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Cambridge, UK, shopping mall deploys digital signage 'Virtual Assistant' kiosk

July 28, 2014

In what it being billed as "a U.K. first," The Grafton shopping center in Cambridge, U.K., has a new, "virtual" employee, an interactive Virtual Assistant from customer journey technology specialist Tensator, aimed at giving the Grafton a technological edge in providing outstanding customer service, according to an announcement from Tensator.

Using technology that projects an image of a person, the Tensator Virtual Assistant also interacts with customers, answering common questions and promoting mall offers. The Tensator Virtual Assistant has been rolled out at transportation hubs across the world, as well as at sporting and conference venues, according to Tensator; however, the Grafton is the first U.K. shopping center to utilize the technology.

"Cambridge is known as a hotbed of new technology and we are excited to see how our new Virtual Assistant will look after our visitors," Grafton manager Lance Stanbury said in the announcement. "Using innovations like this will give us an opportunity to connect with our shoppers in a completely new way. I don't think it will be long before other shopping centers will be following our lead."

As well as offering advice and directions, the Tensator Virtual Assistant will also be used as a platform for retailers in the center to advertise and offer promotions. According to Tensator, previous trials have shown the Virtual Assistant to increase dwell time by 50 percent and sales of a featured product by up to 75 percent.

"The Virtual Assistant is ideal for the retail environment" Stanbury said. "With the advent of digital technology, e-shopping and click and collect, customers enjoy interacting with technology, and as the Virtual Assistant is a sort of 'avatar,' an incarnation of a human assistant, I believe she is going to be a huge hit with our shoppers."