HMV makes sound investment in kiosk technology

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: HMV makes sound investment in kiosk technology.

HMV, the specialist retailer of music, DVD/video, computer games and related products, has introduced self-service kiosks into its stores to improve the overall customer experience in a deal with YESpay, a global payments services company, and its partner Neo Products UK Ltd, a specialist in touchscreen kiosks.

Customers will be able to use the kiosks to locate stock, view sample clips as well as ordering content for home delivery. They can also download MP3 tracks for immediate take away on a media or a storage device.

Following a successful trial, the retailer is planning to rollout trasnactions kiosks throughout its entire store network. YESpays EMBOSS Chip & PIN payment service integrates with the self-service kiosks, enabling faster, easier and more secure payments. Dave Elston, Ecommerce Manager at HMV, said: The technology accepts all UK credit and debit cards, allowing prompt payment and delivery of goods securely. With customer demands increasing and people wanting to buy music in new ways its important to ensure that with new shopping methods, payments are met securely.

Elston continued: This technology will allow us to offer customers a means of ordering and paying for products that were either not available in store or by offering easy payment for audio downloads. Eventually the aim is to roll-out further to all stores, gradually increasing the quantity of kiosks in any given store. We saw over 27,000 product searches conducted over the Christmas period, which we believe have contributed towards physical product sales in stores.

Stuart Kitching, Account Manager at YESpay International, commented: Our work with HMV is a perfect example of how electronic payments can be exploited to interact and engage with customers in new ways. These kiosks are also an innovative way of allowing customers to listen to music before they choose to make a purchase.

Carey Liddy, Project Manager at Neo Products, YESpays partner company, added: Self-service kiosks present an opportunity for retailers to engage with potential and existing customers differently in a way that can ultimately improve a retailers long term performance.