Starbucks & Kraft Introduce Interactive Display Unit
Starbucks Coffee Co. and Kraft Foods, Starbucks’ grocery sales partner, recently introduced the Starbucks Interactive Unit (SIU), a touch-screen display to give grocery consumers insight on the best way to enjoy Starbucks coffee at home. The SIU will be featured in 4,000 grocery stores per year for eight to twelve week rotations.
The SIU’s touch-screen allows consumers to navigate through content areas such as, “Our Coffees,” “The Starbucks Difference,” and “Taste Matcher.” “Taste Matcher” shows consumers which Starbucks coffees best fit their individual tastes. The interactive experience is further enhanced with full-motion video and music.
Dave Sachs, Category Business Director, Kraft Foods, said, “In supermarket tests, the Starbucks Interactive Unit increased shopper visits to our shelf by 200 percent.”
The SIU was engineered by Netkey, Inc., Branford, CT. The Guild Group, White Plains, NY, worked with Starbucks and Kraft to develop the look and content of the interactive display.
Au Bon Pain Cafes Feature Interactive Nutrition Kiosks
Au Bon Pain, a French bakery café chain, is rolling out interactive Nutrition Kiosks that offer customers in-depth ingredient and dietary information about each Au Bon Pain menu item, from sandwiches to baked goods to specialty beverages. Updated to reflect seasonal menu changes, customers can always learn precisely what they are eating by simply touching the kiosk’s screen.
“By adding Nutrition Kiosks to our cafés, we are assisting customers who crave health and nutrition information to make informed meal choices,” said Frank Guidara, CEO of Au Bon Pain.
In addition to general nutrition and ingredient information, the Nutrition Kiosks have a feature that caters to customers with specific dietary needs. On demand, the kiosk can serve up menu items based on several categories, such as meal choices that are lower in sodium, calories, saturated fat, and carbohydrates.
Johnson & Johnson Displays Acuvue Lenses
Johnson & Johnson is using this family of displays to promote its Acuvue contact lenses.
The displays increase the level of “ask for” brand preference. The displays also support the brand’s high technology and style-oriented image.
The units content is changed frequently to remain fresh and incorporate promotional offers. Specific display units within the family are dedicated to highlighting specialty lenses.
A fun interactive display was developed specifically for potential colored lens buyers providing a color recommendation based on style and personality.
The Acuvue Retail Program was created by RTC Industries, a Rolling Meaows, IL-based display firm.
Fisher-Price Displays Power Touch Learning Systems
Fisher-Price, a subsidiary of Mattel has introduced the PowerTouch Learning System. The launch of the PowerTouch Learning System will coincide with the introduction of a second learning system for younger children, Learn Through Music. Both systems use a combination of technological innovation and popular characters from entertainment to create a “hands-on” learning experience.
The PowerTouch Learning System uses breakthrough technology to provide the most natural way for young children to tap into reading and learning activities. The PowerTouch system uses easy finger touch activation to let children learn reading skills by simply touching words and pictures with their fingers. An interactive alphabet board built into the base of the system further enhances the development of early literacy skills for preschoolers.
Unique interactive displays will help introduce the system to children and their parents.
Royal Farms Installs Interactive Kiosk
Foodservice sales increased by 20% at Royal Farm Stores after installing kiosk-based ordering systems developed by InterMedia Kiosks in all itsstore locations throughout Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Customers can order a variety of foodservice items by using the kiosk’s touch-screen program. The kiosks have enabled Royals Farms to increase average order size and speed of service.
“The kiosks build sales and reduce costs because all kitchen labor energies are focused on preparing the order rather than taking it,” said John Kemp, Executive Vice President for Royal Farms.
The kiosks were created by InterMedia Kiosks, based in Owings Mills, MD.
Try-Foods Features Interactive Display In Wine Aisle
Try-Foods International is using Maitland, FL-based Real Digital Media’s MPX-1 Multimedia Player as an interactive display system in the wine aisle of supermarkets.
Kevin Dunleavy, Exec. V.P., Try-Foods International, said, “Shoppers who are confused by the wide selection of wines that a supermarket offers, scan the bar-code at the bottom of the bottle into RDM’s interactive kiosk and instantly see a description of that wine, view its rating, and get advice on which cheeses, crackers, snacks and other foods go well with that selection. Supermarket managers expect that consumers who use the kiosk will be more satisfied with their purchase, have shopping carts that are filled with higher margin items, and return to that store when more wine is on their shopping list.”
The MPX-1 Multimedia Player is a solid-state, commercial-grade, IP- addressable, video and audio player. Individual players can receive location specific content through remote downloads.
Yahoo! To Showcase Products In Marshall Field’s Chicago Store
Marshall Field’s and Yahoo! Inc. have opened a Yahoo!-dedicated area within Marshall Field’s State Street store in Chicago. Located on the main floor and designed in tones of yellow and purple, the Yahoo! Lounge will be contemporary and inviting, providing a perfect backdrop for its computer kiosks and multi-media presentations. Whether guests are Internet novices or experts, they will be able to sample and experience some of Yahoo!'s hottest consumer product offerings. Marshall Field’s also plans to sell Yahoo!-branded products that include digital cameras, webcams, keyboards, and speakers.
