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In a weak economy, businesses look to trim costs on all fronts. In that respect self-serve kiosks are especially attractive since they are less expensive to operate over the long term.

“The kiosks report to work every single day, and never call in sick, unless there’s a malfunction or something,” says Kasavana. “Once you plug them in, they work day in and day out.”

For Virginia-based Rosetta Stone, which dispenses its language learning DVDs via kiosks at airports and malls through a partnership with San Francisco-based Zoom Systems, having a sales outlet that worked 24/7 was a big plus, says Ellery Bowman, director of specialty retail development.

It’s not surprising then that businesses across industries are welcoming self-service technologies to cut operating costs.

The variety of products and services sold by self-service kiosks has grown. Consumers can now get an eye check-up, pay bills, check in to a hotel room, order deli meats at the grocery, buy stamps, print photos, and even check out compatibility of lipstick shades. This is in addition to the range of retail products one can now buy at these kiosks—from language learning software to ice cream, and from cosmetics to iPods.

Original article from Specialty Retail's post