LG Electronics goes into the restaurant kiosk business

LG Electronics is set to launch its first self-ordering kiosk system in April, the company announced Tuesday. [LG ELECTRONICS]

LG Electronics is starting to sell restaurant kiosks in April.

The company announced Tuesday that it will soon roll out a self-ordering kiosk system for restaurants and cafes in Korea, and plans to expand sales to overseas markets within the year.

The kiosk will have a 27-inch touchscreen, which is larger than average kiosk touchscreens size of between 22 and 24 inches, according to LG Electronics.

LG Electronics said it incorporated advanced touch technology that makes the touchscreens thinner and lighter. The technology was certified as environmentally friendly by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy last year, for it reduced the amount of energy used in the manufacturing process.

For the system software, LG Electronics teamed up with financial service provider NICE TCM, adopting the company’s software for kiosks.

The global kiosk market — which includes kiosks for self-ordering, ticketing and financial services — is forecast to grow 93 percent from $17.6 billion in 2020 to $34.0 billion in 2027, according to a Korea International Trade Association report released last April.

The report said that the self-ordering kiosk system market will grow faster than others, with an average annual growth rate of 12.2 percent.

Samsung Electronics entered the market in February 2021.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]