immersive experiences - retailing in the fifth dimension
TRANSCRIPT
July | 2015
White Paper
Immersive Experiences Retailing in the 5th DimensionCreating immersive experiences and redefining how customers interact with brands
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introduction
Think Blink
At Shikatani Lacroix, we design compelling at-purchase
moments that connect in the blink of an eye.
Our philosophy and strategic design approach,
Think Blink, is driven by a consumer’s motivation to make
a purchase decision. Everything we do is geared to owning
the “at-purchase” moment. Our firm has a well-earned
reputation for designing integrated brand experiences that
effectively connect brands with consumers to drive
measurable results for clients.
About the author Jean-Pierre Lacroix, R.G.D., President and
Founder of Shikatani Lacroix
Jean-Pierre (JP) Lacroix provides leadership and direction to
his firm, which was founded in 1990. He has spent the last 30
years helping organizations better connect their brands with
consumers in ways that impact the overall performance of their
business. In 1990, Mr. Lacroix was the first to coin and
trademark the statement “The Blink Factor”, which today is a
cornerstone principle for how brands succeed in the
marketplace. JP has authored several papers, has been quoted
in numerous branding and design articles, and in 2001 he co-
authored the book “The Business of Graphic Design” which has
sold over 10,000 copies. JP can be reached at
[email protected] and you can follow his thought leadership
webinars at: www.sldesignlounge.com.
Copyright @ 2015 by Jean-Pierre Lacroix. All rights reserved. ThinkBlink, Blink Factor and Trust Ladder are registered trademarks of Shikatani Lacroix Design Inc.
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introduction
Many retail trends are making headlines and creating significant
boardroom chatter: omni-channel, big data, digital marketing,
mobile commerce … all shaping how we define retail today, but
these opportunities have one goal in common — creating
immersive experiences, experiences that redefine how
customers interact with brands. The Immersive experiences are
gaining attention and interest of the marketers and designers,
and this discussion defines what immersive experiences are,
and why this engagement category is gaining such attention.
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part one
Retailing in the 5th Dimension
Like all trends, there is a pivotal moment when trends
stop being referred to as “game changers” and become
common practice, moving from the most talked about,
landscape shaping factors and becoming the everyday
fabric of the industry.
As a designer, I am on the constant lookout for “the
next thing” that will have a significant impact on how
retailers provide deeper and more meaningful
engagement within the physical retail environments. As
I scan the retail landscape, I believe there is one trend
that stands out above the rest, and which has the
momentum of a tsunami and the capacity to shape the
future of how we shop, buy and interact with the built
retail environments. This new trend is best described as
“immersion”—a retail state where the barriers between
the physical and virtual worlds disappear and become
one. And the new technology and channel proliferation
offer retailers the opportunity to move beyond brand
engagement toward full immersion in a brand story.
However, an immersive brand experience is more than
what we define as brand engagement today. Brand
engagement takes place when an experience provokes
shoppers to act, to create a social media post, initiate a
face-to-face conversation or make a purchase. Mobile
and multi-touch interactive technologies have elevated
this level of engagement to new heights. Immersion
takes place when consumers forget they are shopping
in a store and when they become an active participant
in a story they control.
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You know you are immersed in an experience when the
experience blurs the lines between the physical and the
virtual, storyteller and consumer, technology and the
physical space. Immersive design harnesses the
powerful, ever-evolving technologies in order to create
these immersive experiences in which the consumer
whole-heartedly participates as the brands leverage
new insights founded on shopper behavioural science.
The result not only converts a shopper to a customer,
but also builds tremendous bond between the
customer and the brand, between the audience and the
story.
Today, gaming and HD movies represent main
immersion experiences. They allow for the development
of rich stories, and we all have experienced these
immersive moments that, like in a dream, we need to
remind ourselves that what we are experiencing is not
real. The IMAX experience, the use of virtual goggles,
and the interactive dressing room mirrors are just the
precursor of how this technology will impact the role
and design of retail stores, and with the continuous
technology development – higher quality projection
systems, faster computing capabilities, micro
technologies and gesture-enabled interfaces – we are
witnessing the constant evolution of immersive retail
experiences.
