Nike Introduces Shoe Customization System
Nike has introduced a self-service shoe customization system in its Nike stores in Beverly Hills, Chicago, NYC, Portland and San Francisco, as well as its NIKEgoddess store in Costa Mesa, CA.
Utilizing the DS15 flat-panel display system, from Planar Systems, Beaverton, OR, consumers can personalize select athletic shoes with color schemes and design elements. Previously available only for Web purchases, Nike’s shoe customization service is now accessible at its retail stores through the DS15 touch-screen.
Leviton Features Wall/Counter Dimmer Demonstrator
The objective of this display was to provide a ‘Hands On’ unit that would encourage the consumer to test various style lighting control devices before making the proper selection.
In addition to the dimmer demonstrator, a companion multi-use merchandiser was provided to showcase additional featured dimmers. Leviton has reported increased sales and positive feedback from distributors for this promotion.
The Leviton Wall/Counter dimmer Demonstrator was created by The Display Link Incorporated, a Babylon, NY-based display firm.
Moviebank Launches DVD/VideogameVending Machine
Moviebank USA has introduced it’s first DVD/videogame vending location in New York City.
The units provide convenience and added value to retail stores, service stations, and commuter stations. Moviebank USA automated video stores are branded video “automats” containing multiple vending machines in a multiplex format. Both concepts provide an easy way for entertainment lovers to rent and/or purchase movies and videogames. Moviebank USA markets a full range of video dispensing machines varying in capacity from 1,000 to 5,000 DVDs, roughly the same inventory as a traditional video rental store.
Stephane de Laforcade, co-founder of Moviebank USA, said “Our new flagship retail store in one of New York City’s trendiest neighborhoods, will demonstrate the convenience, speed, privacy and sheer fun that makes MoviebankUSA such an original idea.”
Delta Featuring Self-Service e-ticket Kiosks
Creative Kiosk, Norcross, GA, turned to membrane pressing of components with rigid thermofoil, replacing the conventional sheet metal of traditional kiosks, for this kiosk created for Delta Air Lines.
“I haven’t seen the same kind of wear on components membrane pressed with Renolit film,” said Tom Zaken, Director of National Program Dev., Creative Kiosk. “Membrane-pressing also offers us increased design freedom because the film conforms to virtually any shape that can be routed into MDF board. For the exterior, we affixed three-dimensional membrane-pressed panels clad in a rigid thermofoil (RTF) material from American Renolit Corp. Whippany, NJ, that simulates stainless steel.”
The kiosk panels were fabricated of routed ¾-in MDF board that was membrane pressed by Piedmont Woodworking, Rutledge, GA.
America West Sets Up Shop Inside Arizona Mills Mall
America West Airlines has opened its first “America West Vacations a la Cart” location at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, AZ. Customers can work with a knowledgeable agent to book a complete vacation package right at the cart, which is also equipped with a connection to americawest.com.
“For the first time, we are expanding America West Vacations outside our call center and Web site to bring our wide variety of services to new customers who may not be familiar with our packages,” said Travis Christ, V.P. Marketing. “Additionally, we are providing the only source for scheduled travel in Arizona Mills Mall, making travel planning easy and convenient for the 20,000 to 30,000 customers who visit the mall each day.”
Intrawest Uses Kiosks To Reach Visitors
Intrawest ski resorts recently turned to Techneos Systems Inc. to help them gather demographic data on their visitors.
Techneos’ Entryware software integrates survey design and data collection software that replaces paper-based methods. For the resorts, Techneos coupled the software with AlphaSmart Data units, which are durable, portable computers, to allow resort visitors to enter their contact information at kiosks located in public locations. The resorts captured 6,500 individual contacts during the trial phase of the project using two kiosks each at the Blue Mountain and Whistler/Blackcomb resorts. The resorts are currently expanding use of the kiosks.
E2Go Kiosk Delivers Music, Ring Tones & Photos
Digital Transaction Machines, has introduced E2Go, a new ATM-like machine that delivers music, ring tones, photo printing and other digital entertainment straight into customers’ hands or cell phones at retail stores.
Using a simple touch screen menu, customers can choose from the latest cell phone ring tones. E2Go downloads music on the spot and dispenses a CD within minutes. Customers can also upload and print their own digital photographs by plugging standard flash media or photo CD’s into the machine. DVDs, games, tickets and other products and services will soon be added.
Dick Wingate, President of Content Dev. & Programming for Digital Transaction Machines, said, “E2Go opens an exciting new chapter at the intersection of digital content and mass commerce. Unlimited virtual inventory can now be purchased at high traffic locations in a manner that is easier and more fun than online.”
