RFID Matters

Last week saw the unveiling of a concept called, “Social Retailing™â€ in the Store of the Future at the National Retail Federation trade show. Social Retailing is a new type of in-store experience that combines social networking and social shopping allowing shoppers to connect to their online community of friends to get advice. This is achieved by extending the internet seamlessly into the physical space connecting the online and offline experience.
The X07 store demonstration is just an example of how Social Retailing can be realized. Its purpose was to provide retailers with a vision for how they can tap in to the popularity of online communities, bring online features to the offline world, and to anticipate the implications of allowing consumers to mess with their brand. The mirror is designed to be simple to use and engage even the non-technically savvy shopper.

SELECT PRESS:

TV: CNBC – Segment on “Closing Bell”
TV: NY1
Site: CNN Money: The web, camera and texting in fitting room
Site: CNet News: Where MySpace meets the mall
Site: USA Today: Fitting Rooms go high tech

HOW IT WORKS:

The magic mirror

It’s simple to use. Try on an outfit in the dressing room (tagged with RFID), step out and stand in front of a three-way mirror. Product information and related items are automatically displayed along with runway footage, making of the garment, or scenes of occasions where the outfit can be worn.
If the shopper wants an opinion on how they look, just touch the mirror to ask the world what they think (or enable an alert to a particular list of contacts). Live streaming video of the shopper trying on the outfit is made available live online. The shopper can get ratings, text messages, and suggestions from their peers or friends.
Touch the image of a suggested item to display the image in actual size on the center panel and “try it on” without leaving the mirror. Detailed item information is displayed on a side panel telling the shopper where to find the item in the store and the sizes in stock.

The mirror website

The website on which your list of invited friends can see you enables a community of users (from a nearby town or other country) the ability to login and give the shopper advice in real-time. Features include the ability to submit a “hot or not” vote, select garments from the online catalog, and send a short message — all of which are displayed on the mirror.
In addition to giving advice the online participant can also shop. The RFID-tagged items being worn or shown by the in-store shopper are displayed on the site so they can be easily added to a shopping cart.

Digital marketing

Content is available in locations other than the mirror. Shoppers can also access information while they are browsing the clothing racks. RFID-tagged items placed on a “hotspot” allow for smart displays that enable targeted cross-selling and promotions. Consumer generated content can also be created from the suggestions from the mirror website including the identification of items often matched as outfits or the highlighting of popular items.

The development process

This concept evolved out of my exploration of how Nanette Lepore could attract the youth consumer. The process started with research about tech-savvy young adults (18-24). Youth are spur-of-the-moment shoppers, buying what catches their eye. But what is most unique about this group is that they like to get advice from their peers, often shopping together or calling each other while shopping. They are at the center of the social computing craze communicating through text messages and IM and sites like MySpace and Facebook. I developed a persona (an artifact that contains a narrative of the user experience) for how a young adult might shop. This was a useful tool in enabling the channeling of their mindset and behaviors in order to better understand their needs and to engage them. These scenarios provided the foundation for the solution.
I wanted the solution to be relevant, capitalizing on some of the principles of Web 2.0. — the idea of the web as a platform where users can participate, control and create data. That interaction is enabled beyond just one device supporting a multi-channel experience during one shopping trip. It can also extend or link to items in the real world with enabling technologies like radio frequency identification and near-field communication.
There are also changes happening around shopping that cannot be ignored. The Web is increasing consumers’ expectations of the in-store shopping experience as well as the use and perceived value of in-store technology. As customers get more comfortable with online shopping they are by extension better prepared to utilize in-store technology. With the depth of information about products online to support their purchases customers are placing new demands for more information in the store. Additionally, customers want control over their shopping experience, choosing fulfillment options, completing self-checkouts, customizing products, and opting-out of promotions.
Finally, an investigation of Nanette Lepore’s boutique revealed an elegant space with lots of large mirrors which seemed like a perfect interface on which to display content. Using Seura’s treated mirror glass the displays were invisible and the pictures came through as if it is magically displaying on the mirror.