FRANKLIN, Tenn. – When it comes to paying for goods and services, consumers continue to take matters into their own hands. North American consumers are on pace to spend more than $525 billion at self-checkout lanes, ticketing kiosks and other self-service machines in 2007, an increase from $438 billion in 2006, reports a new research study conducted by IHL Consulting Group.

“The revenue generated by self-service transactions should continue this pace of growth in the coming years,” Greg Buzek, president of IHL, said in a press release.

“We expect that expenditures made at self-service kiosks will rise by about 20 percent this year and another 18 percent in 2008,” said Buzek. “Demand for self-checkout systems and other kiosks should push the dollar value of transactions to nearly $1.3 trillion by 2011. Consumers enjoy self-service and increasingly seek out retailers that offer the technology. Retailers and other businesses are finding that self-service kiosks can significantly increase customer loyalty, as well as customer satisfaction.”

In the study, “2007 North American Self-Service Kiosks,” IHL examines the increasing use of four types of self-service kiosks in the United States and Canada where payment is accepted: self-checkout systems, ticketing kiosks, check-in kiosks, food ordering and postal kiosks.