Citizens can make use of these machines to pay utility bills, fines, renew their licenses, offer feedbacks, and a lot more. These machines serve as highly effective self-service information portals too.
- Transportation hubs – Transportation hubs like trains stations, metro stations, water metros, bus stations can deploy semi-outdoor ticketing machines at entrances or walkways to offer automated ticketing services. These kiosk machines can display arrival/departure timings, real-time schedule changes, transit card recharge options, and several other services 24/7.
- Parking lots with overhead cover – partially covered parking lots may employ semi-outdoor machines to issue parking tickets for users. The users an easily access the kiosk machine, input their parking information, and conveniently make the payment, with few taps.
Panashi’s Semi-outdoor kiosk for MTN, Syria
Panashi has worked with one of the renowned telecom providers in Africa – MTN – in connection with the installation of a semi-outdoor telecom kiosk.
 Panashi semi-outdoor kiosk served as a 24/7, self-service telecom branch for MTN in Syria. The kiosk machine could offer a plethora of telecom services like sim dispensing, cash-in and cash-out, KYC processing, recharging etc.
The kiosk machine was equipped with top-notch features like multi-language facility, remote monitoring, advanced security and reporting etc., which immensely helped the service provider.
MTN could streamline their services without opening a branch or hiring any employees.
Moreover, the customers could easily access the services without having to wait in long lines which significantly improved customer satisfaction.
To know more about MTN’s semi-outdoor machine, please visit our official Project page.
Now, that’s a wrap
Semi-outdoor kiosks combine the durability of outdoor machines with the sleek, aesthetically appealing nature of the indoor kiosk machines.
It’s no wonder, these machines are fast becoming the go-to solution for businesses that want to meet customers exactly where they are.  They offer the best of both worlds where indoor convenience meets outdoor spontaneity. And, they are perfectly suitable for locations where foot-traffic is high but has limited protection from the forces of nature.
For the businesses who are planning to scale their operations, improve their reach, and modernize customer touchpoints, semi-outdoor machines offer a feasible, cost effective solution. You need not worry about the complexities involved in the installation of outdoor machines, or neither have to bear the cost of fully outdoor setups!
For more on the design and installation aspects of semi-outdoor machines, please get in touch with our team.