TouchPoint Home Launches Interactive Kiosk
TouchPoint Homes, LLC, offers a touch-activated kiosk to help real estate professionals promote their listings and generate sales leads within local shopping malls.
Businesses affiliated with the real estate industry can also utilize the kiosk to promote their product and service offerings. TouchPoint recently installed its first kiosk in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, New Hampshire.
“The kiosk provides a valuable opportunity for Realtors to establish a presence at shopping malls within their communities, while also generating more sales leads at a much more cost-effective rate than if they were relying on newspaper ads or space within the local real estate books,” said Ed Goulding, Founder of TouchPoint Homes. “While consumers generally rely on a Realtor to help them find and buy a home, the kiosk provides a relaxing, no pressure environment for homebuyers to browse local real estate offerings.”
Samsung Experience Opens In NYC
The Samsung Experience, a 10,000-sq. ft. interactive venue featuring virtual reality experiences and technology, has opened at the Time Warner Center in New York City.
The site features hundreds of Samsung products in unique technology demonstrations such as a virtual world in a 360-degree interactive simulation, a map of the city that can be manipulated with hand gestures, and a digital fashion collection created by one of New York’s hottest designers.
The Samsung Experience is not a store and is always free of charge. Visitors are invited to learn how the latest devices can enrich their lives. “Samsung Experience is digital convergence in its purest form; where you can see, hear, touch and create the art of the possible,” said Dong Jin Oh, CEO of Samsung Electronics NA. “The venue will become a great educational resource, communicating the benefits of digital technology without the pressures of a sales environment.”
Samsung will also pioneer an innovative loaner program. Visitors to the Samsung Experience will be able to take a hard-disk based camcorder with them to shoot video around New York City. Once they return, they can edit the footage at kiosks inside the Experience, burn their movies onto DVDs and return home with a digital souvenir. Visitors will also be able to use Samsung Napster MP3 players to download songs off Napster to CDs, and also download ring tones to their cell phones.
RadioShack & Sprint To Place Kiosks In Nation’s Top Shopping Malls
RadioShack Corporation and Sprint have reached a multi-year agreement to develop, deploy and operate Sprint-branded kiosks in approximately 500 of the nation’s leading shopping malls.
“This expanded kiosk program will accelerate our Retail Services business which will be an integral part of our growth strategy for the coming years,” said Leonard Roberts, RadioShack’s Chairman and CEO. “Wireless is a cornerstone of our business thanks in part to our great relationship with Sprint over the past eight years. The Sprint Kiosk test proves we can reach additional customers with minimal cannibalization to our existing wireless business.”
According to the agreement, RadioShack will provide Sprint with a turn-key retail solution that leverages its own infrastructure. Through the kiosk program, RadioShack and Sprint intend to capture a greater share of the high-end, youth and pre-paid market through locating kiosks in malls and by including Virgin Mobile in the product line-up. The kiosks will be stocked with the full assortment of Sprint phones, including PDA and multi-media phones.
Rock The Vote Features Voter Registration Kiosks In 7-Eleven Stores
Rock the Vote recently partnered with Sunkist Orange Soda, 7 UP and 7-Eleven in an effort to mobilize 20 million young people to vote this year.
The nation’s leading nonprofit, non-partisan youth voter organization and Sunkist Soda plan to distribute at least 1 million voter registration forms via voter registration kiosks placed in participating 7-Eleven stores across the country. In-store signage will help drive customers to the Rock the Vote kiosk. An in-store coupon at the kiosk will offer savings on Sunkist, 7 UP, and Super Big Gulp drinks.
“We realized we had a landmark opportunity to empower consumers with a retail partner program, and 7-Eleven was the right retailer,” said Tony Jacobs, V.P. Sunkist Soda. “It’s a great destination to house Rock the Vote information, and it’s heavily frequented by two customer segments less likely to be registered to vote: 18-22 year-olds and Hispanics.”
“Participating in Rock the Vote is a great way for us to reach out to the 18-22 year old segment, as well as make voter registration easy and convenient for them,” said Doug Foster, Managing Director of Marketing for 7-Eleven.
Snapfish Opens Premier Concept Store
Snapfish, a leading online photo service, has opened a concept retail store in Alexandria, VA, combining the value, ease of use and selection of its online services with the convenience of a retail store.
Now local Snapfish customers can order prints online and pick-up their order at the retail store. Multiple Snapfish Station kiosks offer free online access to Snapfish. The store will also demonstrate to retailers how online services can increase sales and profits for existing photo retail businesses. Snapfish’s selection of over 70 unique photo products will also be on display in the concept retail store.
Neil Cohen, Chairman of Snapfish, said, “With this new store Snapfish has come up with the ideal way for retailers and online services to combine their strengths and offer customers a better experience than either one could on their own.”
