Best Buy Mobile Stores Test New Approach To Retailing
Best Buy and U.K. retailer Carphone Warehouse (CPW) are piloting a mobile phone-exclusive store concept at nine locations throughout Manhattan.
Branded Best Buy Mobile, the stores improve on the U.S. mobile retail experience by providing a broader selection of products and carrier options, supported by knowledgeable and impartial store associates.
“Our goal is to bring real choice to New Yorkers,” said David Sprosty, CEO of Best Buy Mobile. “The Best Buy Mobile experience delivers a wider assortment of handsets and carrier networks, combined with specially trained, impartial mobile phone specialists and convenient locations across Manhattan. It’s a whole new level of service that personalizes the shopping experience for people who want control over how mobile technology integrates into their lifestyles.”
New Best Buy Mobile stand-alone stores averaging approximately 1,000-square-feet each are now open near Union Square, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal and on the Upper East and Upper West sides of Manhattan.
Another four stores operate within existing Best Buy stores in fully renovated “stores-within-a-store.”
Goodtimes Installs Dynamic Digital Storefront
Goodtimes Skate Shop, located along the Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California, has installed a dynamic digital storefront from Epson, a supplier of value-added p.o.s. solutions.
The newly installed four-by-five foot digital display illuminates the storefront with extreme skate boarding video, attracting attention and creating sales lift while increasing the store's brand recognition and improving the overall shopping experience.
“The skateboarding industry is very visual, and our target audience is increasingly more tech-savvy,” said Brad Block, Owner of Goodtimes Skate Shop. “It’s crucial that we continue to attract the younger generation. The digital storefront gives us an edge.”
“Goodtimes Skate Shop is an ideal example of how retailers can utilize digital marketing technologies to reinvent and differentiate themselves to compete more effectively,” said Bud Weist, V.P., Epson Sales and Marketing, System Device Group.
Palm Opens Flagship Retail Store In New York
Palm’s new flagship retail store has opened in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center, featuring Palm’s entire portfolio of smartphones, handhelds, mobile managers and accessories as well as live demonstrations and activations on three major U.S. carriers. The new flagship store is Palm’s largest store to date.
The Palm Retail Store provides the Company with a way to introduce Palm smartphones and handhelds beyond Palm’s core customers of mostly business professionals to a broader group of consumers. Palm Retail Stores have succeeded at expanding Palm’s visibility with young adults, moms and active seniors. With the introduction of fun colors for the new Treo 680 smartphone, Palm has a great draw for this expanded audience.
“New and loyal customers can experience simple, mobile computing up close, in-depth and across our full product line at Palm Retail Stores,” said Tim Roper, Vice President, U.S. region for Palm. “Specifically by opening a retail store in Rockefeller Center, we have the opportunity to capture the attention of pedestrians who frequent this famous location so they can see for themselves how powerful yet easy to use our products are.”
Clean lines, sleek accents and bold graphics depicting the Treo lifestyle greet visitors to the Rockefeller Center Retail Store location. Expert associates help guide visitors to the Palm mobile solution that best meets their unique needs.
RAM Forest Products Uses ‘End-Cap TV’ Digital Signage
RAM Forest Products recently increased sales of deck accessories by more than 50% in Home Depot Canada using MediaTile’s Digital Signage End-Cap TV solution.
RAM Forest Products worked with MediaTile Canada (www.mediatile.com) to create a multi-media campaign called “Create The Deck Of Your Dreams.” The campaign was deployed on end-caps in Home Depot stores to promote home deck projects.
“Using MediaTiles we were able to deploy an in-store broadcast network that dramatically increased our product sales. Our integrated in-store approach provided us with maximum exposure, and sales lift, so much so that we will significantly expand the program with more integrated end-cap displays utilizing the MediaTile platform,” said Keith Knowling, CEO, RAM Forest Products. “MediaTile’s system eliminates the need to install a network in each Home Depot location-we simply use the ‘cellular internet’ integrated into each display.”
Audio Spotlight Promotes 'Murder By The Book'
The Audio Spotlight® directional sound system from Holosonic Research Labs, (www.holosonics.com) was recently deployed in retail outlets to promote a new Court TV television series, Murder By The Book.
Court TV used the Holosonics Audio Spotlight to “beam” messages directly to the ears of individual shoppers making it sound as if someone, a “Mystery Whisperer,” was speaking directly to them. As customers shopped store shelves, they passed motion sensors installed near the Court TV displays that triggered subtle, targeted messages delivered via an Audio Spotlight speaker disc.
During the month long campaign, the Audio Spotlight system delivered more than 100,000 messages directly to individuals without generating unwanted noise.
M&M’s World Retail Store Opens In Times Square
M&M's World New York, a larger-than-life, “candy-coated” retail store dedicated to the colorful, chocolate fun of all things M&M's, has opened its doors in New York's Times Square.
