Commercial Integrator February 2022 - 34

MARKETS: RETAIL
Retail Environments Go 'Phygital'
Integrators can utilize innovative display technology to impact customer experiences.
By Alyssa Borelli
AS RETAILERS STRUGGLE to get customers
back into their stores, they're starting to innovate
and invest in digital displays. There's
also growing demand among consumers
for more personalized in-store shopping
experiences - ones that fuse the physical
shopping experience with the digital. This
combination is known as " phygital. "
Research analysts say retailers that emphasize
customer-centric technology are
the ones that are best positioned to make
a faster comeback and succeed in today's
new retail landscape. For example, a retailer
contracting with an integrator to implement
digital display technologies can
bring immense value to retail businesses.
" You can't create a customer experience
on a website, " Bruce Wyrwitzke, director of
sales, PPDS, says. " At least, not the immersive
customer experience you can create in
a retail environment. And digital is the way
to do it - posters don't cut it. " However,
Ben Phelps, retail industry director, Absen,
adds, " The term 'digital signage' isn't
so applicable anymore in retail, as it's so
much more than [just] replacing traditional
signage with screens. "
Many retailers are now using large LED
screens as part of the in-store experience,
Phelps says, citing the much-ballyhooed
" wow factor " that drives people into a
store. " This could be with large window
displays that grab our attention and that
Retailers are increasingly marshaling the power of large displays within their store
environments. Such displays can be used to create an ambience, to advertise, to
call attention to a specific area or even create a " portal " to other stores.
even interact with the customer, " he says.
" Others use large displays within the store
to create an ambience, to advertise, to
call attention to a specific area, or even as
a portal to other stores around the world
or to livestreamed events. " Summing
things up, Phelps states, " Really, the possibilities
are endless. "
Interactive displays offer personalization
for each customer and advanced
data collection for business owners.
34
Growing Comfortable with LED
One thing that Phelps has noticed over the
last few years is that more integrators are
comfortable with LED technology. " That
means that, when architects, designers
and other creative influencers include
large displays in their design concept,
they now know that these ideas can easily
become reality and be well implemented, "
he says. Integrators have come to realize
that LED technology can achieve what the
creator is looking to achieve - something,
Phelps acknowledges, " that, years ago,
was much more of a challenge. " He adds,
" Of course, the technology has helped,
too, as LED has become simpler to install
and use, simpler to understand and much
more affordable. "
The integrator should work with the
retail client to identify every customer
touchpoint - from the store enCommercial
Integrator FEBRUARY 2022
trance to the checkout area - and review
what changes can be made. Then, the
integrator should help identify the best
tools available.
Chris Mertens, vice president of US
sales, B2B displays, Samsung, says,
" Customers have embraced a new reality,
and as they return to brick-and-mortar
retail shopping, businesses are making
innovative changes to provide the best
in-store experiences. " He believes that
interactive displays are the future of
retail. Such displays, he says, are appealing
because they offer " personalization
for each customer upon arrival into the
store and advanced data collection for
business owners. "
Mertens continues, " The integration of
displays provides customers with tailored,
best-in-class services, while allowing
employees to trend data to drive additional
services and product sales. "
Absen's Phelps says that the most
important thing is to have a clear idea
of what the retailer is looking to achieve
with the screen. " This sounds obvious, "
he concedes, " but, actually, it's the key
to a successful installation, and [it] isn't as
simple as it might sound. "
Phelps explains, " Often, retailers feel obcommercialintegrator.com
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Commercial Integrator February 2022

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