Redefining Taxi or Cab Advertising Using Android Tablet Kiosks

Taxis or cabs have long been an integral part of day-to-day lives in most parts of the world, even if you weren’t in a Martin Scorsese movie. In this article, we will explore the new and evolving ways in which taxis are used as an advertising channel via modern devices such as Android tablets. We will also touch base on the challenges in the adoption of Android tablet kiosks for cab or taxi advertising and how mobile device management can help.

Evolution of Taxi and Cab Advertising

While the concept of paid and hailed rides has been around for centuries, the taxi or cab as we see today first hit the roads in the 19th century. Be it the iconic yellow cab that you grab on the streets by waving til your arms hurt or a modern cab that you order via a mobile app, taxi services have evolved over the past 100 years and rightly so.

The ease and convenience brought in by the on-demand taxi services make them popular across the globe, especially in cities and countries where public transport is not widespread or just not available. According to a report¹, the global online taxi services market is expected to grow from $34.82 billion in 2022 to $38.54 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.7%.

Taxis or cabs do more than just take passengers from one spot to another. They are a prime real estate of the advertising world that moves around the city. So, instead of having a billboard with advertisements that are stationary on one spot, advertisers can grab more eyeballs by placing them on and aboard the car, ensuring that multiple people interact with the ad, one way or the other.

Along with the way taxis are now found by riders, the way advertisers use taxicabs for placing advertisements has also drastically changed. Conventional car roof boards and painted doors are now rapidly being replaced with kiosks or digital signage for taxis. Since these tablets double up as information kiosks displaying up-to-date information such as news updates, weather information, city guides or entertainment options, they are rapidly becoming a preferred choice of the ride-hailing companies as well as the passengers.

This shift has created a vast opportunity for advertisers, where the possibilities are truly limitless.

Benefits of Tablets and Kiosks for In-Cab Advertising

Conventional advertising within the taxi and cab ecosystem needs an overhaul because consumers have also evolved and now seek more than simple text or image-based advertising. Some of the key benefits of using modern devices such as tablets in cabs for advertising include:

Enhanced Engagement

Passengers can actively engage and interact with advertisements via touchscreens, videos, surveys or games. Advertisers can leverage these interactive elements to capture passengers’ attention and increase brand recall.

Dynamic and Real-time Content Delivery

Since tablet-based kiosks enable real-time content delivery, advertisers can push advertisements that are relevant to the riders. Utilizing advanced advertising analytics, geo-targeted, time-bound, and context-specific advertisements can be deployed.

Improved Insights

With tablet-based kiosks displaying digital content, the impact can be measured via multiple metrics, such as the number of clicks and CTR, to name a few. Advertisers can further leverage this data to assess the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven adjustments to optimize their advertising content.

Why Android Kiosks for Taxi or Cab Advertising

Owing to their low total cost of ownership, user-friendliness and flexibility for customization, Android kiosks are the most popular choice amongst advertising agencies and companies.

Android tablet kiosks are often more cost-effective compared to traditional physical advertising installations, such as billboard or signage placements. These kiosks offer scalability, allowing advertisers to deploy multiple devices across a taxi fleet or expand their advertising network to reach a larger audience.

From touchscreen capabilities to internet connectivity, multimedia support to customizability, Android kiosks are chosen over devices belonging to other OSs. Moreover, since Android is an OS popular with app developers, using Android kiosks for advertising makes sense.

While the case for using Android tablets as advertising kiosks in taxis is strong, there are apprehensions as well as functional challenges that come in the way of their adoption.

Now, let’s examine the challenges.

Challenges in Using Android Tablets as Taxi or Cab Ad Kiosks

In addition to the challenges faced by any other digital signage, including remote device provisioning and security against loss or theft, One significant challenge that hinders the installation of devices on the back of taxis for advertising is the dependency of the device operation and performance on the cab driver and the riders. While some might accidentally turn off the tablet, some might forget to put the devices to charge, resulting in the batteries draining out and shutting the device down.  Considering that ride-hailing companies generate revenue from displayed ads, it is counterintuitive when devices do not perform as expected, or ads are halted midway.

The advertising companies or the ride-sharing companies have little to no control over the devices that are moving along with the taxis unless they utilize a reliable solution like mobile device management (MDM).

Redefining Android Kiosk-based Advertising with Mobile Device Management

Scalefusion MDM can be incremental in streamlining the operations of Android kiosks that are deployed as digital signage. Along with streamlining the deployment of Android tablets as digital signage, Scalefusion MDM can be instrumental to solving industry-specific challenges within taxis and cabs. Let’s explore how:

Device Configuration

Scalefusion can be used to lock Android tablets in Single or Multi App kiosk Mode. Preventing misuse of the device for any other purposes than advertising, Single or Multi App Kiosk Mode ensures that only select apps are made available on the tablet. This list of apps can be pre-configured, and the taxi drivers or riders cannot make any changes to the device’s operation.

Controlling Kiosk Display

Scalefusion can also be configured to set the screen to always be ON, preventing users from putting the device to sleep. Additionally, the power key button and navigation buttons can be blocked to restrict users from hitting the back button or accessing the home key.

Devices Activity and Data Usage

If advertising or ride-hailing companies want to have better insights into the device activity, the screen time can be tracked with Scalefusion’s advanced reporting. Data usage for each app can also be tracked, and appropriate alerts can be sent to the device to ensure an interruption-free telecast.

Charging Optimization

Since the Android tablets used for advertising need to be running on enough battery, automated battery usage alerts can be scheduled when the device battery falls below the predefined threshold. Organizations can also implement charging optimization to limit the device battery’s charging capacity to prevent the battery from overcharging, overheating, or posing a risk of explosion.

Conclusion

The integration of Android tablet kiosks in taxi or cab advertising presents a new and exciting chapter in the evolution of the industry. By leveraging the capabilities of MDM, advertising and ride-hailing companies can enhance the reliability and performance of Android tablet kiosks, ensuring uninterrupted and impactful advertising campaigns.

With Scalefusion MDM, the full potential of Android tablet kiosks in redefining taxi or cab advertising can be realized, paving the way for a more efficient and engaging advertising experience for both advertisers and passengers alike.

Sources:

1. Globalnewswire.com