Holy Hallucination!

Who needs a real cross when you can make one with light? State-of-the-art technology in a church--the next chapter in design revolution. This art installation, “Spero Lucem,” which can be found in St. Agnes’ Church in Cologne, Germany, was created by light artist Michael Bleyenberg.

“Spero Lucem“ is a light design in the shape of a cross on a glass screen. The exhibit was created using HoloSign, one of the latest  technology developments by G+B pronova GmbH. The technology allows for a predetermined motif to be “embedded” in the screen, rather than projected. A homogeneous light source (including the sun) then makes the motif glow in rainbow-like colors--the white light is separated into its spectral components by holographic optical elements. A change in light or movement from the observer results in a spectrum of new colors (if you squint hard, it's really kind of trippy...er, I mean "spiritual").

This "cross of light" is unique in that, for every new viewer, there is a new experience with the cross that appears before them. I suppose this is what appealed to the German church from the beginning. I pity the poor school kids who, dazed out by the hallucinogenic colors, knock it off the pedestal on a class field trip. Amen to church!

--Alison Embrey Medina

A New Breed of Shoppers

They're out there. Researching and shopping. Reading your product reviews and looking for your social navigation tools. It's the new breed of shopper, evolved from more than 12 years of Internet technology experience--the social researcher.

Scary or sophisticated? You decide.

A recent study by PowerReviews.com revealed that customers voraciously read product reviews and use them to make their final purchasing decisions. In fact, 65 percent of consumers "actively" look for and read product reviews, making decisions based on the nature of the review.

Eighty-six percent of the folks in this group rate customer reviews extremely or very important, while 76 percent find "top rated product" lists to be critical to the buying process. And guess where they're doing this said research? That's right, online--regardless of whether they make the purchase in store or via the Web. This only confirms how essential it is for retailers to have high-functioning Web sites.

Want more?
Eighty-two percent felt reading reviews was far more effective than researching a product in-store with a sales associate. Apparently, technology is more effective than a live human being! How sad, but true this can be.

At first, I scoffed at the idea, as I rarely pay any attention to Amazon.com reviews because everyone's literary and musical tastes are so different. However, earlier this week, I was checking out a resort in Florida  (it's freezing here, so I'm eagerly planning a warm vaca), only to find reviews that called it "Roach Resort." I promptly eliminated it as a prospect. I guess customer-based reviews are effective.

So effective that 81 percent of consumers use reviews to decide between two or three choices for a specific purchase. Whichever product has the best review, wins. In addition, and a surprise to me, 76 percent of social researchers and 93 percent of consumers are more likely to shop on a retail Web site if it features social navigation tools.

We know it's a Web world, but this survey confirms that it really is the seemingly little things, i.e. reviews and social navigation, that matter.

How about you--are you a social researcher? Do you make purchasing decisions based on product reviews? Or do you know a retailer that's doing an exceptional job of leveraging these tools? We'd love to hear from you!

--Heather Strang

On the Go with JCP.com

In our online, on-the-go, 24/7, Internet focused world, in-store shopping often takes up way too much time. With Blackberrys, iPhones and to-do lists a mile long, who has time to wander around searching for the perfect gifts for everyone on their holiday gift list? Not me. Things to do, people to see, places to go. The fact is, not many of us have copious amounts of time to be spent lingering and relaxing during our holiday shopping. As many retailers continue to soup up their Web sites, others are seeking ways to cash in on the online market, while still driving traffic directly to their storefronts.

J.C. Penney recently launched "Know Before You Go" on JCP.com designed to do just that. The new program provides local store product availability, weekly sales promotions, enhanced search features and detailed product information. The purpose is to let customers do all their searching and research online so they can then march into a store and pick up exactly what they want. The new program is based on the company's recent research indicating that 80 percent of JCP online customers also visit stores. And 70 percent visiting the JCP site do so to view products, price comparison shop, discover sales and promotions, as well as pick up tips and ideas for fashion and home decorating. Know Before You Go was created to not only offer an easier shopping experience, but also to drive these folks straight into the stores, armed with more knowledge and know-how than before.

