10 Tips to Consider When Setting Up a Self-Ordering Kiosk

Select Your Preferred Operating System

As technology advances, more devices have become capable of being used as kiosks. These devices run different operating systems. Therefore, you must choose a kiosk with a stable and flexible operating system that integrates seamlessly with various tools, like printing services and browsers.

Some self-ordering kiosk providers, such as GonnaOrder, support multiple operating systems, including Windows and Android. For Windows devices, you can run the kiosk in browser mode. On the other hand, if you’re using an Android kiosk device, you can download and install the GO Kiosk app and start receiving orders from the kiosk. This offers more flexibility in terms of which operating system to run your kiosk.

Showcase Items with High-Quality Images

Customers buy with their eyes first. A kiosk’s large screen gives you the perfect opportunity to display vibrant, mouth-watering visuals that instantly capture attention and spark appetite. When customers can clearly see what they’re ordering, they decide faster, feel more confident, and are more likely to upsell or add extras. This, in turn, increases your average order value.

Our kiosk lets you enhance the browsing experience by adding compelling images across your menu:

• Menu items. Use clear, professional photos that make dishes look irresistible and help customers quickly choose what they want.
• Item categories. Add visual cues for each category to make navigation faster and more intuitive.
• Options and add-ons. Show toppings, sides, and upgrades to remove guesswork and encourage upselling.

High-quality visuals don’t just make your kiosk look better. Instead, they make ordering easier, faster, and more profitable.

Simplify the Ordering Experience

A kiosk is a shared, public device. Therefore, every extra step slows customers down and increases the chances of not completing an order. The more information users must enter, the longer ordering takes, and the greater the chance of errors, delays, or privacy concerns.

Streamline the experience by removing anything that isn’t essential to completing an order.

Here’s are some components to hide, and why it matters:

• Customer authentication. Hiding customer authentication keeps the process faster, safer, and more convenient.
• Customer details fields. Hide customer details fields such as name, email, and phone number. This eliminates the need to type such details which may lead to delays in the ordering flow.
• Order and item comment fields. Typing on a kiosk screen takes time and interrupts the ordering flow. Comment fields also increase complexity and slow queues during busy periods. Hide them unless they’re absolutely necessary to fulfil the order.
• Multi-step basket actions. Enable one-click add-to-basket so customers can select items instantly without extra confirmation or input.
• Search bar. Hide the search bar and any other component that complicates the kiosk ordering UI.

With GonnaOrder, you can simplify your kiosk interface by removing unnecessary inputs and enabling fast, secure ordering, helping customers complete purchases quickly while protecting their privacy.

Always Keep the Kiosk Ready for the Next Customer

If a customer walks away without completing an order, the kiosk shouldn’t remain on the same page where the customer left it. This can upset the next customer who will have to clear the items that the previous customer had added to the cart, further extending their ordering session.

GonnaOrder helps you prevent this bad experience for your customers through various settings, including:

• Clear basket and order after inactivity. This setting automatically clears all the previous customers’ order items they might have selected if they did not complete the order. This ensures the kiosk is always ready for ordering, and the customer goes straight to the ordering page.
• Auto-return to start screen. After a customer submits an order, the screen automatically returns to the menu page, ready for the next customer’s order.
• Play a video after inactivity. As the name suggests, you can upload a branded video showcasing your offers to grab the attention of oncoming customers. The customer only needs to click Order Now to open your menu, making it even easier to place their order.

Provide Flexible Payment Options

When setting up a kiosk, you must consider the payment options that will be used by customers. Offer a variety of payment options since customers may have varying payment method preferences. Also, analyze your customer base to understand their payment preferences before setting up your kiosk. This will help you prioritize and integrate the most popular and preferred payment method in your kiosk. The outcome? A smooth checkout experience.

GonnaOrder allows you to set up various payment methods on your kiosk, depending on your needs. These include:

• Physical payments (soft and physical terminals). Accept physical card payments via a physical terminal or an NFC-enabled device with a card reader.
• QR code digital payments. When a customer proceeds to payment on the kiosk checkout page, a payment QR code is displayed. The customer can then scan the QR code and complete the payment from their personal phone or tablet.
• No payments. You can also configure the kiosk to allow customers to submit orders without paying. In this pay-later mode, customers pay with cash or cards when collecting their order.

Learn more about the payment methods supported by GonnaOrder.

Let Customers Choose the Order Type

Kiosks are an ideal option for customers looking to place specific types of orders. The most common types of orders supported by kiosks are dine-in/eat-in and takeaway orders. Therefore, it’s important to allow your customers to choose the type of order they’d like to place (eat-in or takeaway) before submitting an order. This significantly improves user experience and streamlines kitchen operations. Also, it ensures that the order is properly packed/served depending on how the customer would like the order.

You can configure your GonnaOrder kiosk to ask customers how they’d like to have their order (dine-in or takeaway) when submitting their order. This way, your staff can fulfill orders better and more accurately. This significantly enhances customer satisfaction.

Ensure Smart Printing Options

Order printing is crucial for customer confirmation and kitchen receipts. Customers can check their receipt to know their order number and other key order details. On the other hand, kitchen staff can use these receipts to process orders accurately. Therefore, your printing options should complement your kiosk, allowing customers to collect their order receipts effectively.

With GonnaOrder, you can set various order printing options for your kiosk, allowing for automatic printing of orders. These options include:

• Printing from POS. When a customer submits an order from the kiosk, it is sent to and printed at the POS.
• Printing from the Autoprint app that runs outside the kiosk. You can run the Autoprint app on a different device and print the order from the kiosk printer.
• Printing from the GoAdmin app that runs inside the kiosk. This option is ideal if you run an Android kiosk.

Protect Customer Privacy

Customer privacy is crucial when running a food ordering kiosk. Since these kiosks are often placed in public spaces, it’s crucial to implement measures to protect customer data. For instance, you can run the kiosk in pickup mode and hide settings that require customers to provide their personal details, such as name, email address, and phone number. This way, customers can submit their order without the risk of exposing their personal data. Doing so also ensures compliance with privacy and data protection policies.

Additionally, customers should never have to login to place an order. Therefore, you should hide any customer authentication sections from the kiosks to keep your customers’ data safe.

Optimize Display Settings

Self-ordering kiosks should ensure a seamless user experience. You can achieve this by optimizing display settings on the kiosk to minimize any distractions in the ordering process. Here are some practices you can consider optimizing your kiosk’s display and overall experience:

• Choose the tiles view or the kiosk mode view.
• Use the browser’s zoom function to fit the kiosk screen perfectly.
• Always run in full-screen browser mode to hide any distractions, such as the address bar.
• Switch off system sounds to keep the kiosk environment quiet and professional.

Translate Your Catalog

Showcase your catalog in a language that customers understand. This gives you an upper hand when running your kiosk since customers can thoroughly explore your menu visuals and read the item descriptions. Therefore, they can make informed decisions when placing an order from your kiosk. Also, customers can place orders independently without seeking clarification from the staff. This aligns with one of the key goals of setting up a kiosk in the first place – allowing self-ordering by customers.

GonnaOrder understands that translating the catalog to the local language is crucial to your kiosk’s success. As a result, it allows you to portray your catalog based on your store’s language settings. This reduces the chances of confusion when placing an order from a kiosk. Also, it increases the probability of order completion by customers, which is crucial in boosting sales.