What’s your Von Bismark Tech Age?

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

At Von Bismark we are obsessed with connecting the worlds of offline and online through installations that really engage people. We recently teamed up with AIB in the launch of the new “AIB Lab” in Dundrum Town Centre. The Lab is the first of its kind in Ireland and is dedicated to helping customers get to grips with the bank’s current and future digital services. They are doing this is a physical space to allow for real one-on-one interaction with staff and training in the latest technology. The link between the banking giant and Von Bismark came from creative agency Rothco Social who are the driving force behind the launch campaign.

The AIB Tech Lab, Dundrum Town Centre

Warby Parker: Taking the lead in Online to Offline

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

Things are looking great for fashion and tech forward startup Warby Parker as they open a new flagship store in SoHo. The store is a design and customer experience masterpiece. From it’s  old-world libraries, to it’s 1950s furniture and vintage looking equipment, they have planned out and splashed out, on every detail.

 

Wardrobe 2.0 is here!

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

Von Bismark, one of only a handful of companies globally to have attained Microsoft Kinect Partnership status have just released their full Wardrobe 2.0solution.

After a year of incredible innovation and advancement, garnering nearly 150,000 users, Von Bismark and their partners at Box Technologies are back at the RBTE in London to launch the latest version of their augmented reality software for Retail. Last year the Dublin-based start-up launched their first solution in Beta at the RBTE, where they won the Innovation Showcase prize. Since then, Von Bismark has run installations in Liffey Valley Shopping centre, Hugo Boss, Louis Copeland and Funky Christmas Jumpers.

Carbury’s Joyville Campaign!

Store Design and Customer Experience

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

So throughout this series on improving customer experience, we’ve discussed how online shopping, new technology, and social media can affect the way your customers feel about you. Well today, in part 4, we’re going to delve in the world of physical store design and layout. How these factors can make a drastic impact on consumer behaviour. It’s at a higher level and it can be as expensive or as basic as you need it to be. Every change towards positive design will help.

An award winning design – Porsche store in Hong Kong

Social Media Improves Customer Experience

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

So what is it about social media that can make an impact on your sales figures? You hear the term, you know people use it, a lot, but what about its use in your industry? In your store? Well, for starters, the growth in social media usage has a lot to do with the rapid and extreme growth in the use of smart mobile technology over the past 3 years. The stats on mobile are undeniable. In 2011, there were 835 million smartphone users and 5.6 billion feature phone users, by 2015 there will be 7.4 billion smart devices in the market. And Mobile technology means that people are always available, always connected. 

 

Improving Customer Experience with Technology

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

In our last post on Customer Experience, we touched on the differences between online and offline experiences and what consumers really thought when asked. We mentioned how online often beats offline for price and convenience in certain areas, but also how offline is still on top for returns, recoup-time and relationships with the retailer, not to mention the social aspects of the experience. We also discussed how important choosing the right tech for stores is vital if retailers want to get a good ROI. Let’s face it tech over-halls aren’t so cheap! In other words, not just choosing the next big thing but making sure it fits in with your business, your products and your customer base. So what is the right technology for a retailer? And how will it both improve customer experience and also help retailers get the data they need to help them market to the right people at the right time?

Digital Hangers – Shoppers at the Vanquish Ikebukuro PARCO store in Tokyo

The BMW iWindow Installation

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

BMW did something really cool recently so just in case you missed it, we’ve got the video right here. At the end of 2012, they came up with the idea of the “BMW iWindow” which uses motion detection technology and digital projection to show the passers by what the future of driving could look like in New York.The iWindow transforms passing cars into the all-electric BMW i3 and plug-in hybrid BMW i8 Concept vehicles — and showcases our vision for the future of mobility.

Online Christmas spends – A worry for the High-Street?

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

The figures for online sales this Christmas were unprecedentedly high globally. Retailers saw a huge increase in purchases from their ecommerce sites over last month. Close to home, UK Internet users made 84 million visits to retail websites on Christmas Eve, and 107 million visits on Christmas Day – up 86% and 71% respectively compared to the same days in December 2011. Pretty impressive! Amazon also announced recently that 2012 was its biggest holiday ever with over 26.5 million items ordered worldwide on its peak day. So clearly 2012 saw a turning point in people’s attitude to online shopping. It is now for the masses. People have been well and truly converted.

Can Cyber Stores Save the High Street?

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

In July of this year Audi launched their first Cyber Store. The difference between this and a regular showroom? Well, the lack of any cars.  Audi City is a “digital dealership”, where virtual cars are displayed on screens on the walls. Consumers then simply walk in and browse the models using interactive panels controlled by touchless gestures or footsteps. One-on-one touchscreens then allow users to add, remove and change their selected model’s specifications and essentially build their own dream car in front of their eyes.

Audi City

High Street Stores Work Towards a Digital Future

by Kate Enright

www.vonbismark.com

2012 was truly the year in which the fashion industry began to look to technology as a means of securing a place in the digital future. We saw brick-and-mortar brands particularly strive to claw back some of the revenue that online-only stores have been dominating of late through the use of some innovative ideas. It seems the idea of multi-channel retail and the viral popularity of tech trends actually got through to those at the top, and the creative juices began to flow!

Fashion week saw several innovative projects launched by labels and retailers alike in order to target the tech savvy younger generation and give their brands some leverage in the marketplace. Topshop did so using live streaming (the latest craze to swiftly dominate the world of online marketing). The brand decided to merge the physical with the digital by streaming their fashion show live on their site. The interactive purchase window updated in real time allowing users to click on looks they liked, browse all of the colour options and add it to their cart, all without pausing the livestream. This was a really innovative and clever idea which used the serendipity (ecommerce buzzword of the year) factor to influence consumers. What they did here was make it easier for viewers to purchase at the exact moment of longing – no taking time to think it over, no sleeping on it, no forgetting about it, just Like – Click – Buy. And this is marketing genius.

Topshop Runway to Website