I decided to put the new program to the test to see just how helpful it truly is. The boyfriend definitely needs some new clothes for the holiday season, and fortunately, J.C. Penney has a pretty extensive men's line. I immediately got sidetracked by their "Shop Our Online Outlet" icon, which led me to an amazing amount of low priced items (we're talking $9.99 or less!) to be delivered right to my door. And yes, I shop sales for the holidays. I'm admittedly one of those people. Just don't tell the boyfriend. I found all sorts of fabulous deals, but none that met my gift-giving needs. Even though there were some great crew neck tee's for $4.99, I decided to keep on shopping.

When I came out of my outlet haze, I noticed that on the JCP home page right margin, there's a button featuring in-stock, in-store functionality. I clicked on that and was brought to more options, including a store locator where I was able to find the store closest to me, and was also given the option to choose a specific department I was interested in, such as "Big and Tall" or "Sephora." That took me to a listing of stores in my area, but that's it--from there I came to a dead end and had to page back to try again. When I clicked on "Shop with Options" I was brought to a page that had the Know Before You Go verbiage. It also included an option to have merchandise shipped directly to specific stores, along with the ability to return items via their in-store locations. But, unfortunately, none of these buttons were click-able.

Perhaps J.C. Penney hasn't fine tuned the Know Before You Go launch or the usability is very limited. I'm not sure. It's definitely not intuitive, but the capabilities seem to be in place, although a bit scattered. Despite my dead-ends, I did find a great holiday party dress--for myself, of course. Back to the holiday shopping drawing board...

So, the moral of the story is--I still prefer to online shop. Know Before You Go is a terrific concept, but wasn't user-friendly enough for me to really cash in on.

Have you done all of your research on the JCP.com site and then gone to the store to pick it up? Or do you have a JCP story to share? If so, please leave us a comment.

--Heather Strang

Serve Yourself This Holiday Season

Ahh...holiday shopping. A time we can all truly appreciate. A time, where despite our best intentions, we often become flustered, aggravated and downright cranky after spending hours in a department store or mall. According to a recent survey by Trenton, N.J.-based Opinion Research Corp. (OPR), a whopping 64 percent of U.S. consumers feel that holiday shopping would be less irritating if retail stores offered more self-service options. And 72 percent of young adults prefer self-service options for the holiday season.

The survey was performed in conjunction with Dayton, Ohio-based NCR Corp., which specializes in self-service retail technologies. So, for a moment, lets ignore the self-serving (no pun intended!) nature of this survey and instead explore how self-service options may make all of our lives easier, particularly during the holidays.

I don't know about you, but I LOVE the self-serve checkout at Fred Meyer's, QFC and other grocery retailers. With self-serve checkout, not only do I get through the line faster, but I feel uber empowered taking care of my grocery needs all by my grown-up self. Today, most grocery stores feature a plethora of gift card options, adding to the ease of holiday shopping. And that's probably why gift cards are becoming one of the best (and most wanted) gifts during the holidays. According to last year's survey by BIGresearch on behalf of the National Retail Federation, 2006 gift card purchases totaled more than $24 billion. Two-thirds of consumers will buy at least one gift card during the holiday's, with consumers, on average, purchasing more than seven cards per year.

The main reason consumers give gift cards is simple: they're pressed for time and don't know what else to purchase. The OPR survey reports that 71 percent just don't know what to buy friends and loved ones, 47 percent buy cards to alleviate return hassles, and another 45 percent love that gift cards take less time to purchase than traditional gifts.

Product locator kiosks are the most popular self-serve option, with self-service return running a close second, followed by gift card kiosks, Internet shopping and self-serve checkout. When it comes to shopping, we're truly an independent bunch.

This brings us to the after effects of holiday gift giving. While often fun, sometimes gifts don't hit the spot. Like that reindeer sweater your Aunt Edna got you for the second year in a row (you know, the one with the fuzzy red ball for a nose?). So, it's no surprise that gift returns are among the biggest concern for holiday shoppers. Add a self-serve gift return and you've just made a lot of your customers very happy.

