From last to first
R-Kiosk has over 100 locations in Estonia. They used to have sidewalk stalls and were focused on selling cigarettes, lottery and public transport tickets. The business was very much about saving customers money, which was echoed by how R-Kiosk was perceived: cheap. Our cooperation started with a deep dive into customer needs and wants, with an eye out also for societal change and how the cities were growing and changing.
The kiosks were serving a clientele that saw very little value in the brand. Cigarettes could be bought anywhere while various tickets were similarly a routine purchase. The little sidewalk kiosks did very little additional business, as upselling was hampered by the format. For customers, bending down to a kiosk’s little sale window was never pleasant. Half the year the weather is terrible, which made standing still and waiting for service while rain drips under the collar an even greater pain.
Reducing the customer’s agony, we reviewed what possibilities exist in the convenience market in Estonia, looking at both retail and food service. Through customer and employee interviews we determined several clear needs, none of which were the current main money maker: cigarettes and tickets. Healthy, fast food was a need. Not freezing outside waiting for service was a clear need. A much more pleasant retail environment was a need. Really good coffee, fresh bake-off products. Overall, what customer’s sought was more in relation to saving time than money.
R-Kiosk has become a quick alternative shopping destination. While people still won’t go out of their way to visit a kiosk, the clear value proposition of R-Kiosk does make them do detours. Especially in city centers, R-Kiosk has become an alternative source for a quick lunch, which until recently had only been satisfied by supermarkets. Following the thorough re-consideration of the selection, and how it should be offered, the graphic language of the brand was updated to make it easy and intuitive to find the right product.
Today, R-Kiosk clearly dominates the convenience store sector and is taking a healthy bite out of the fast food market as well. The sidewalk kiosks have disappeared, replaced by much nicer walk-in stores, with both room to browse as well as rush-in-out shopping.
