Kollins Communications recently partnered with digital signage media player company BrightSign and Visual Communications to create an in-store digital customer experience at Sam’s Club stores throughout the United States. The fully digital project, which was commissioned by AT&T Services, encompassed a comprehensive digital retail kiosk to merchandise AT&T wireless, TV and broadband services without conventional printed signage or price tags.
Digital Point-of-Sale Experience
AT&T Services tasked Kollins Communications with creating a compelling kiosk display to give customers a fresh point-of-sale experience in this high-traffic, big box retail setting. It was important to present a consistent image to reinforce AT&T’s brand exclusivity and identity in every store, and to encourage an intimate environment for customers to shop and discover new products.
The all-digital POS solution allows AT&T Services to instantly update its product offerings and pricing, solving the paper price-tag, graphics and poster updating lag on nationwide deployments. Transitioning to a digital platform also made it possible to explain details about the various phones and other devices on display, using digital price tag video screens in lieu of traditional printed placards.
Functionally, AT&T Services wanted to be able to remotely monitor the kiosks for operability and functionality, and needed the kiosks to be easily serviceable in the field with plug-and-play components. Naturally, reliability was key. AT&T Services expected a high level of kiosk uptime and 24/7 support to resolve any issues as they occurred.
The Kiosks
AT&T’s digital kiosks offer customers an in-depth look at its 5G wireless, TV and broadband offerings. Rich, informative content is distributed to multiple digital screens by BrightSign’s media players. An attract loop playing on a pair of 50-inch monitors prompts visitors to view current exclusive AT&T/Sam’s Club offers, while three 4x38-inch LCD digital price tag screens display animated pricing, manufacturers’ features and benefits, terms and conditions, and promotions.
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Apple and Samsung devices are available for customer evaluation, secured on MTI product stands with charging cables centralized out of sight. The placement of devices varies by Sam’s Club location, and the digital displays are easily adjusted to reflect orientation variations via a seamless CMS interface.
Special care was taken to ensure the kiosks were durable enough to perform flawlessly in this high-traffic, heavy-use retail setting. Using network commands through BrightSign players, the kiosks go into a sleep mode approximately 30 minutes before and after store hours to conserve power and extend digital screen life. The Samsung commercial displays also receive a repeating reset command throughout the day to ensure they are using the correct settings, and to minimize the effects of display tampering. Lastly, every kiosk features its own “toolbox” with necessary tools, spare parts and cleaning supplies to keep the kiosk functional and looking like new.
National Deployment
Kollins Communications turned to BrightSign for this large-scale deployment . Between January and April 2021, a total of 569 kiosks were installed in Sam’s Club stores in every U.S. state, with the exception of Alaska. Kiosks arrived at each location pre-assembled, with each having been tested while in an 85 percent assembled state, allowing for installations including electrical, data, and assembly to be completed on site in less than four hours. Between one and 16 kiosks were installed every night, all of which were fully operational by the following morning.
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The project achieved the intended objectives of featuring AT&T’s recently launched exclusive marketing arrangement at Sam’s Club, offering a brand-specific digital experience. Even with recent pandemic-related restrictions on store traffic, reports on customer interaction along with dramatically increased sales transactions lend credibility to the investment in the kiosk and accompanying ongoing support.
Kiosk Technology and Installations
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