Real Digital Media [1], Sarasota, Florida-based provider of the enterprise class NEOCAST digital signage platform, and Anthony [2], a Dover [3]-owned company based in Sylmar, California, that provides millions of glass freezer doors world-wide, are now formally introducing the iDOOR [4], a merchandising solution which incorporates a media player and transparent LCD embedded within cooler or freezer doors to play full-motion video at the point of purchase.
[5]
Designed for grocery and convenience stores, the iDOOR shows digital offerings on cooler and freezer door lineups, connecting the shopper, message and product at the point of purchase. Powered by NEOCAST, the iDoor successfully combines digital technology and in-store merchandising strategies to deliver contextually relevant messaging for improved shopper engagement and conversion. This patented technology provides opportunities for increased shopper engagement by placing actionable messages in the line of sight of shoppers, along their path to purchase and ultimately at their point of decision.
While Anthony had been considering something like this door for several years, investing a lot of time and effort, it was after Carré Bistline, Anthony’s director, business development, digital signage solutions joined the company and then brought in Ken Goldberg, Real Digital Media CEO, to work on the project that iDoor was finally developed.
“RDM developed it on the Android platform for a total software, player and content management solution,” says Goldberg. “It took about six months. The digital system works with the LED lighting, wiring and shelving, and the whole system can be installed for the retailer in 35 minutes per door.“
“We can foresee a store putting an iDOOR in each section: beverages, dairy, gluten-free, frozen treats, frozen meals, and so forth,” says Bistline. “We are selling the system as a managed solution with content management by RDM and Anthony.”
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The iDoor has been thoroughly tested to easily withstand being opened and closed at least 500,000 times. Digital messages on the doors run in five-to-seven- second increments (with specifically no fade-to-black) and are meant to be disruptive to the customer’s shopping path.
An unidentified national convenience store chain recently put the Anthony iDOOR in one of its stores in Florida on a three-month pilot program to test its effectiveness on shopper behavior. Throughout the test period, the patented iDOOR displayed various targeted messages including Limited Time Offers and cross-promotions of categories.
The test revealed that products merchandised in close proximity of the door showed an increase in purchase incidence by shopper, including the carbonated beverage category. It also found that the iDOOR successfully strengthened other product categories through selective promotions and LTOs featured on the iDOOR.
Results from the program were spectacular, showing that the iDoor:
- increased cooler door traffic by 13%;
- increased the number of cooler door purchases by 7%.
Specifically:
- promoted fountain drink purchases rose by 19%
- carbonated soda cooler traffic rose 13.4%
- the number of shoppers who ultimately made a purchase from the door rose 7%
- the iDOOR cooler door basket size rose by 4%
- total storewide spend went up 3%
- because salty snacks were located near the iDOOR, purchases increased by 2%
VideoMining [7], a third-party video analytics firm from state College, Pennsylvania, conducted the test and verified the results of the study.
“We showed the iDOOR at the recent NACS Show [8] and convenience store operators were already lining up as customers,” says Bistline. “They were asking how they could do cross-promotions and all sorts of questions. One stepped up and wrote a cheque immediately.” (The iDoor, new or retrofitted, costs USD $5,250.)
“We know that, on any day, 60% of people don’t know what to have for dinner,” she says. “They want quick ideas and the iDoor can help them make up their mind. It doesn’t necessarily have to be based on price.”
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The iDoor ihas now been installed in 10 different major retail stores and Anthony and RDM are expecting that, beyond grocery and convenience stores, liquor stores and discount stores are also likely customers.
“The iDOOR solution leverages the strengths of Anthony and Real Digital Media,considerable engineering insights, patented IP and deep market knowledge. The result is a high value application of digital signage that appeals to retailers and their vendor partners, as well as the consumer,” says Goldberg.
Bistline says, “The solution artfully pairs digital signage with how shoppers navigate through a store and optimizes messaging along the path to purchase. We think the iDOOR is the best solution for reaching the shopper at the point of decision with relevant messages, and will positively impact in-store conversions.”