7 Common Types of Self-Service Kiosks

This blog was updated on October 20, 2025

We’ve all encountered self-service kiosks, whether ordering at a restaurant, finding our way around the airport, or checking out at the grocery store. Self-service technology is everywhere.

And while it was already gaining traction before 2020, the need for social distancing during the pandemic helped push self-service kiosks from convenient to essential. Since then, consumer expectations have shifted even more toward digital-first, self-service options. A recent study predicts the kiosk market size will nearly double from 2025 to 2030.

With so many use cases, businesses will need to determine how best to utilize self-service kiosks to meet their unique needs.

So, with the many applications they serve, how do you know what type of kiosk best fits your objectives? Below, discover the most common self-service kiosk types and their benefits to multiple industries.

Self-Order Kiosks

Attached to a business’s POS system, a self-order kiosk provides customers with the opportunity to explore purchase options at their own pace before putting through an order.

Even pre-pandemic, their use was on the rise, turning out profits up to 30 percent higher than traditional cashier transactions.

These types of kiosks are popular in the QSR (quick service restaurant) industry, providing customer convenience, shortened wait times, and increased revenue at locations like restaurants, cafeterias, and stadiums. Brands like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Shake Shack have all implemented kiosks into their customer experience plans.

Customizing orders is simple, leaving less room for error by cutting out a middleman. Customers are happy with the easy experience, and employees are free to attend to other customer-centered tasks. In addition, kiosks easily integrate with loyalty programs and mobile apps.

But it’s not just restaurants benefitting from self-ordering. In recent years, ordering kiosks have gained popularity among the cannabis community, appearing more frequently at dispensary locations as an avenue for patrons to access digital menus and purchase product.

Check-In Kiosks

Check-in kiosks can work across a broad range of markets, including medical, travel, hospitality, dining, and more.

This type of self-service kiosk makes check in and registration simple. Rather than waiting in a reception line at a healthcare clinic or hotel, patients and guests can simply check in on their own.

There are numerous benefits to check-in kiosks.

First, these kiosk types make social distancing easier, especially in a medical environment where reception staff is at risk to catch illnesses. Further, touchscreen kiosks are easily wiped down between uses to keep both employees and patients safe.

Additionally, check-in kiosks allow guests to skip lines, ensure personal information is correct, and even pay bills, while also filling labor gaps for businesses experiencing staff shortages.

Ticketing Kiosks

Ticketing kiosks are used to purchase and dispense different types of tickets, cards, and receipts. They are often placed near entrances of locations that require paid admittance, cutting down on wait times, limiting face-to-face interactions, and allowing regular staff to attend to higher-level tasks.

These types of kiosks are ideal for movie theaters, theme parks, sporting and concert stadiums, museums, aquariums, zoos, historical landmarks, university campuses, ski resorts, parking structures, and transportation locations, like airports.

As ticketing kiosks continue to grow in popularity, businesses can utilize them to serve a variety of functions, including mobile ticket integration.

Bill Payment Kiosks

Not everyone can easily visit a DMV during traditional operation hours, write a check to the power company, or pay a parking ticket online. Enter bill payment kiosks as a solution.

Often placed at convenient locations like grocery stores, parking garages, courthouses, hospitals, or university campuses, they offer an efficient option for everyone to pay bills, renew registrations, or take care of fines.

“Bill payment kiosks offer customers the convenience of meeting them where they are,” says Katie Kochelek, Marketing Specialist at Frank Mayer. “Offering these types of self-service kiosks at handy places affords access to everyone.”

Wayfinding Kiosks

Ideal for malls, airports, universities, medical centers, stadiums, and more, wayfinding kiosks are a simple solution to guide guests and customers at unfamiliar places.

Replace bulletin boards and static maps with interactive kiosks that offer digital maps to lost visitors. Not only can these types of kiosks provide maps, business descriptions, and operation hours, but they’re also easily updated with the most current information for guests and can include important ADA features and multilingual support.

Information Kiosks

Information kiosks and digital signage have benefits across a variety of industries, from trade shows to museums to retail environments.

Kiosks that can share product details, event schedules, or company messaging quickly and effectively can reduce reliance on staff while still delivering consistent and accurate information.

Loyalty and Gift Card Kiosks

Loyalty and gift card kiosks are often found at family entertainment centers, arcades, theaters, and more. They can issue, activate, or reload gift cards, enroll customers in loyalty programs, and provide balance lookups.

Employing these kiosks lets guests control their own experience and encourages repeat visits. It also simplifies program enrollment and adds convenience for both customers and staff.

The Future of Self-Service Kiosks

Self-service technology is growing at exponential rates, now being used for almost every industry and use case. Even in the last few years, kiosks themselves have seen changes with AI-driven personalization, avatar use, voice-enabled features, integration with mobile apps, and much more.

Choosing the right kiosk can seem like a daunting task, but the best place to start is examining your customer’s journey and how self-service technology can improve the experience. Once you’ve determined this, narrowing down the right kiosk application becomes easier.

We’ve designed kiosks for many use cases. If you’re still not sure what style is right for you, reach out to one of our experts who can guide you in the process.