iTunes kiosks coming?

According to this short article in Macworld UK, Australian software firm 22Moo is working on an iTunes kiosk that will allow Apple iPod owners to download new tunes and videos. No word on when the first kiosks are due to come out, whether or not they have the blessing of Apple, or whether we'll ever see them in the US.

Self-checkout impacting impulse purchases?

It seems somewhat counter-intuitive that causing fewer customer delays (and less aggrevation) and reducing your staffing needs could have a negative effect on your business, but that's exactly what this article at Network World is suggesting. Specifically, according to a study by IHL Consulting Group, they report that "consumers report buying junk food, supermarket tabloids and the like 45% less frequently while scanning their own purchases than when checking out the old-fashioned way."

Considering that almost a fifth of consumers report using self-checkout every time it's available (and that's a 35% increase over 2004 numbers), at-retail marketers will have to work hard if they want to retain the same number of impulse purchase dollars being spent at checkout. And while a decrease in the total amount spent on these purchases isn't likely to stop retailers from deploying more self-service solutions, it may give pause to some who were having trouble deciding on whether to implement the solution or not.

Update: Here's a link to a more complete version of the story.

Sephora launches Beauty Insider kiosks

According to the online weekly bulletin at Creativemag, Sephora is testing a new loyalty program called Beauty Insider, which, among other things, "provides clients with special knowledge, exclusive information and an all-access pass to personalized beauty."

In order to subscribe to the program, customers have to register at special Beauty Insider kiosks placed in select Sephora stores (no word on whether the program is planned to roll out to all stores). The kiosk collects some vital personal information (the usual contact info, plus some beauty-specific items about skin color, etc.) and then subscribes the customer to the program.