Our creative team is often asked about the efficacy of kiosks in stores, and I have come to the conclusion that the mighty kiosk has had it’s day in the sun. Once upon a time, kiosks served a purpose. They were the first baby steps of digital media in the store. Over time, the screens that once held so much promise eventually went blank. Content wasn’t updated with any frequency. The constant repetition enticed employees to turn the volume down or even worse, turn the screens off. They broke down. The intentions were good, but the executions suffered.

Then something unforeseen happened. Customers started bringing his own kiosks with them.

So let’s talk about my kid for a minute.

Like many other 15-year-old boys, he likes his video games. When he was a bit younger, games sold for $15 to $20. If we bought one that didn’t suit him, it wasn’t the end of the world. Now, however, his games are much more sophisticated and expensive, some upwards of $70. Now when a game doesn’t match up to his standard of play, he’s not so forgiving.

So, he takes a different approach. While cruising the game aisle at the mass stores or Best Buy, he asks the advice of hundreds of people he has never met using technology that he brings with him, his iPhone. He launches an app aligned with his type of gameplay that lets him access hundreds of reviews on virtually any title, instantly. If the title isn’t awarded a certain number of stars, he passes it up. He is leveraging his own kiosk to get exactly what he needs to make the decision to buy. So why would he use yours?

At this summer’s annual IIR Shopper Insights in Action conference, there was a surprising focus on biology and chemistry, and how all of these subconscious human processes relate to decision making.

This year, the conference had a slight feeling of Bill Nye the Science Guy meets shopper insights. We heard some intriguing facts about how our senses of smell and sight, for example, work in relation to branded scents, and—of special interest to me—why we humans tend to look beyond what is right in front of our faces.

In Shopper Sciences, we are often called upon to create disruptive solutions in store, putting brands in the shopper’s line of sight. One of our constant challenges, especially in mass retail, is that it’s not just our client that wants to be disruptive. It’s every brand in that category, and every category in every aisle. We’re working in any extremely noisy environment.

Curious. In a world where we can create our own unique looks by shopping anywhere we want, or by building our own virtual worlds, we still desire the approval of others and want resassurance that we fit in.

If you want to make sure you are being noticed by the right people, check out your recent witty status post on Facebook to see how many “Likes” you got from friends.

Wondering which outfit to wear tonight? Check with the masses via Go Try It On. Post photos of your look(s) and get fast feedback on which outfit makes you look cool and confident—most like the type of person who doesn’t need approval. There’s been a significant rise in the number of mobile instant fashion advice sites that play into this need.

It seems we are constantly looking for peoples’ opinions of where to shop or how we look. When it comes to apparel, of course, some of that need for approval stems from the fact that today’s fashion trends are very tricky to make work in a flattering way, especially for women. Seeking honest feedback can keep you from spending unwisely. So we are using technology to get advice quickly, right outside our closets, or often at the very point of purchase.