Mike Kearby, President The brick and mortar retailers are rallying around the idea of ‘personalized shopping experience’ to tackle the Amazon Effect. They intend to provide a sophisticated digital interface for customers to experience a product, moving on from the archaic buying pattern driven by ‘touch and feel’. At the forefront of enabling this transformation is AML, a company that provides high value kiosk solutions for retailers to engage customers better.
“Many customers get an understanding of a particular product’s look and feel in brick and mortar and then switch to e-Commerce to buy the same commodity. With our suite of kiosk technology solutions, customers review the products on the screen along with additional information they require to make the purchase,” says Mike Kearby, President, AML. This empowers the retailer to have complete control over the content while providing product knowledge and simple buying options in a digitally-native manner.
Catering to the customer engagement needs of large retailers is AML’s flagship solution, Monarch. A purpose built solution, Monarch, has a 10.1” color display with capacitive touch screen that not only renders a tablet-like experience, but also simplifies navigation through product catalogs. “Using Monarch, customers verify product price, check stock, and view related product information or other informational videos,” says Kearby. While providing wholesome product information to the customer through multimedia, the immersive experience also allows them to finalize the purchase. Besides, Monarch provides insights into the product design. The solution also allows retailers to execute loyalty programs, accept gift registrations to generate interest among the customer base and improve business outcomes.
Monarch utilizes x86-64 technology and supports Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Android and Linux based applications and that allows application developers to innovate faster. With a small form factor, Monarch is an enterprise-ready device designed for 365 days usage.
Using Monarch, customers verify product price, check stock, and view related product information or other informational videos
The kiosk can be powered using power-over-ethernet equipped wired network and saves the retailer from incurring high energy bills. The kiosk bestows the retailers with the ability to conduct omnidirectional barcode scanning along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE communication.
In addition to Monarch, AML offers AML offers KDT3 and Phoenix to serve the business needs of retailers with budgetary constraints. While KDT3 is the self-service kiosk that runs full-screen videos, scans barcodes and display images over its SVGA color display, Phoenix serves as the mini-kiosk and time and attendance terminal that allows shoppers to check the product prices.
Adding value to their inventive solution is the technology support services. AML undertakes custom software development work to simplify the integration with the legacy POS systems and databases, which prevents retailers from expensive technology investment. AML undertakes its manufacturing and software-related functions from its Texas-based facility. Delivering all products and services from within the U.S. propels the company to stay a cut above the competitors. For instance, businesses such as Michaels and Family Dollar have deployed AML kiosks across numerous client facilities that helped in eliminating the need for heavy-duty firmware development.
AML understands that retailers don’t just need a kiosk that can display prices, but a solution that excels as a single point of customer interaction, akin to Amazon. To this end, AML is focusing on leveraging Android, which is witnessing relentless innovation, to deliver greater products and services. The company is also working on cutting-edge concepts such as self-service, unmanned kiosk POS, and ordering applications, pushing the innovation envelope for enhanced digital experience in the physical stores.
