A recent study published in the Journal of Marketing Research reveals that self-service kiosks in restaurants may be inadvertently reducing sales and limiting customer choices. Researchers found that when customers order from a self-service kiosk with a line forming behind them, they feel rushed, leading to hasty decisions and lower overall spending.
The study, conducted by food and beverage self-service marketing specialists, discovered that customers tend to stick to familiar items instead of browsing for new options when they feel pressured by waiting patrons.
This behaviour stems from a sense of responsibility to keep the line moving, an unintended consequence of the automated ordering process.
“We found that businesses can reduce this pressure and increase satisfaction by revamping their system so that a single line of waiting customers leads to multiple kiosks,” the researchers explained, “That way, customers feel less rushed because they aren’t the only ones who may be holding up the line.”
The team conducted three experiments involving hundreds of participants who were asked to imagine various restaurant ordering scenarios. The results consistently showed that people feel pressured to order quickly when there’s a queue behind them, resulting in rushed decisions and decreased spending.
However, the study also offers solutions for restaurants to mitigate these issues:
-Implement a single line serving multiple kiosks.
-Display a pop-up message on the kiosk interface stating that the business takes full responsibility for any service delays during menu orders.
-These findings have significant implications for the restaurant industry, which has increasingly adopted automated technology to streamline ordering processes and address staffing shortages. While self-service kiosks offer customers more control over ordering, this research highlights the potential drawbacks of such systems.
The study’s authors emphasise the importance of understanding the social dynamics at play in self-service ordering. They believe their research offers valuable insights for designing more effective and customer-friendly self-service processes, while also alerting restaurant owners to the potential unintended consequences of switching to automated technology.