In today's busy world and with the holidays sneaking up on us faster than ever, time is critical. The demand for self-serve kiosks and the popularity of gift cards only shows how pressed for time we all are.

So, do you have any holiday shopping tips or self-serve experiences you want to share? We'd love to hear from you!

In the meantime, I'll be out purchasing gift cards for everyone on my Xmas list...

--Heather Strang

Fashion Runway, Hold the Models

As if staging a vertical runway, dangling David Blaine from a crane over Times Square and buying out all of the ad pages in The New Yorker hadn't created enough buzz stunts for Target in the past few years, the cheap chic discounter has unveiled yet another publicity doozie. This week, Target showcased its fall and winter apparel lines in a one-of-a-kind fashion show--with no models, and no real apparel for that matter. The retailer partnered with Musion Systems Ltd. to create a hologram system that features two-dimensional moving images that give the illusion of having three dimensions. Rad. Projected in a section of New York's Grand Central Terminal Tuesday and Wednesday, "model-less" apparel garments strutted (floated?) down virtual runways, wowing oohing and ahhing would-be Target shoppers with grandiose technology. To widen the viewing beyond the more than one million expected passersby in Grand Central, Target will post a video of the show on YouTube, Facebook and Target.com.

Perhaps this is how the fashion industry bucks the trend of waify, 7-ft.-tall supermodels sporting clothing options for the "everyday shopper." Although I must admit, the whole idea seems a bit creepy, freaky, post-Halloween, ghost-like to me. Casper, is that you wearing the striped boxer shorts...or the hologram??

--Alison Embrey Medina

The Retail Version of Battles of the Sexes--College Style

Thanks to the Internet, we can stalk our target demographic. We can find out what they're looking at online, how long they're looking at it for, what they want to buy and who they want to date. All in all, helpful information, particularly for developing targeted marketing campaigns.

Anderson Analytics' third fall brand survey of college students, ages 18-24, uncovered everything we need to know about college students' likes and dislikes. So...get out your pen and paper, and start taking notes--this stuff is priceless.

Broadly speaking, college students are a rather small demo--only 18 million, compared to the 80 million baby boomers. But, they're very powerful consumers. They love shopping at Target, social networking and are crazy about everything Apple--particularly the iPhone. However, an interesting gender distinction arose in the social networking arena.

Facebook was ranked as the most used social networking site, but twice as many women used the site as men. MySpace was number two for women, but dropped out of the top five for men. Instead, young men are spending their online time on sites such as Digg and Engadget. What this info means for retailers using social networking sites in their marketing, is that their campaigns need to be female-targeted, because that's exactly who's there. So, if you have a MySpace or Facebook promotion currently running, be sure it's geared towards college females.

The number one brand for the college demographic was Apple; while they expressed a love/hate relationship with the Geico caveman commercials (who can blame them?!). But, they loved Axe Bodyspray, iPhone, Burger King and Apple commercials. Even with the tremendous popularity of YouTube, only 8 percent of college students upload videos on the site. Seventy-five percent surf social networking sites, while only 14 percent write their own blogs. This seems a little surprising. I just assumed that every college kid was uploading hundreds of YouTube videos a la Chris Crocker's Britney rant. Guess not...

The bottom line is--we know where the 18-24 demo is and now it's time to target them specifically. It's great to have hard data that shows where women are spending their time, as well as men. This type of insight will allow you to better hone in on the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

One final thought that I have to share from the survey--Tom Anderson with Anderson Analytics states that everyone in America wants to be younger, therefore we look to college students to see what they're doing and then, often copy them. Um, is this true? Because I'm pretty sure you couldn't pay me to go back and be 21 again.  But, hey, maybe that's just me. What do you think-- do you want to be younger?

In any event, young or old alike--retail marketing is undergoing a steady transformation with the advent of technology and social networking sites like Facebook. Know a retailer doing a great job targeting the college crowd? Fill us in!

