Digital goes Retail

Forget the 1-ft, the 2-ft and the 10-ft (oh yeah, still haven’t talked about the 10-ft). What happens when you actually have consumers in the store where they’re going to buy? As consumers come to expect more engaging experiences with the other media in their lives, advertisers are well-advised to transform the retail experience as well. How do you capture the attention, engage, disrupt, and galvanize the consumer when they actually have intent to buy – and you want to close the deal or increase the place your brand has in the hearts of your customers?

Here are some examples that are already emerging.

Hallensteins Interactive Changing Room

To encourage shoppers to engage with merchandise and make choices without having to enter a change room, Hallensteins in New Zealand introduced an interactive change room. The user stands in front of a screen in which they see live video of themselves behind items of clothing. The user can change the clothes by waving their hand over the clothing racks. At the same time, the screen can instantly add up the price of the clothing, showing the user the cost of what they’re trying on. Engaging, interactive, and huge buzz factor.

Nike Women / Athelete Booth


After radio shock jock Don Imus made offensive comments against the Rutgers University women's basketball team, Nike Women seized the opportunity to strike back as a voice for all their customers. The resulting ad campaign, “Atheletes” included TV ads and outdoor. The TV featured female athletes speaking into a giant megaphone (unscripted), telling the world what being an athlete meant to them. But the campaign reached out with huge impact by including something that engaged their consumer and made it personal -- the Athelete Booth.

In the Athelete Booth at the women’s fitness boutique, participants at the 4th Annual Nike Women's Run in San Francisco were given a similar opportunity to record a video message about what being an athlete meant to them. Their stories were integrated into a wall of women’s stories about what it means to be an athlete. A great integration of all media including the retail level and deepening the connection between Nike Women and their customers. Downside? It seemed to stop after this campaign whereas it could have continued on to develop a real community.


AT&T/ Interactive Screens & Interactive Floor Ads

AT&T recently began piloting new technology in 12 stores across the U.S., featuring kiosks with screens that allow customers to pull up images of merchandise with a touch of the hand. For example, to find out about a phone's coverage area, a customer can pull up a map on the screen, put his fingers around the area he lives and works, and actually see the lines of service that will work in his plan. The customer can pull up different models of the merchandise on the screen, play with the features virtually and even compare two models side-by-side without the use of a mouse.

ATT is also experimenting with interactive ads on the floors of malls. One ad played off a 30-second TV spot airing now, which shows mobile phones popping out of flowers to the tune of "Daydream in Blue." The difference in the mall? If a customer steps on a flower, a phone pops out, and if he steps on the phone, he gets more information about it, such as price points and information about the nearest store to purchase the phone.

These kinds of experiences are paving the way for a more engaging, immersive retail experience.

Mobile Mall Promotions

Talking to the customer where and when they’re buying -- that's what a company called Nearby Now is doing. Nearby Now provides technology to drive traffic and sales to the malls. Mall-goers are invited to TXT to “nearby” with a 2-letter mall code. Shoppers then get a welcome message with a list of sales in progress and a request that users enter the brand or product they are seeking. In return, they get the list of stores with the said items including pricing and relevant sales information. For example, one could search for “Jeans’ or “Levis 509s” and get relevant results. User might get a second ad saying, “Shoe sale at Macy’s” which is a paid advertisement but the match is perfect for the user for the advertiser.

Response among younger mall-going demographics has been remarkable. The response to special offers such as ‘free movie tickets’ or $25 gift cards for the first 10 buyers’ can start a stampede indicating the power of mobile, interactivity and context.