20 August 2014

Miscellaneous

Are Mannequins Coming To Life?

A revolutionary new platform in marketing has been created. A small amount of UK retailers have started using digitally integrated mannequins that beam information about the clothes displayed to the customer directly to their smartphones.

(Image courtesy of  Strange Today)

These electronic 'beacons' are installed directly into mannequins, which transmit information that has been programmed by the retailer via a web portal. When a customer with an enabled smartphone app is within a 50m range of the beacon, they will receive an automatic alert about the content they can access. This includes details about the clothes and accessories displayed, such as price and links to purchase the items directly from the retailer’s website, or where they can be found within the store.

"With such demand from mobile devices, it’s important we continue to bring new technology to our stores, and believe that the Iconeme App provides retailers with an opportunity to really engage with their customers."

(Edward Smith, Brand Manager of Hawes & Curtis)

(Image courtesy of  Strange Today)

This truly reaches out to the customer who can then see more detailed photos and descriptions of the products, save ‘looks’ for later, share with friends and access additional offers and rewards. This is all in the hopes that it will lead to future purchase, but also to give brand awareness. Although beacon technology is already used in some public spaces such as museums and art galleries, to convey information about historical artefacts, this is the first time that it has been designed specifically for a retail environment.

The so-called VMBeacon, developed by technology and design company Iconeme, operates 24 hours a day, allowing retailers to engage with customers even if an outlet is closed, with the shop window becoming a constant interactive selling point. Retailers can get feedback on shopper details such as age and gender, their location, what outfit was viewed and whether a purchase was made online.

(Image courtesy of J W T Intelligence)

Isn’t this a violation of our privacy?

You may think this is a violation of shopper’s privacy and people should be able to shop in peace. The makers have taken this into consideration and there is the ability to choose which details are made available via personal privacy settings on the phone.

The future…

This development brings a collaboration of the traditional marketing methods with the new and innovative digital marketing through a smartphone platform.

Here at FDC, we always keep up to date with new developments, whether they are directly related to our company or not. This is so that we can ensure we are always offering to our customers the best possible services.

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