Posts tagged retailers
Can’t afford a TAG Heuer watch? Try it on online in real time.
Mar 17th
Got a spare grand in the bank? Thought not. But you still fancy some stylish wrist action? TAG Heuer is providing the answer by jumping on the augmented reality bandwagon.
A new pioneering app on its website, live “from the end of the month” will allow poverty-stricken consumers to try on a selection of virtual watches in full 3D in real-time.
Consumers will be able to access the tool from their own computers or laptops but a number of store consoles are also being rolled out to enhance the in-store virtual experience.
Consumers visiting the TAG Heuer website will be able to download software, print out a Tag Heuer wrist-band and experience, through a web-cam, a selection of this seasons watches in full 3D as if they were actually wearing them in front of their computer.
The benefits to retailers? Well, the technology platform offers significant additional business benefits by enabling brands to support test marketing, just-in-time capacity, present extended ranges and build a virtual sales assistant to expand staff availability, in addition to supporting displays at exhibitions and in store.
Developed by Holition, the programme allows users to change products, colours and styles at the touch of a button. Augmented Reality 3D viewing is possible when the user wears a symbol and stands in front of a web cam.
On screen the technology merges the 3D object into real-time video of the person so that the product can be viewed from all angles as the user moves their body.
Intrigued? Well we have a sneak preview video showing the tool in action.
“As part of TAG Heuer’s avant-garde heritage, we always strive to be the brand leader in design, precision and cutting edge technology,” said Antoine Pin, CEO LVMH Watch & Jewellery UK. “We are very proud to be pioneers in this new field.”
With luxury brands becoming more savvy as they attempt to claw their way out of the recession it’s an innovative step forward.
It’s one very assured step on from those luxury retailers such as Prada and Louis Vuitton who have just realised that you can actually sell goods online rather than people having to stumble into your Bond Street or Sloane Street stores. Amazing.
But with luxury brands having the financial clout to embrace AG, its perhaps interesting to see them following rather than leading in some ways.
So, for example, on UTalkMarketing recently we talked about an independent clothing company for children championing the tech, on the back of a collaboration with ad agency Brothers and Sisters.
But without question the tech is there for all to harness. All that’s required now is a little imagination.
Head of digital strategy at marketing communications agency, KLP, Stephen Beasley, provides some inspiration on how brands can move beyond the Augmented Reality hype and turn it into practice.
iPhone apps boost mCommerce shopping experience
Dec 4th
Big things are predicted for mCommerce. eBay’s recent ‘Deals’ app was launched on the back of predictions that by the end of this year it expects more than $500 million in merchandise to be purchased via eBay mobile.
Launched just a year ago, the eBay iPhone app has been downloaded more than five million times – making it one of the most popular iPhone apps.
The company also claims a purchase is made every two seconds via eBay mobile and that users from over 165 countries visit the eBay mobile website and use the iPhone application.
For mCommerce to be a success it’s all down to apps being easy for consumers to use and them then working cleverly to make lives easier.
Which is why a new one has caught our eye that uses high tech to make the most of an old tech device – the barcode.
‘StripeyLines’ allows shoppers to swipe the barcode on goods they are considering for a price comparison and then saves these goods and profiles as a wish list on the StripeyLines website for later research and evaluation.
It’s already got the backing of Iceland and Tesco through its TJAM initiative., with more retailers set to jump on board.
So in the run-up to Christmas or during sale events it could be used to allow visitors to affiliated retail stores to touch and feel products while on the shop floor then use their iPhone to scan the barcode of their desired products and collect them later at a “customer collection point”, or scan them and add them to online wish lists.
Alternatively, in-store, or later over a coffee, shoppers can review what they’ve scanned to make an informed decision and perform further research before purchasing the items from their iPhone or desktop PC.
Scanned barcodes can be used to gain access to generic images and details via either the retailer’s adapted version of their catalogue or through look-up search engines such as Amazon, eBay, iTunes and Google.
Shoppers can choose to carry out a number of different actions on a scanned item including the ability to search for the item on Tesco.com and then add it to their online Tesco’s Grocery account shopping basket.
It opens up a world of additional possibilities. What if having scanned a product the user plans to eat or drink, the application could update how much the nutritional value of that product contributes to their daily allowance and calculates the number of calories they have remaining? Such a development is already in planning.
Retailer specific barcodes (the shorter 8 digit barcodes found on own brands) are being added to the StripeyLines search as retailers make them available. The first retailer to provide this data is Iceland Foods with data also being made available from Tesco.
The flip side are the advantages for retailers who don’t want to developing their own iPhone application.
The StripeyLines app enables them to develop simple plug-ins that are beamed to shoppers’ iPhones and highlight certain lines and promotions when related items are scanned.
It allows them to integrate their stores with a product show room on an iPhone where shoppers can ‘touch and feel’ items and use capture/scan technology to deliver enhanced product data, access the website, create wish lists, receive recommendations, and cross sell suggestions – limited only by the retailer’s vision.
Following the launch in July 2007, sales of the iPhone and iPod Touch had reached 43 million units globally in 81 countries by April 2009, with over 35,000 applications hosted in the Apple store. Recently 30,000 iPhones were sold in the UK on the Orange network on the first day of sale, according to the operator.
“iPhone users are early adopters, technology savvy and are eager to embrace new lifestyle options and services,” explained Paul Tough, CTO of Portaltech, the company which has developed StripeyLines.
If it takes off, the StripeyLines iPhone app has the potential to change the face of shopping for consumers, making it possible for retailers to deliver enhanced mobile shopping services in store to implement a true multichannel strategy with minimal development and investment.
“As it’s a plug-in extension to their existing web technology, retailers don’t have to learn about a new technology and they can update and disseminate information in a true multi-channel environment, enabling them to merge the online and in-store experience so it is seamless and convenient, added Tough.
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