“This initiative gives us the opportunity to put Yahoo! into the hands of the consumers in a retail environment,” said Murray Gaylord, Yahoo!’s V.P., Brand Marketing. Ralph Hughes, Marshall Field’s Regional Director, said “We wanted to bring a resource to our guests that would be relevant and fun. Yahoo! will give our guests an opportunity to find out about other exciting ways to use the Internet.”
The lounge will be staffed by team members dedicated solely to providing assistance on the sampling of Yahoo! products, and will feature a different Yahoo! product or service each month. Yahoo! will also be featured in a window at the State Street store.
Best Buy Kiosks Offer Digital Music
The Rolling Stones’ historic recordings for EMI Music’s Virgin Records are now available in digital format for the first time, through RealNetworks’ RHAPSODY digital music service. This marks the first time that The Rolling Stones’ albums have been available though a legal online music service.
Best Buy is the exclusive brick and mortar retailer offering subscriptions to RHAPSODY during The Rolling Stones exclusive period. Best Buy is bringing RHAPSODY to customers through interactive kiosks in more than 560 retail stores.
MICHAEL K. Store Features Concept Shops
MICHAEL K. has opened in New York’s SoHo district, housing 20 different concept shops. The store-within-store spaces let fashion leaders display their attitude and aesthetic.
That means the Puma lab, displays its footwear in refrigerators - because it’s that cool. North Face’s shop centers on a wind-and-rain room where customers can test drive products. Vendors like Timberland, Polo Jeans, Fred Perry, Lacoste, and Adidas use their spaces to showcase their top-of-the-line pieces.
MICHAEL K.’s large story walls are made up of video screens, signage, and recessed display cases. Story walls display content changes weekly. The store is built to resemble a state-of-the-art nightclub complete with programmable lighting, concert-quality sound and video technology with 200 large projection screens, plasma monitors, LCDs and floor-mounted small screens throughout the store. Three ground-floor stages allow for live performances.
Apple Opens Retail Store In Chicago
Apple has opened its first high profile retail store in downtown Chicago.
The Apple Store North Michigan Avenue features: an Internet cafe where visitors can check email and use Apple’s new digital video cameras to video conference with friends and family; a class Studio that overlooks an eco-friendly greenroof garden; a 40’ long Genius Bar, where anyone can ask the Mac “Genius” questions; “solution centers” where visitors can learn about the latest Apple solutions for digital photography, music and movies; an expanded kids section with seven computer stations connected to the Internet; and a 48-seat theater, where customers can watch demonstrations of Apple’s latest innovations, take classes and attend “Made on a Mac” events.
TouchSystems Corp. has introduced Mighty Touch, a wireless kiosk terminal. The terminal features a 15-inch display with choice of three different touch screen technologies; resistive, capacitive, or surface acoustic wave. The Mighty Touch P can be broken down into three modular pieces to allow for flexibility in installation. It can be deployed as a desktop, pedestal, or wall mount kiosk. Mighty Touch’s sophisticated computing technology can perform multiple e-commerce functions, as well as connect to POS peripherals including; a thermal printer, MSR, smart card reader, and 3D scanner. The kiosk’s touch screen provides easy interaction for users regardless of their computer skills. For more information, contact TouchSystems Corp., 220 Tradesman Dr., Hutto, TX 78634; (Tel) 512-846-2424; (Web) www.touchsystems.com.
HoloTouch Inc.’s patented interactive holographic-control technology is being used in touchless information kiosks to be located in public spaces in New York City. People operate these devices by simply 'touching' 3D images floating in the air. The holographic lens module technology that projects images into the air in front of the public kiosks has been licensed from LED Solutions Inc. For more information, contact HoloTouch, Inc., 10 Weed’s Landing, P.O. Box 2077, Darien, CT 06820; (Tel) 203-656-9686, (Web Site) www.holotouch.biz.
Microsoft Conducts Tablet PC Demo Program
Microsoft’s Tablet PC demo program will demonstrate the Tablet PC at kiosks installed in the lobbies of prominent office buildings in New York and Chicago.
Jack Morton Worldwide, New York City developed the demo program. The program is expected to reach approximately 40,000 building tenants and visitors.
Andrew Dixon, Microsoft’s Director of Tablet PC Marketing, said, “This demonstration program takes the Tablet PC experience where it needs to be; in office buildings where workers use and make decisions about their computers.”
Cox Sales Co., offers the Compact Identity Interactive Kiosk for displays and exhibits. The kiosk is offered in different branding and color choices. An optional integrated thermal printer enables customers to print custom information. For more information, contact Cox Sales Co., 2035 Cook Drive, Salem, VA 24153; (Tel) 540-345-2636; (Web) www.kioskmasterusa.net.
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