LOUISVILLE, Ky. — IBM, a global provider of business technologies, and Self-Service World, the leading news and information source covering the self-service industry, will host a free webinar. "Serving the New Consumer Through Self-Service" will take place Wed., June 25 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Self-service is one of the hottest trends in the restaurant industry. According to the National Restaurant Association's 2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast, 57 percent of quick-service restaurant customers who have not used a self-serve ordering terminal say they would if it was offered. Spending at self-service units was $438 million in 2006 and IHL Consulting Group estimates consumers will spend more than $230 billion in 2008. Besides simply providing the self-service option, new technology can attract, interact and allow customers to transact in new ways, offering products and services across all aspects of their buying patterns, in multiple formats and across many industries.
Speakers Norma Wolcott of IBM and Christopher Fletcher of AMR Research will discuss:
• Emerging operational best practices to enhance the shopping experience • Current and future use of selling tools such as kiosks, digital signage and mobile devices • Killer software applications that are driving investments • Cross-industry dynamics driving consumer expectations • Customer examples of successful implementations
Participants also will be able to get real-time feedback from the panel during a closing Q&A session.