--Heather Strang

Never Fear, Retail Hero is Here!

Zap! Ping! Zoinks! Evil beware! Arguable studies have come out touting the benefits of video game play and its ability to enhance hand-eye coordination, analytical thinking, etc. But never before has a game been created to help enhance the ability of building a retail business. And a superhero game at that! An interactive, online game by Retail Hero (a provider of POS and retail security systems), dubbed "Retail Champion," allows you to "play" the retail market, starting from running a small hot dog stand all the way up to a top-notch, high-end retail store. Through five training levels, cartoonish characters and animated graphics allow you to advance your skillset toward running the retail operation of your dreams. (It's no Madden, but it is a great time waste that's sorta-kinda-semi-work-related.)

The program promises to teach you various bar code scanning techniques and skills to catch high-ticket sales, use retail technology to lower shrinkage and increase revenues, learn to withstand a sudden tax audit, learn issues of human capital, experience the magic of POS and successfully exercise an exit strategy. In level one, our able-bodied Retail Hero must make a profit of $200 (i.e. by determining how much to borrow and catching falling Uber-Colas and hot dogs out of the air). However, when a big-bad, masked thief the likes of a skinny version of the Hamburgler comes to steal your loot, you are warned that security cameras might have been a wise investment (nice subtle plug, guys).

--Alison Embrey Medina

Mannequins Get Movin'

Do you sometimes wish that the 1987 movie Mannequin wasn't simply a silly fantasy? I know I do. Often, I lay awake at night wondering what the world would be like if mannequins actually moved and could become your friends. Well, I'm not the only one pondering this important topic. The folks at Gap decided that traditional mannequins were passé and in the spirit of 1987, brought some of theirs to life.

Welcome to the moving mannequin.

I mean, let's be honest here, it's tough to know how those khaki's are going to perform beyond merely standing in a store window. How will they look as you sprint across the street to save that puppy/elderly woman/handsome man? Will they wrinkle? Puff out in the wrong places? There's no end to the questions. So, I'm pretty grateful that Gap is taking this whole mannequin thing to the next level.

But, I sure hope they come out with a sitting or getting-out-of-the-car mannequin soon. That would have really helped me this weekend when I purchased a seemingly fantastic pair of jeans at Old Navy. You see, they looked fabulous when I was standing in that dressing room. Operative word here is standing. Side note: On top of that, they were on sale, which may have greatly influenced my enthusiasm for the purchase.

I realized something was terribly wrong when I went to sit down for dinner that very night. The jeans were actually stabbing me in the stomach. I could not sit comfortably, as the top button jammed itself into my lower abdomen. Damn the sale jeans! I realize now, that if I had seen a mannequin sitting in those jeans I would not have been in that horribly awkward (do I unbutton the top button? at dinner? in a fancy-schmancy restaurant?!) predicament. Or I could have sat in the jeans, while in the dressing room, but that would have been logical. Not my forte.

On to the point...and there is a point, moving mannequins are the next phase in mannequin design. Show me a mannequin walking, sprinting, getting up and sitting down from a dining room table--and I'll show you the potential for increased sales. That kind of mannequin would have completely saved me this weekend.

What do you think--would moving mannequins help you decide whether to make a particular purchase? Or do you also love the movie Mannequin? 
Do tell!

--Heather Strang

Money Talks

Would you like $400 billion? I know I would. In fact, I'm expecting the check any day now. Luckily, upscale retailers could get a piece of this big ole' pie if they successfully tap into the luxury market. Recent reports indicate that this uppity segment is growing by as much as 25 percent above regular, down-home retail, and some even estimate that it will surpass the $1 trillion point by 2010. Now, that's a lot of dollars.

But, guess where these savvy shoppers are doing their shopping? Oh, yeah, they're in the stores. They're perusing Saks and wandering around Neiman Marcus, and they're also spending more than 5 hours a week shopping online. Seems that the good life provides no end to the need for material fulfillment and the Internet has no other choice but to graciously accommodate. Welcome to a retailer's dream.

