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Interactive kiosks a highlight of NRF show

How can stores pull consumers away from their laptops and back in the malls? The NRF "Big Show" will show how self-service kiosk technology may be the answer.

January 5, 2009 by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

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Regular attendees to the NRF "Big Show" are used to seeing things done on a grand scale – this is a show that lives up to its name, year in, year out. And this year, the show is demonstrating how self-service technology is improving the retail customer experience in a big way.

One focus this year will be the way in which interactive kiosks can help save the brick-and-mortar music store. An area on the show floor, known as the "Sonic Bar," will demonstrate how new trends, ranging from digital signage and interactive kiosks to loyalty programs and ideas for social retailing, can give online shoppers new incentive to drop their laptops and head for the mall.

Newman, vice president of conferences for NRF, said the Sonic Bar concept store will feature everything from digital signage and interactive kiosks to loyalty programs and ideas for social retailing.

"Retailers are competing with various multiple channels, and this limits their chance to upsell and connect with their customers in person," she said. "We designed the Sonic Bar as a music store because this is the best example of a challenged retail environment. We will use the Sonic Bar to show retailers how to get their customers' attention, get them involved through gaming and social retailing, and keep them as loyal customers for years to come.

Richard Russo, president and creative director with Hybridia Design, which is designing the store, said the music store concept is the perfect vehicle for demonstrating the value an enhanced and exciting customer experience can bring to the retailer through technology.

"The music store model was chosen because it represented something that has become obsolete based on how music shoppers shop today," he said. "With the onset of purchasing downloads via the Web, yesterday's music stores had very little reason to exist. We took this challenge as a way to show retailers how innovation, and understanding their prospects' interests, can morph into the next exciting opportunity."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Source Technologies, a producer of secure printing, payment and self-service solutions, reintroduced itself today with the inauguration of its new corporate logo, tagline and color scheme.

"The nature of the company is changing," said William Bouverie, president and chief executive. "We are transitioning from a successful value-added distributor to an organization that designs, develops and manufactures its own world-class solutions. We want to recognize this transformation with branding elements that reflect where we are going as a company."

The new logo, in green and grey, has a distinctly modern edge and the addition of the globe symbolizes the relationships Source Technologies has with its international customers and business partners. The new tagline, "Innovate. Inspire. Achieve." represents the key aspects of Source Technologies' approach to business opportunities.

Russo said the Sonic Bar will in some ways be the opposite of a traditional music store, which is usually designed around racks of product. The Sonic Bar space will be more open, he said, allowing traffic to move more fluidly. That traffic will be guided through the space via LED lighting technology that leads shoppers to intended destinations.

"We are shedding the old means of fixture blockades to force traffic where the retailer wants them to move," he said. "Sonic Bar's space will live, because it will engage the attendees into several immersive, reactive and interactive scenarios. Experiential situations will occur wherever one moves."

One of those experiential situations comes at the Genre Kiosk Stations. Once an attendee touches the screen and selects a musical genre, music starts to play – and other sensory stimuli click into place, too. For instance, if the user selects jazz, scents of leather, bourbon and cigar smoke start to fill the air. Digital signs begin to show images of products, events or services that should be of interest to a jazz-head — jazz-influenced clothes, a cigar store, or concert tickets for upcoming events.

"The attendee will be able to see the exciting potential of how a retailer's store can transcend far beyond sitting at home and downloading music," Russo said.

Live entertainment is also part of the experience, as is social networking. Digital signs throughout the store will broadcast live events from remote stores. A social networking platform will allow shoppers to create on-screen avatars of themselves, then play games in the store to earn that avatar purchasing points. It's all aimed at giving shoppers something they can't get at their home computer — an interactive, social phenomenon that makes them want to stay in the store.

"The Sonic Bar will disorient the shopper's expectations, and deliver something much more compelling," Russo said.

Inside the Customer Experience Pavilion

There's a lot more to the Pavilion than the Sonic Bar. Check out these noteworthy technologies and solutions from the floor of the Customer Experience Pavilion.

View a layout of the pavilion (.pdf)

5Stat focuses on enhancing the customer experience through the integration of RFID, interactive displays and wireless technology. Their solutions not only capture the user experience but also provide the retailer with insight and business intelligence.

Alert Technologies offers fitting room technology that gives customers an easy way to connect with store associates. Shoppers that use the Alert fitting room system buy three times as much as those who merely browse, and more than twice as much as customers who use the fitting room unattended.

Countwise delivers critical tools that enable retailers to measure customer traffic; that data can be used to improve conversion rates, integrate traffic and POS data, improve ad campaigns and optimize the staff-to-customer ratio.

Ernex's real-time loyalty and stored-value gift card solutions help retailers interact dynamically with consumers and build long-term relationships. The company's Promotional Tool Kit can be layered on top of a gift and stored-value card program to create real-time marketing campaigns based on shopper behavior.

Gempsy manufactures self-service electronic terminals used for price verification, product information and advertising. And the company's I-POP software makes it easy for retailers to create content for the point of purchase.

IBM's technology at the show will allow retailers to interact with savvy consumers in new ways and places. Cell phones, mobile point-of-sale devices and ultra-compact kiosks will unleash the brand in new and exciting ways through the "self-directed shopping experience."

Intava will present its innovations in dynamic touchscreen merchandising. The company's screens create "virtual shelf space," which enables customers to examine and assess a very large menu of products and features, and simplifies buying.

Mindshare's Enterprise Feedback Management tools help retailers improve operations and minimize customer attrition through personal customer involvement. The company's proprietary survey technology captures feedback in real time – and immediately turns it into actionable intelligence.

STRATACACHE will demonstrate its enterprise software solutions for digital signage, video-on-demand, IP/TV and content distribution. Attendees will be able to test the company's turnkey ActiVia for Media 3.0 solution, which includes full content scheduling, distribution, device/display management and reporting.

Wireless Ronin will give attendees insight into its RoninCase software suite, which allows retailers to control their dynamic messaging from one central location while keeping messages fresh and relevant.

About James Bickers

James Bickers is the former senior editor of Retail Customer Experience, and also manages webinars for Networld Media Group. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and innovative content strategist, with publication credits in national, international and regional publications.

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