Self-service digital and interactive kiosks have become increasingly popular over the past decade, but especially over the past several years. This growing popularity has led many companies to consider implementing a kiosk program of their own.
Unfortunately, finding information about the cost of digital kiosks can be difficult. There are several reasons for this, but the biggest is that the cost of a digital kiosk can vary widely – anywhere from $1500 to $20,000, in fact , meaning there’s no accurate way to give an average.
While finding exact pricing may not be easy without requesting a quote, there are specific factors that affect the price of digital kiosks. Understanding what they are can go a long way toward helping set appropriate expectations when researching kiosks and submitting RFQs to kiosk manufacturers.
The kiosk enclosure is the “body” of the kiosk. For something small, like a tablet kiosk, the enclosure can be minimal, which keeps the cost down. It could be something as simple as a stainless steel counter-mount tablet frame and stand that holds the kiosk in place for users.
However, full-size, freestanding kiosks are much more costly, as they use hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of metal to fabricate the enclosure, and each panel and piece adds more to the cost of manufacturing. Additionally, some larger kiosks can be manufactured for outdoor environments, which requires that they be built to withstand extreme weather conditions, adding more to their manufacturing cost.
Kiosk Displays
The type of display selected for a kiosk can change the price dramatically.
Kiosk hardware is the enclosure plus anything integrated into it, inside or out, that can be physically touched; essentially, if it’s not a computer program, it’s hardware. This includes kiosk components like an integrated computers, credit card readers, ticket and receipt printers, bill collectors, fingerprint scanners and more. The most basic tablet kiosks may not require any hardware other than the stand and frame, making them the least expensive type of kiosk to manufacture. More complex kiosks, like those that dispense products like SIM cards, or allow financial transactions and purchases, require many more components, each of which add to the cost.
Digital kiosk software is the brain of the kiosk. It tells the kiosk’s components what to do, and how to do it. Its can be as simple that used to create and organize a list of names and office locations in a directory, or as complicated as that used in busy quick-service restaurants for ordering and self-payment.
There are three main kiosk form factors: floor mounted/freestanding, counter-mounted, and wall-mounted. Each comes in multiple sizes with varying functionality that can greatly affect the cost.
As with many items, the more you purchase, the bigger the discount. Multi-deployment digital kiosk programs can receive discounts of 5%-40%, depending on the type of kiosk and total order size.
Tablet kiosks with minimal mounting requirements are the least expensive to install. Most freestanding kiosks have minimal installation costs associated with them, too. Wall mounted kiosks tend to be the most expensive, because they require proper hanging and support. Recessed wall-mounted kiosks, like digital directories, and complex multi-screen video walls tend to be the most expensive to install.
Purchasing a kiosk service and maintenance contract adds to the total cost of a kiosk program, but it also helps protect what can be a very significant investment. The cost of maintenance varies depending on the options chosen, but may include remote diagnostics and troubleshooting, content management and storage, usage analytics reporting, hardware repair and replacement and software updates.
These kiosks have the greatest price range, because they vary so much in size. Some indoor kiosks are quite slim and compact, and therefore use a minimum of materials. However, there are also much larger floor standing kiosks, like mall directories and advertising kiosks, that require more components, integrations, materials and manufacturing time, making them a higher priced option.
These also have quite a price range. Simpler wall-mounted kiosks with static (non-interactive) displays are on the low end, while touchscreen video walls are much more expensive. Hotels and conference centers often install large wall mounted, information kiosks in their lobbies to show weather, traffic, and local area information.
On average, these kiosks are some of the least expensive to manufacture and deploy. They are always compact, and more often than not, and because of their size, even touchscreen displays tend to be on the more affordable side. A mounting system, operating system and software will generally need to be added. Depending on the use case, components like credit card readers may be required, too. These are common in office and hospital canteens, as well as some hotel gift shops.
Tablet kiosks are universally small, and combine the display, operating system, and basic enclosure, making them the least expensive type of basic interactive digital kiosk. A mounting system and software are required, and sometimes various components required for bill payment are added as well. Medical offices and corporate offices often use tablet kiosks to allow visitors and guests to check themselves in and our, rather than having to rely on a front desk employee for assistance.
Touchscreen kiosks, including those with capacitive displays, allow users to interact with them much as they would a tablet or smart phone. The technology used in interactive displays is much more complex, making them the most expensive, however, they offer much more utility to businesses and their customers, visitors and guests. Touch screen kiosks are often deployed in places like museums or as part of a “smart city” program to help visitors more easily navigate a given area and print transportation or exhibit tickets.
6. Indoor and Outdoor Kiosks Price
Outdoor kiosks are almost always more costly than indoor kiosks. This is because they require more expensive materials to manufacture in order to ensure that they are water, heat, wind and cold-proof.
For most organizations, the answer is yes. Kiosks are available in such a wide range of sizes, types and form factors that they can be an affordable option for almost any business, especially given their many benefits, including:
With more than 100 years of kiosk manufacturing experience, REDYREF has the expertise and resources to make almost any type of interactive kiosk a reality. And because we keep most processes in-house – from design to powder coating – we are able to do it while keeping costs down. Controlling the entire manufacturing process from start to finish means we are able to prototype products quickly, and make changes as needed throughout the process as requirements change. This gives our customers the flexibility they need to make their kiosk deployment as successful as possible. From interactive kiosks, to digital signage and touchscreen building directories, REDYREF can “build everything kiosk™”.