Full Motion Digital Advertising In Malls Increases Ad Recall And Purchase Intent
Full-motion video advertising significantly increased ad recall and purchase intent for advertised brands among mall shoppers, according to a new study conducted by Arbitron and commissioned by AdSpace Networks, Inc., owner of the CoolSign Mall Network, a national network of digital video advertising displays in malls.
“We looked at ad recall and purchase intent among mall visitors and found that full-motion digital displays driver stronger customer awareness and purchase impact at point of sale,” said Pierre Bouvard, President, New Ventures, Arbitron. “Based on the study’s findings, we believe that digital media technology is a valuable new addition to out-of-home advertising, especially in malls where audiences are actively consuming and responsive to targeted advertising messages.” The study compared responses from shoppers exiting malls with CoolSign displays versus those at nearby malls using traditional advertising media.
Young Adults Favor Touch Screens
The vast majority of Americans ages 18-34 expressed positive attitudes towards touch screens and expect a substantial increase in their deployment over the next year years, according to the new Elo TouchSystems In Touch Survey.Nearly nine in 10 respondents (89%) expect touch screens to become the standard way of performing tasks such as checking-in at airports, buying tickets and self check-out at the supermarket in the near future.
Some 82% of respondents have used touch screens at the self check-out of a supermarket, and seven in 10 have used them at an ATM. Seven in ten respondents believe it is “very likely” that touch screens will soon become more commonplace and 76% believe they will begin using touch screens more frequently than they ever have. Almost half of respondents say they prefer touch screens over customer service agents. When asked to choose between waiting in a short line for a cashier at the supermarket and using touch screen self check-out, 83% chose touch screens.
Pacific Digital Corp. has introduced HTTP fetching for the Digi-Sign family of digital-signage products. Digi-Sign is a low cost, stand-alone digital sign that displays up to 80 images in a slideshow format, and includes a bright, high resolution, 10.4” active-matrix TFT flat panel screen. HTTP fetching allows the Digi-Sign to act as a Web client and receive fresh content from a target URL. Digi-Sign can poll up to 80 Web sites (URL addresses) and display the images in a slideshow format. In this way, content can be better managed because it is stored at the point of control where it is most secure. For more information, contact Pacific Digital Corp., 2052 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606; (Tel) 949-252-1111, (Fax) 949-477-9397, (Web site) www.PacificDigital.com.
StereoGraphics Corporation, a leading supplier of Stereo3D visualization products, is introducing the SynthaGram 404 Public Display LCD monitor, a 3D and 2D monitor that does not require any special eyewear. The SynthaGram creates extremely crisp, bright and wide-angle still and moving images that rivet viewer’s attention. The SynthaGram 404 Public Display LCD is ideal for catching the attention of a large audience with its stunning glasses-free 3D images that pop off the screen. Applications include advertising, retail spaces and trade shows. The SynthaGram 404 can be wall mounted as well as displayed on a counter or podium. For more information, contact StereoGraphics Corporation, San Rafael, CA, (Tel) 415-256-2225; (Web Site) www.stereographics.com.
Planar Systems has expanded its solutions for retail markets with the launch of the DS15i. The DS15i offers a ready-to-use hardware platform on which they can deploy their software applications for kiosk-like functionality without the added costs of large, mechanical enclosures found in traditional kiosks. The DS15i is just 3.5 inches deep and weighs only 11 lbs. The 15-inch, XGA monitor and capacitive touch screen deliver durability with a display that is twice as bright as standard monitors. For more information, contact Planar Systems, 140 Compton Drive, Beaverton, OR, 97006; (Tel) 503-748-1100; (Web Site) www.planar.com.
The Media Tile Company produces The MediaCast System, the world’s first cellular-digital-signage solution. The MediaCast System provides a breakthrough for manufacturers and retailers using in-store digital signage by delivering instant digital promotions to thousands of retail store shelves without the need of expensive in-store IT infrastructure. The MediaCast System is a Web-based media management and delivery system that is seamlessly integrated with Verizon’s cellular-data-services and industry-standard digital displays. For more information about the MediaCast System, contact The Media Tile Company, 5900 Butler Lane, Scotts Valley, CA 95066; (Tel) 831-439-8786, (Web Site) www.mediatile.com.
Display Werks has introduced the 4050 Series 40-inch Liquid Crystal Display with integrated touch screen, the first 40-inch touch screen to be introduced to the interactive display market. Display Werks uses the Samsung 403T display to integrate the touch technology. The 4050 Series touch panel does not use cameras or infra-red technology found in older large-format touch panels and this allows the display to be thinner and fully integrated into the display. For more information, contact Display Werks, 2747 29th Ave. SW, Tumwater, WA 98512; (Tel) 877-705-1319, (Web Site) www.displaywerks.com.