A 25,000 square-foot retail chocolate experience, M&M's World offers tourists and New Yorkers alike the opportunity to purchase unique and exclusive M&M's brand and character plush toys, apparel, and thousands of other items as well as the chance to create their own one-of-a-kind M&M's custom-blended color mixes, selecting from among 22 milk chocolate and peanut M&M's colors.
The store will offer several fun M&M's-themed “only in New York” experiences, including: the world's largest display of M&M's, featuring a selection of more than 1 million milk chocolate and peanut M&M's.
The character Blue in a homage pose to the disco beat of Saturday Night Fever. A 21-foot Miss Green M&M's version of Lady Liberty. An M&M's color mood analyzer, to identify for guests which M&M's color best suits their daily mood.
“Our M&M's World New York store will surprise and delight visitors with its unique shopping experience,” said John Hugh,
President of Mars Retail Group, maker of M&M's. “Throughout our New York store, customers will be immersed in a sound and light experience that reflects the fun and flavor of all things M&M's.”
Dell Opens Retail Experience Store
The Dell Retail Experience recently opened in Dallas’ NorthPark Center offering consumers a hands-on approach to Dell's direct sales model.
The store delivers a unique and differentiated retail experience that is consistent with Dell's brand persona and is a hybrid concept of Dell's direct model and a conventional electronics store. Products on display include PC desktops, lap tops, home theater systems, plasma TVs and digital cameras. However, consumers cannot take the product with them. Instead, consumers order product on-line in-store with home delivery. The Retail Experience store mimic's Dell's direct-sale model where the product is actually purchased and shipped to the customer. Dell has been selling its products from free-standing kiosks in malls since 1994. The Retail Experience is an evolution of the kiosk concept because it allows for customer interaction with assistance from a product savvy sales staff.
The Dell Retail Experience was designed by Fitch, a retail design firm located in Powell, Ohio.
Showcraft
Pepsi-Cola Unveils New Global Look And Marketing Approach
Pepsi-Cola is reaching out to consumers in a different way then ever before via a global brand restyle-a 360-degree marketing campaign that will be reflected all over he world on TV, radio, print, packaging, in-store and online.
The first effort will be new package graphics for Pepsi-Cola that change every few weeks to reflect themes close to the hearts of teens and young adults, such as sports, music, fashion and cars, marking the first time that Pepsi has altered its look so frequently. This steady rotation of designs reflects the fast, ever-changing interests of the elusive "millennial" generation. Not only will the packages look different, Pepsi bottles, cans and cups will give consumers access to exclusive online content, games, contests and sweepstakes through unique web addresses on each of the designs. The restyle will also come to life in-store with merchandising, account-specific promotions and point-of-sale materials that will showcase an array of packaging.
“On the surface, this might look like a packaging update, but it's much more than that,” said Cie Nicholson, Sr. V.P. & Chief Marketing Officer of Pepsi-Cola NA. “We’re changing the way we interact with consumers-and now we’re doing it on their terms. When people pick up a Pepsi, they'll be getting much more than a great tasting cola. They'll be getting a passport to the things they enjoy most.”
“We’ve learned that young people embrace change and seek discovery, connectedness, personalization and multiculturalism,” said Ron Coughlin, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo International. “We believe this restyle touches on all these trends.”
VuPOD, a Real Estate Immersion Room, To Make Real Estate Shopping Easier
REdi, a Phoenix, AZ-based research and design company for the real estate industry, has introduced the VuPOD, a real estate immersion room and an ideal tool for the active real estate buyer. Any home for sale can be imaged and viewed on the VuPOD, arming buyers with data such as floor plans, exposures, and 360-degree images of every livable area.
With the VuPOD immersion room, home shoppers are literally surrounded by a 360-degree image projected on the wall around them. To the viewers it feels as if they were literally teleported to the prospective property. “Property elimination has never been easier,” said Sean Lee, REdi CTO and Co-Inventor of the VuPOD.
Vonage Introduces Kiosks For Instant In-Store Activation
Vonage America, a leading provider of broadband telephone services, is launching in-store activation through kiosks in retail stores. Consumers can now purchase Vonage hardware on premise and register at in-store kiosks to immediately subscribe to its full featured service.
This process makes it easier for less technology-savvy consumers to walk into the store and get phone service in a box. Retailers can now offer consumers the option to activate their Vonage service immediately in-store, thus shortening the activation process.
“GetConnected’s kiosks offer Vonage the tools it needs to make our customer's experience easier from the minute they purchase our devices,” said Mike Snyder, CEO of Vonage. “This new campaign takes one-stop shopping to the next level and helps us make the Vonage retail experience among the easiest in the industry.”