The challenge then becomes translating a store brand onto the Internet. Giving Web site visitors the same warm and fuzzy feeling online as they experience in your store is tough work. It also has to be so good that they're not only willing to spend hours gazing at your merchandise online, but they must be incited to amiably spill the contents of their wallet into your online store. That takes talent beyond pretty pictures and cool colors.

Retail Web sites for the affluent need to appeal to their demographic in a way that provides convenience, ease of use and the same fabulous, to-die-for merchandise that they'll see in any store. In addition to that, it has to look hot. Beyond Paris Hilton hot. Because, seriously, what else is a girl to do after her third plastic surgery but shop relentlessly online? C'mon, whether it's a starlet, heiress or one of the new rich (see 4-Hour Work Week for more on this), a retailer's site has got to rock.

Here are some of my favorite luxury retail sites. Take note, they get the job done and you'll feel decadent and rich just being on their sites. Now, that's genius.

-Gucci
-Rolex
-Burberry 
-Cartier
-Coach
-Barneys

Retailers, please note: the days of Web sites with tabs along the top and a static picture centered in the middle, are so OVER. Use Flash. Trust me, it's your friend.

And hey, don't get mad at me, if you want $400 billion, you're going to have to work for it.
Nominate your fave luxury retail Web sites in our comments section!

--Heather Strang

Target Is a List-Maker's Dream

I love a list. I make "to-do" lists, grocery lists, what-I-want-for-Christmas lists-- you name it, I list it. And now, with the advent of TargetLists, it looks as though I'll be spending a lot more time creating lists for plenty more random occasions. Only, now, I'll be having more fun. TargetLists allow users to create lists for events, celebrations or simply because they want extra gifts in their life. Sounds like a great idea to me! Target's intention in creating this new service is to make the list creating process, "fun and efficient with easy-to-use, in-store kiosks and online." You mean, I can have fun making a list? Ha! The red bulls-eye strikes again.

As a big Target fan (I swear it's impossible for me to leave that store for under $80), I understand the joys of spending my time and money there. I walk in for floss and walk out with a new outfit, a can opener, shampoo and People magazine. So, if Target can make regular ole' shopping fun, I'm sure they can class up list-making.

And here's something to be happy about--newlyweds no longer have all the scanner fun. Anyone can create a list on-site and go crazy with that scanner gun. Take that marrieds! Or if you wish to be more subtle, pick out your dream gifts online and then casually e-mail the list link to everyone in your address book. I love Target! Finally, I don't have to go through the drama of getting married to get exactly what I want (stainless steel cookware, new socks and an iPod, in case you were wondering).

However, the new system also allows shoppers and nutty list-makers to access Club Wedd and Target Baby registries, all via the TargetLists system. So, after I purchase yet another baby or "happy wedding" gift, I can reward myself by adding more cool items to my "I got a new cat!" party list. Could they make this any easier for us? I think not.

Sending your TargetLists to family, friends and perfect strangers isn't completely off the mark either. Target actually encourages shoppers to send their lists out to family and friends. Housewarming coming up? Set up your list and e-mail it out into cyberspace. Or, if you're passive-aggressive, like me, you can keep your list open to the public (opps!). Then, if anyone is "curious" about what you'd like for your bar mitzvah or divorce celebration, they can simply browse your TargetList. That way, everyone is happy. Including you.

So, race to your nearest Target and check it out. Report back with your comments on this list-maker's dream come true.

--Heather Strang

Subliminal Retailing?

Leave it to Switzerland to come up with a tech-savvy way to completely brainwash retail customers. Zurich-based Barix AG creates IP audio and recently developed a product specifically for New Balance retail stores called SneakerRadio--an in-store radio station featuring custom advertising. So, very soon, you'll walk into a New Balance retail store and have the privilege of listening to great music along with messaging that, according to SneakerRadio," has been proven to increase brand awareness and customer recall of important marketing messages and can help increase sales through the power of suggestion." This is subtlety known, of course, as brainwashing. Thanks so much Barix.

