Interactive Displays are Better.

Groupon did a survey of 2,000 UK consumers and found customers are increasingly interested in new technologies like hologram projections of products, augmented reality and touch screens in stores. 31 percent of the surveyed say technology would improve their shopping experience. There’s proof in the numbers that shoppers want to be more interactive when shopping.

An example of how iPads are used in stores.

Marketing Week reports Richard Jones, VP of national accounts at Groupon UK and Ireland, saying, “Despite the rise in online shopping and self-service technology, it seems that the back to basics approach of having physical stores and specialist staff on hand is critical, as consumers want to emotionally connect with the brand, talk to experts and physically see and touch products.”
So how can you keep shoppers engaged with interactive displays and how can the displays encourage a purchase?

I was completely engaged watching the video of One Source Industries’s Display Array, but I wonder if it would have the same effect on me while I’m shopping.  Joe Baksha, President and CEO of OSI, did say customers’ intentions to buy increase 64% with their technology, but there are other options that are even more interactive.

I talked with Jared Schiffman of  PERCH in October to learn about their successful displays that incorporate some of the newest technologies and strategies for digital signage. Schiffman is the CEO and Co-Founder of PERCH and Potion where they offer table displays that interact with shoppers when the pick up the product. Why not use an interactive screen to find more information about the product? Because their technology gets the shopper to touch the product and then is rewarded with information.
PERCH’s displays are prime examples of the findings from the 2009 Journal of Consumer Research. The findings says consumers who touch products in the aisles will pay more money for them than those who don’t touch them. Take a look at some of PERCH’s displays.







Shoppers have a chance of seeing themselves with the product. They see others wearing it. the information on how much it costs, and other bits of information. And then they buy it. We all know that shoppers want the most information about a product before they make a purchase, so let’s give it to them.
I’m hoping that we’ll see more displays like OSI and PERCH’s in retail stores. These displays are a great way to have shoppers interact more with products and buy more.