Exposystems Canada creates custom kiosks to meet any application. Using its custom aluminium extrusions and its Edge laminate panels it can cost effectively create all types of kiosks. For more information, contact ExpoSystems Canada, 2161 Midland Ave., Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1P 4T3; (Tel) 416-291-2932, 800-263-3976, (Fax) 416-291-0383; (Web) www.exposystems.com.
McGill Digital Solutions, (www.mcgill.com), recently launched an interactive digital signage program for DaimlerChrysler Canada. The system, which recently premiered at the Montreal Auto Show, utilizes two immersive 50" high definition plasma panels as the interactive interface between the consumer and Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge products. The goal is to bring prospective buyers closer to a purchase decision by allowing them to learn more about the key features of selected vehicles, specify a model of interest and select packages, options and colors.
T-Mobile Runs Fave 5 Promotion
T-Mobile recently promoted its new Fave 5 service plans via “street-level” cross-promotions offering consumers an opportunity to win prizes from T-Mobile’s co-marketing partners, Sony, Samsung, and the National Basketball Association. Basketball-focused events are being staged at numerous malls and NBA arenas throughout the country.
Livewire, York, PA, was chosen to create a custom solution consisting of a wireless network of four IBM kiosks, housed within large basketball-like enclosures. Consumers enter data via and choose icons representing their Fave 5 via the kiosks. Web service technology drives digital signage mounted above shoot-to-win basketball games to announce the game winners. The digital signage is enclosed within a giant Samsung cell phone.
At the completion of the game, an NBA-like ticket is printed for each player showing their Fave 5 icons with additional information and offerings from T-Mobile.
Sprint Nextel Unveils 2007 NEXTEL Experience
Sprint Nextel has created a revamped NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series-themed mobile-marketing display. The 10,000-sq. ft., NEXTEL Experience, focused on Sprint Nextel products and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series displays will be open at every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race this season. The exhibit, was created by JHE Production Group, Harrisburg, NC.
“Through our sponsorship of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, we strive to bring the fans closer to the sport, and the NEXTEL Experience is one of our most visible ways of achieving that goal,” said Dean Kessel, Director, NEXTEL Cup Series Marketing for Sprint Nextel.
Toyota Debuts ‘Highway To The Future’ Tour
Toyota is launching a nationwide “Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience” tour to provide consumers with an opportunity to experience automotive hybrid technology.
Consumers will be able to test Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system through a number of interactive exhibits and test drives.
“Most people have heard of hybrid technology, but few have actually driven a hybrid,” said Celeste Migliore, Toyota’s Manager, Advanced Technology Vehicles. “This tour allows consumers to learn more about the benefits of hybrid vehicles.”
SmartShop Delivers Personalized Marketing
Pay By Touch has launched its SmartShop™ service, which combines Pay By Touch’s patented biometric technologies with its data-driven marketing services to provide a personalized marketing solution for retail environments.
SmartShop gives shoppers customized offers on products when they enter the store before they shop. It enables retailers and packaged goods companies to deliver customized offers to shoppers.
When shoppers enter the store, they simply scan their finger at the SmartShop kiosk to get personalized offers based on their purchase history. Shoppers receive an 8 ½ x 11 print out with 12 to 16 customized offers for the products they buy most, and then head into the store to shop.
For more information visit the Pay By Touch web site at www.paybytouch.com or call 415-371-5766.
Reactrix Partners With Nation's Top Shopping Centers For National Network
Reactrix Systems, Inc., provider of a groundbreaking 'placed-based' interactive advertising medium of consumer-created and controlled, branded entertainment experiences, is partnering with major shopping center real estate investment trusts (REITs) including General Growth Properties, The Mills Corp., and CBL & Associates to solidify a national media network that offers coverage in the top 20 designated marketing areas as well as substantial presence in numerous other U.S. markets.
These new exclusive partnerships will allow advertisers to reach audiences in shopping centers operated by these REITs with a single buy, which would have previously required buys from multiple media providers.
For more information, visit www.reactrix.com.
FogScreen Featured On Disney Tour
The Walt Disney Co. is promoting its film “Enchanted,” with a promotional tour traveling to major European cities featuring the FogScreen ™ walk-through screen.
A Finnish invention, FogScreen walk-through screen generates a thin, dry fog that is possible to walk through without getting wet. The FogScreen projection screen makes images appear and move in thin air.
“Disney's Enchanted promotional tour is presenting a creative way for using the FogScreen technology,” said Mika Koivula, CEO of Fog Screen Inc. “Installation of the wishing well is a unique set-up with the built-in FogScreen effect.”
For more information about FogScreen, contact Mika Koivula, (E-mail) mika.koivula@fogscreen.com, (Tel) +358 50 3888 700, (Web Site) www.fogscreen.com.
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