Saudi airports embrace self-service

After the success of an experiment at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is to implement a self-service system for the completion of travel procedures for passengers moving through international airports in Jeddah and Dammam, says Saudi Gazette.

The new system enables passengers to use their fingerprints and other bio-data to complete travel procedures using an electronic gate set up for this purpose.

This will remove the need to stand in conventional queues to have passports stamped after passport officers verify their identity.

A recent US consumer survey commissioned by IBM showed a 50% growth in the use of self-service technology in the past year, with 70% of respondents saying they expect businesses to offer more self-service options, states AsiaOne.

Today's busy, tech-savvy consumers are demanding access to information and services outside normal business hours, less time standing in line, greater ease of use, and more privacy.

This trend towards customer self-sufficiency is creating opportunities for companies to innovate and change the way consumers connect, interact and transact business.

This year's National Retail Federation Big Show is demonstrating how self-service technology is improving the retail customer, says Self-service World.

One focus this year will be the way in which interactive kiosks can help save the brick-and-mortar music store.

A “Sonic Bar” area will demonstrate how new trends, ranging from digital signage and interactive kiosks to loyalty programmes and ideas for social retailing, can give online shoppers new incentive to drop their laptops and head for the mall.