not just a customer, but a loyal fan. And, as eyevis’s Hénique points out, customers don’t come to a store to watch promotional videos.
WORKING TOGETHER The fact is, however, that while web-based shopping and store-based shopping may appear to be competitors, for most retailers and brands, the two are complementary rather than mutually exclusive. “Most retailers have both a physical presence and a web presence,” says Edwards. “The technology enables them to share those environments between each other, where the store can promote range and product information from the internet and web-based customers can be given the choice of buying online and collecting from a store near them, at a time that suits them.” “Increasingly, shoppers bring the online experience into the store with them on their phone,” points out Seminario. “But there’s a reason they’re in the store and not just online. Leading- edge retailers are exploring ways to maximise the useful interplay between those handheld digital devices and the physical store shopping experience. A key piece of those leading-edge solutions is the in-store digital displays and AV infrastructure that facilitates bidirectional communication between the shopper’s device and the store.” But for as long as retailers
have stores – even if they have a strong online presence – they need to encourage a steady flow of
Sony Professional Services has transformed and enhanced the retail offering and customer experience of Vue’s network of 65 cinemas across the UK by installing 287 Sony Bravia and Sony Pro 40in LCD display screens linked with the company’s Ziris digital signage software. Vue needed a system that
would allow it to control content centrally within each cinema site while being flexible enough to allow different cinemas to show different content from each other. Sony designed a solution for
Vue using Ziris software, hosted on three powerful servers at the cinema chain’s London headquarters. This
allows the office to create, manage and transfer content to the Bravia and Pro 40in LCD
display screens across the Vue network. Sony is also installing
FWD40LX2 HD screens in the foyer designed for heavy-duty operations in public places.
Bag and luggage company Tumi installed a 55in DynaScan DS55LT6 screen in the window of its Fifth Avenue, New York store, with three 47in screens behind the counter
consumers into them. “Bricks and mortar retailers are being forced to adapt to the online shopping experience to keep their customers,” says DynaScan’s Pickus. “The majority of people will buy when the product is presented in a unique way, which excites them into the purchase. Retailers can use
AV technology in several ways including brand building, elements of interactivity, and attention- grabbing features to create an environment that people want to go to. The more interest that is created using AV technology that allows customers to touch and feel the actual product, the
SONY SCREENS ENHANCE THE VUE FOR UK CINEMA CHAIN
The display panel also allows for independent
colours to be fine- tuned so a precise match with the
branding colours can be
achieved. Roland Jones, IT director,
Vue, says: “The beauty of Ziris is that we can chop and change and do what we like whenever we want from head office. We can change displays during quiet periods and busy ones to reflect different demographics and operate all functions from a single point. Promotional activity or information can be scheduled to target key times at all cinemas – all on a daily basis.”
February 2013 21
higher the chance for the shopper to buy.” ‘Retail therapy’ is a tongue- in-cheek description of the pleasure that many get from shopping. With the help of AV technology, that experience is unquestionably being revitalised, bringing consumers back into stores and, most importantly,