Netkey Inc. has issued a new software platform for retail self-service and digital merchandising management. The new platform allows marketers to monitor and update networks of kiosks. The Netkey platform version 6.2 provides efficiency, reliability and security. For more information, contact Netkey at 800-443-7924, (Web Site) www.netkey.com.
SMART Technologies’ SMART Board interactive whiteboards and interactive overlays were used in Milacron’s booth at the National Plastics Exposition in Chicago, IL. Designed by Cleveland Corporate Services (CCS), a SMART dealer, the booth featured live streaming video and interactive demonstrations of large machinery at Milacron’s factory in Batavia, OH. The use of interactive kiosks saved Milacron $2 million by eliminating the shipping costs to bring more than 30 large-scale machines to the trade show floor.
Champ Car Soft Zone Installed In Mall
Limelight Media Group, Memphis, TN, has installed the first Bridgestone Presents the Champ World Series Powered by Ford Themed Soft Zone in the Flat Iron Crossing Mall in Broomfield, Colorado.
The Champ Car Themed Soft Zones feature attractive seating. The focal point of each area is a multimedia island display with plasma screens airing content and ads. The display also includes interactive kiosks that allow patrons to interact with the theme sponsor or advertisers. Limelight plans to install Themed Soft Zones in malls around the nation.
StrandSoft Debuts Online-Kiosks.Net
StrandSoft has introduced Online-Kiosks.net, an Internet based messaging system that allows companies to deliver informational and marketing messages to customers over virtually any computer or television display. It reaches customers when they are most likely to buy, in a waiting room or lobby, and presents opportunities for businesses to cross-sell customers through custom marketing messages and sponsored advertising from vendors. For more information, contact Online-Kiosks.net, Strand Building, 1529 Continental Drive, Eau Claire, WI 54701; (Tel) 715-833-9501 (Web Site) www.Online-Kiosks.net.
SignFlash Signage Promotes ‘Lance Day’
Specialized Communications recently used SignFlash dynamic digital signage to provide advertising for “Lance Day” sponsors, Sharrett Subaru, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
The signage featured sponsor’s logos that transitioned one into the other in the lower left corner of the 42” plasma display with a video window that allowed Tour de France footage to be aired along with Sharrett Subaru advertising. The video was switched to live video feed at the time of the Tour de France race during the day and back to pre-recorded footage at other times.
SignFlash is a turnkey solution developed and manufactured by Specialized Communications, located in Smithsburg, MD.
Cart Companion Improves Grocery Shopping Experience
Cuseol’s cart solution is a new customer-interactive retail technology designed to enrich the customer’s shopping experience.
The Cart Companion is a wireless, touch-screen browser device that shoppers place onto their shopping cart handle. It has an integrated, cordless barcode scanner and is aware of its precise location in the store. The tablet communicates over a wireless LAN to servers that run Cuseol’s personalized, location-based shopping application. The location tracking system allows the delivery of location-relevant personalized content as customers move throughout the store. Its capabilities include: displaying personal favorites and relevant specials and recipes based on shopper location in the store; enabling departmental ordering from the cart with notification of order completion; self-scanning in the aisle for running basket totals, price checks, and easy self-checkout.
For more information about Cart Companion, contact Cuseol, Inc., 1212 Hancock St., Quincy, MA 02169; (Tel) 617-826-3200, (Web Site) www.cuseol.com.
Compex Technologies SlenderTone Product Line
This display was created for a retail roll-out for Sports Authority stores nationwide. The kiosk projected an upscale look because of the high qualilty materials used. The unique shape is representative of the actual product itself, extending their branding into a three-dimensional fixture. A video monitor was included to help draw attention to the display which featured product endorsements from celebrities including Sara Ferguson, Duchess of York and many professional athletes. The Compex Technologies SlenderTone Display was created by Display Arts Inc., 7839 Elm Street, Minneapolis, MN 55432.
Saks Beauty Advisor Center
Saks was looking for a completely new and interactive shopping experience that would educate and inform the Saks consumer. At the same time, they also recognized the opportunity to provide shoppers with critical skin care product information and additional beauty enhancing options. An in-store, interactive freestanding information center was created which presented all essential product information they were trying to convey. The interactive information center was able to provide an instant and tailored presentation for the consumer to review. On completion of the shopping experience, the consumer receives a printout of specific product benefits along with a coupon for additional products that compliment their beauty routine. The Saks Beauty Advisor Center was created by Masters of Branding, 174 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013.
Back to Top
To See previous issues of Creative Interactive Merchandising click here
To See Previous Issues of Online Weekly in Creative's Archives, click here.
To See other Creative Online Newsletters click here
