Monday, May 23, 2011

Be A Manikin For A Day

We've all walked by a clothing store and seen a manikin wearing the newest, trendiest styles the store is offering. Manikins have been standing in windows and sales floors for centuries, grabbing the attention of shoppers. These "life-size" figurines are supposed to resemble you, the buyer, yet they always seem to have skinny, model-like bodies, and, of course, no movement. Unfortunately for the clothing industry, not all people can relate to these lifeless statues. People come in all shapes and sizes, so how can a retail store customize a manikin to fit the needs of every buyer in their shop? Perhaps manikins aren’t the most effective way to sell clothes.

Imagine the window of a clothing store lined with digital screens. As you walk past, your own image pops up on the screen-- but you’re not wearing what you're wearing. You are wearing new jeans, shirt, shoes, and jacket. Not only is the screen showing you how you could look after leaving the store, but it also line-items the price of each product. Just by glancing at the screen, you can decide whether or not it's worth it to go into the store.

This idea would eliminate a lot of the pain points of shopping (at least for me). Instead of scouring through racks of clothes, just stand in front of the screen. The screen would take your picture and allow you to choose the sizes you need. Based on the criteria entered, the screen would display clothing it feels would be a nice fit for your body type and style. From here, you simply drag and drop the clothing to the mirror-like image on the screen using touch-screen technology. Once you find something you'd like to actually try on, simply press a "Try It On" button, and a representative would bring the clothes to you. As an added bonus, why not be able to post the picture of you with the clothes to your Facebook or Twitter accounts? You could gather feedback from your friends and family instantly - even if youre shopping alone.

Based on your selection, the screen would also give you style recommendations, inform you of current sales promotions, or provide you with buyer reviews of chosen products. The digital screen would serve as a personal stylist and could eliminate a lot of overhead due to excessive staffing. The digital screen would also help with inventory control-- So many times I've seen shirts on racks that don't belong because someone picked it up and put it down on a different rack. By having the store representative bring the clothes, inventory would be easier to control.

Ultimately, I see this idea adding to the customer experience. For those who don't enjoy the traditional shopping experience, this could serve as a great way to attract new customers and sales.



Thursday, May 19, 2011

Back to the Future with Customer Service

Remember in the movie Back to the Future Part II when Marty McFly goes into Cafe 80s? The first thing you see is a woman sitting at the bar placing her order with Michael Jackson. Well, not the real Michael, but a screen that allows the customer to interact with the late musician. When Marty goes to order his Pepsi, he doesn't talk with a waiter or waitress. Instead, he orders with Ronald Reagan and Khomeini-- or better said; their avatars.

I'm taking you down memory lane because of a recent article I read. The article got me thinking: Is the idea of using avatars in customer service bad for business? My initial thought was that customer service should be hands-on-- a person-to-person interaction with a friendly smile or a hand shake. Customer service should involve a representative that can’t break down. But then I started thinking of how many times I've gone into a retail store, airport, or hospital only to find that there was no one around to help, employees were too busy, or I received bad information. I guess humans can break down, too.

Imagine walking into Wal-Mart and rather than seeing a friendly, elderly man as the greeter, you are welcomed by a holographic image of Sam Walton himself. Actually, that doesn't sound too far-fetched. We already have interactive digital signs, 3-D animation, and holographic images-- why not combine all of these technologies to enhance our customer service? In my opinion, it would be cool to ask the founder of Wal-Mart which aisle the orange juice is in.

Now, I'm not saying I want holographic avatars to take all of the Wal-Mart greeter jobs. But it would be functional and captivating to see this technology. Instead of kiosk directory outlining how to get from point A to B, the avatar could simply tell you (or print it for you). I can see this concept being used for way-finding in the near future, but believe its capabilities are limitless.



Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Adding to your customers' experience with digital signage


Imagine being stuck in your car for hours with two kids screaming in the backseat and nothing to do. Sounds terrible, right? How grateful would you be if you and your passengers had some entertainment to pass the time? Let's say, popcorn, a movie, and a Coke.

Coca-Cola recently took a highly congested traffic area and transformed it into an impromptu drive-in movie theater. Making a traffic jam into a vehicle for brand recognition, loyalty, and ultimately, an uplift in sales. They saw a need for entertainment and seized the opportunity-- A very smart and innovative marketing strategy.

In a recent poll of banks and credit unions, we asked them what their main priority was for using digital signage in the branch. 87% said they use digital signage to cross-sell products and services, 10% claimed the main purpose was branding and only 3% professed that it was purely for entertainment. Coke would be in that minority. They recognized that using a digital screen to entertain would give the person in traffic a great experience with the brand and that would result in sales uplift and brand loyalty.

What if your bank or credit union took a page from the Coke playbook? Here’s a scenario: While a customer is waiting in line, the digital screen is entertaining them with trivia, video, or maybe even a movie. A representative from the institution offers them a cup of coffee, soft-drink, or a small snack. Then, when it's time to process the transaction, the teller or font-line employee talks with them about their financial goals and introduces them to products that fit their needs.

Instead of using digital signage as a "sales representative", try using it as a part of the in-branch experience. Lowering perceived wait-time could have a very positive impact on the experience a person has with your financial institution. More positive experiences can result in greater loyalty, trust, improved word-of-mouth exposure, and ultimately more accounts and customers.


Hyper Smash