For retailers, Barix's form of in-store radio means less hassle, as everything is handled via the store's Internet connection. With a million and one things to do in retail anyway, this system is set-up to basically run itself, all while streaming in real time. Barix teamed up with StreamGuys to handle the content as the system's service provider. StreamGuys distributes the retailers' custom program over the Internet as Shoutcast streams, creating multiple streams from different servers. But, all retailers really need to know, is that this format makes the program extremely easy to use and implement.

One New Balance owner actually credits the messaging system with training employees and making the store seem more professional. Now, that really takes a lot off of a retailer's hands--the radio system can even carve the company branding right into the employees brains. Wow, that's incredibly wrong and frightening.

Honestly, the whole thing is creeping me out. Yes, good audio is critical. I can't tell you how many times I've walked out of a Ross or Albertsons with some god-awful Celine Dion song pounding through my head. I mean, no one needs to hear the Power of Love again. Ever. So, I'm with Barix on the Internet-connection real-time streaming radio thing. Less hassle for retailers is also important. It's the custom messaging that gets me. Aren't consumers already deluged with endless amounts of advertising? Isn't in-store advertising a little bit overplayed already? Fred Meyer tells me constantly what their specials are as I cart my way through the store. By the end of my shopping experience, I'm ready to beat that lady with the computer generated voice over the head with a stick. But maybe that's just me.

I'm curious to see what the future holds for SneakerRadio and others like it. From now on, though, I'll have to make sure I don't walk out of New Balance with 20 bags looking like a zombie...

Do you have Internet-streaming radio playing in your store? Or do you have an unbelievably horrible song stuck in your head from retail radio (i.e., anything by the Bee Gees or Michael Bolton)? Let us know!

--Heather Strang

A Parisian Drive-By

This month, the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris will be transformed into a sort of "drive-by" movie theater--no worries it's not that kind of "drive-by" silly. Gabriel Winer and Dana Karwas of New York-based WIKA have designed WA--a site-specific video installation created for Knoll International France as part of an event to promote a new line of Knoll furniture designed by Piero Lissoni and Mark Krusin.

The installation, made of large-scale architectural projections, turns the existing 17th-century façade into a drive-by cinema and pedestrian spectacle. Playing with a two-screen format, the movie re-imagines the story of the company’s founders (Hans Knoll and Florence Schust), how they discovered a minimalist approach to design and came together to create Knoll.

The two videos are synchronized to play with, and against, each other, or as a single vertical image--creating a dialogue between the on-screen characters, the architecture of the building, the street and the viewers. State-of-the-art projection material is used to implant the images onto the skin of the building and live editing software remixes certain scenes, creating a fresh version of the movie each time it plays. Cool! 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, WIKA's current work includes media installations, interactive spaces and events, as well as commercials, music videos and films. Previous works include a scandalous street projection for the Malin and Goetz flagship store, an installation that remixes Italian films for Bar Veloce, an interactive dance performance for the AIA Center for Architecture, a media mirror for Felissimo Townhouse, and a short film for Archi-Tectonics about a building from outer space.

--Jessie Bove

Getting Tough on Crime

Thanks to a new national initiative, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has teamed up with the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Retail Industry Leaders Association to create a national online database that will allow merchants to share information regarding organized retail theft.

Apparently, this type of crime (not including petty shoplifting) is costing the industry $30 billion annually. Currently, about 40 retailers are participating in the program and have a password-protected log in. However, while this "national platform" for sharing information on crime allows the participating retailer to remain anonymous. I thought the whole point was to have an open line of communication.

Another issue that is of concern is the format. Online databases can be infiltrated--just ask anyone who's been a victim of identity theft. And this brings to mind another point. Will the new system include reported crimes involving identity theft, where customer information has been lifted from retail transactions? It would make sense. While I'm playing devil's advocate here, I am in agreement with most that this is a step in the right direction.

