It’s becoming harder and harder to capture the attention of shoppers, especially in brick and mortar stores. Since a lot of people have switched to online shopping, they are used to purchasing faster and more conveniently. However, shoppers still want to benefit from the whole shopping experience which can only be found in grocery stores and other brick and mortar shops.
How can brands and retailers increase customer engagement in-store? That’s exactly what we want to talk about in this article. One of the best strategies to attract the attention of shoppers is brand activation. However, it can be difficult to implement an impactful brand activation in-store without the right tools and solutions. In this article, we are going to focus on showing you 5 types of technologies that you need to test out for your next brand activations.
The power of a brand activation
Most FMCG brands rely on in-store activations to attract the attention of shoppers and increase sales. Without a creative idea and the right tools, brand activations can be dull, like most in-store promotions.
However, when a creative idea meets the right implementation technology, customers are surprised and sales are lifted. A brand activation that is implemented successfully can increase brand awareness, customer loyalty, and sales. Brands are fighting for the attention of shoppers on a daily basis and that’s why shopper activations need to be impactful.
Even if you have an out-of-the-box approach, you still need the tools to implement the campaign. Here’s where we step in to help you find the best brand activation technology.
Top 5 brand activation technologies
Retail tech has a major impact on the industry. From taking on repetitive tasks to helping brands better understand their customers, retail technology is extremely important. The plethora of brand activation technologies is always updating and you need to keep up with the latest trends.
Let’s see what are the best brand activation technologies to try out in your next campaigns.
A. VR tech
Virtual reality is one of the best technologies to use if you want to immerse your shoppers into a phygital experience. VR tech transports people into a different world and it can have many applications in retail.
One great example of brand activation powered by VR tech was Mountain Dew’s 360 Snow experience. Customers put on VR glasses and were able to snowboard along some of the most well-known sports legends.
B. Augmented reality
Another great brand activation technology is augmented reality. The distant cousin of VR, augmented reality uses real-life settings and turns them into something magical. The virtual world blends with the real world and shoppers get to interact with virtual content in the real world.
Augmented reality has great sharing potential. People love to share amazing experiences with their friends and family and AR is definitely a great contestant for word-of-mouth marketing.
One of the most appreciated brand activations that were implemented with the help of AR was the one from ASOS. The Virtual Catwalk allowed users to see how different looks would fit them.
C. Robotic POP display
Cardboard POP displays are no longer engaging enough. However, robotic POP displays like Tokinomo can help brands create amazing experiences for their customers. Tokinomo can make products promote themselves by talking, dancing, moving, or singing.
For example, in a unique and creative brand activation in-store, Maggi surprised its customers with a singing soup pot that lifted its lid on the rhythm of the music. It all started as a simple creative idea. However, with the help of the right technology, a robotic POP display, Maggi gained brand awareness both in-store and online.
D. iBeacons
A great retail tech that is already used in multiple stores is the iBeacon. Smart beacons are basically GPS for indoors. With the help of iBeacons, brands can send personalized promotions for shoppers when they are already in the store.
Nordstrom has been using iBeacons to improve the shopping experience. If a customer has placed products in the cart online without making a purchase, they will receive updates and will get notified when they pass a Nordstrom store that has the products they selected.
E. Gesture Recognition/Leap Motion
Last, but not least, gesture recognition is another brand activation tech that can help brands increase customer engagement at the point of purchase. Gesture recognition uses a mathematical algorithm to interpret human gestures.
Douwe Egberts found a great way to use gesture recognition technology in their activation. At an airport, the brand placed a coffee vending machine that dispensed coffee when it detected the customer yawning.
All of these technologies can help you implement a successful brand activation in-store or in other places. Discover which one of these retail technologies better suits your needs and come up with a campaign that will amaze your customers.