--Rachel Brown

Not Lost In Translation

In an increasing global economy and ever-burgeoning U.S. population, there is a need for better communication--both written and verbal. While many English speakers experience the luxury of traveling abroad with the ability to communicate in their own language, other speakers of less popular languages experience quite the opposite.

To cut to the chase, U.S. retailers have an opportunity on different levels to effectively communicate with customers, whatever language they speak. While many retailers offer multilingual signage, this does not address a situation when a non-English speaking customer has a question. A company that recently saw a need to better reach out to its customers is Cincinnati-based Kroger. The supermarket retailer recently incorporated a new translation service in three of its locations in central Ohio for its pharmacy patrons. The provider of the service is Language Access Network, which has created a real-time digital interpretation service, known as Martti (My Accessible Real-Time Trusted Interpreter). The system, which includes video hardware, enables real-time, on-demand remote video interpretation from a team trained in medical vocabulary in more than 150 languages, including American Sign Language. Customers can then connect with an interpreter 24/7 to have any medical concern answered in their own language, which not only shows excellent customer service on Kroger's part, but also patches a crucial communication gap.

While Martti is not the right system for all retailers, it starts me thinking that there have to be better solutions that address language translation in retail. While there is a cost factor, perhaps there's an uptapped opportunity that may pay for itself. I guess there are arguments on both sides. But as long as our population continues to grow and become more diverse, maybe this is something we should all be thinking about.

--Rachel Brown
 

 

Cheers!

Go ahead and believe your eyes the next time you slam down a glass on the bar and start seeing colors. It's not your imagination, or too many gin-and-tonics either; it's iBar (i what?!). iBar is a system for the interactive design of any bar counter. Integrated video-projectors can project any content--from animation to real video to beams of light--on the milky bar surface and a tracking system detects all objects touching the surface. This input allows the projected content to interact dynamically with the movements on the counter. So, that means objects can be illuminated at their position or virtual objects can be "touched" with the fingers. Freaky!  You don't need any fancy ceiling installations or anything like that either because the iBar system can be installed into any kind of bar counter. Partly spaceship futuristic, kind of trippy, but mostly cool. So don't be worried if you start seeing things dancing across the bar top next time you're at a chic new lounge, it's just iBar. If the bar counter starts whispering your name, well then that's a whole other story.

--Jessie Bove

 

Tag: You're It

Airport retail is big business. At Pittsburgh International, retail sales average $12.27 per enplanement, which is no small feat. In the U.K.'s Manchester Airport, operators want to find out how to make their retail sales even bigger. The airport is going to test out tagging its airport passengers with RFID trackers to see how and where travelers are spending their time in the airport. Helping to maximize time spent in the retail area is the goal. Manchester, which has performed RFID testing in the past, said the new lower-cost UHF 13.56 MHz tags are allowing them to drive forward with the tests to learn more about passenger behavior in the airport. While enhancing the retail component is the driver, RFID promoters say the technology is also enabling advances in airport security, queue reduction and baggage tracking.

I just hope they don't track how many times I visit the Cinnabon stand while I'm on a layover.

--Alison Embrey Medina

Super-Secret Conference Readies Spy Tech?

Just as it seemed that RFID is as much yesterday's news as Mel Gibson, things have heated up a bit.  First, there's the world's largest continuous expanse of linoleum retailer getting all mushy about rolling out RFID, just a day after the gloomy report about the chips' progress in retail. 

Meanwhile, an RFID conference for apparel and shoe retailers is getting conspiracy theorists all hot and bothered.  Outside press is banned from the confab, which reportedly offers tantalizingly creepy ways to spy on innocent spenders at stores like American Eagle. AE says no way they're putting this program in place, but that hasn't stopped the Orwellianingly-paranoid anti-spy superheroes from getting all lathered up about it.  Thankfully, current POS offerings seem to be missing the camera needed for the 30-second facial-recognition thing. 

Oh, if you purvey footwear or apparel and tell us super-secret stuff from the conference, there's a Diva goodie-bag in it for you.

-- Doug Hope

Can You See Me Now?

Ever since cell phone providers offered GSM phones and the FCC forced cell phone providers allowed consumers to have portable phone numbers, it's a been lot easier for users to switch carriers, and buy whatever phones they like best (well, OK, so Verizon isn't GSM, and the old AT&T was tri-band and Cingular is quad-band...whatever).  Maybe the more open market is why Nokia is following Apple, Bose and Sony's lead and building stores (first one opens next month) for their brand (instead of those un-store, often single-item mall kiosks Nokia's scattered about).  Or, maybe Nokia, realizing they missed the boat on the whole clamshell vs. candy-bar form factor craze, decided to build stores to better listen to customers, like, um, Coach.

What's up with the brand storefront trend in the consumer electronics channel?  Best Buy and Circuit City probably won't like it (neither would Verizon, Sprint, Cingular or T-Mobile, for that matter) but will the other consumer electronics leaders decide to go direct, as so many fashion brands have?  So, we should expect storefronts from Samsung, LG, or even Microsoft next?  Hello, Moto?

--Doug Hope

Get Cooties at Sam Goody's?

Music retailing has a lot of enemies:  Bad music, Rootkits, Napster, iPods, the RIAA's changing mood about what rights consumers own when they buy music, to name a few.  No wonder so many music chains have had a rough go of it lately.  But the Diva knows the biggest (or smallest, as the case may be) predator in the music industry is cooties. Who wants to put on waxy, greasy, lice-infested headphones at a music store?  Ewwwwww.

Sam Goody seems to think they have an answer:  A new store-in-store concept called Graze that has a sound system with actual speakers, CD-Burning, a video wall, a scent generator, but, sadly, no ice cream parlor.

Seriously, in an age when grocery stores sanitize shopping carts, and everyone carries Purell around, who wants to wear yucky used headphones in a music store?  Can't we find another, cleaner, better way to hear in-store music samples? How about a standard mini-plug for your own iPod earphones (we promise not to jam our chewed Trident into the jack) or, even, say, directionally-focused Hypersonic Sound?

--Diva

With the Touch of a Finger

With the blink of an eye and touch of a finger, shoppers may soon be able to gather their shopping bags and head out of the supermarket. No more fumbling for the wallet for a credit/debit card, ID or checkbook--for those who still use this archaic form of payment. According to an article in FORTUNE last week, several retailers are considering implementing biometric technology--the scanning of fingerprints--into the checkout process.

The article lists several mass-market retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, Costco and Albertsons, are interested in testing its benefits. A report by Sanford Bernstein found that the technology might not only help prevent the ever-growing threat of identity theft, but could also improve the bottom line.

So what does this mean for the consumer? Kind of a scary scenario. Already, we can start our cars, authorize banking transactions, enter buildings--and soon shop--with the Midas touch, thanks to biometric technology.  As the Yellow Pages' slogan goes, "Let your fingers do the walking"... and paying and driving and banking.

--Rachel Brown

Minority RFID Report

Just 3 years ago, the largest contiguous expanse of linoleum retailer in the world decided to roll with RFID on potato chip bags and razor blade packs and fooled even some other big companies into thinking that by now, RFID would be a prerequisite to doing business at retail.  Oops. Not happening.

Two years ago, some retail experts predicted that in RFID would be a 'top priority' for retailers in 2005, or, at the latest, now. Curses.  Foiled again.

The Diva hasn't really heard too much about it, but there is something going on in store design and RFID.  Cough relief purveyor Walgreen's is  going wide with a new system to see how effective store displays are at selling Wal-Tussin and Chap Stick.  From a company named Goliath, no less.

Lots of experts have changed their predictions of RFID's future, and some other people are a little paranoid about the cute little chips. The Diva predicts that RFID on displays will give brands some valuable dope on display effectiveness, while not invading anyone's privacy and causing us to go all Tom Cruise next time we hook up with Advil.

--Doug Hope