“You know you are immersed in an experience when the experience blurs the lines between the physical and the virtual”
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part two
Spotting the Five Types of Immersive Experiences Immersive experiences are gaining attention and interest of the marketers and designers.
Since immersive experiences are founded on storytelling and deliver in a way that allows the
viewer to participate and control some of the outcome, I have identified five types of
experiences ranging from the conventional to the futuristic. These include:
• Product Placement,
• Pop-Up Engagement,
• Gamemersion,
• Immersive Interactive
• Virtual Visualization
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Product Placement What better way of telling your brand story if not within
a movie that has a relevant and complimentary
storyline? This practice has emerged recently as a
powerful tool to drive greater awareness and visibility
for brands trying to cut through the clutter and own a
60 second slot of attention in consumer’s mind. The
process has evolved greatly to include sponsorship of
major events such as PepsiCo’s Super Bowl halftime
entertainment show. Brands are realizing that reach and
frequency are only relevant when your message is
remembered. Product placement and event
sponsorship allow brands to tell an immersive story that
appeals to customers while their attention also receives
a branded message as part of the experience.
Future: Look for immersive 3D movies that are funded
and developed by large package goods marketers to
both, showcase their brands and, more importantly,
develop the ability to take storytelling to the next level.
“Look for immersive 3D movies that are funded and developed by large package goods marketers”
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Pop-Up Engagement The control over power and visibility continues to rage
between retailers and package goods manufacturers.
The ability to control immersive experiences in retail
stores has been traditionally relegated to tasting
booths, one way digital signing and conventional POP.
Vacant, a firm who invited pop-up retailing, was the
first company to develop the concept in 1999 as a way
for smaller companies and non-traditional brands to
have a retail presence. This need to build stronger and
more immersive relationships with customers has
driven many package goods marketers to consider
pop-up retail stores that allow brands to communicate
richer, more meaningful stories. PepsiCo Canada’s 2013
launch of a pop-up space featuring indie bands invites
passersby to stop in and take the challenge, as well as
kick back and relax with friends while listening to music.
Future: Look for smart supermarket operators to realize
the gap in creating immersive experience for brands
and developing boutiques in their stores, allowing them
to move from purveyors of products to the distribution
of immersive experiences.
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Gamemersion The word I have coined captures the blurring of the lines between what is a game and what
is real. The gaming industry has figured the whole immersive experience with top selling
titles outperforming the best movie releases. The games allow for rich HD content that can
be driven by a conventional controller or gesture-enabled technology. With the advent of
3D glass monitors such as Oculus, this immersive experience will bring the ability of gamers
to participate in a near real game to new heights. Using of gaming behaviours as part of
software and web platforms helps increase customer engagement and creates a platform
for an immersive experience. The ability of allowing viewers to compete for points or levels
is another approach to delivering unique stories in compelling ways.
Future: Look to see more interactive touchscreen platforms available at retail such as
endless aisle kiosk to include gamification as a platform to increase usage.
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Immersive Interactive The ability for digital technologies to allow viewers to
control the story and engage with brands has been
around since the first touchscreens and gesture
enabled software (over two decades ago). Today’s
games, televisions and computers all offer a higher level
of interactivity and control, from motion sensors to
voice enabled avatars. The cost of this technology has
seen a dramatic reduction while the size of projection
and LCD’s have gone in the opposite direction, and
large screens are the norm. The next wave is the
development of sensory multi-touchscreens for large
LCD panels, computers, tablets and smartphones that
give users the sensory experience of 3D touch on a two
dimensional surface allowing a richer and more
immersive experiences. This coupled with high
definition screens and multi-touch surfaces will allow
numerous customers to experience and control virtual
stories.
Future: Companies are testing LCD-enabled paints that
can transform any room to theatre style experience.
Researchers are working on new types of polymers that
feature novel chemical building blocks and inorganic
elements that allow it to act as an LCD screen.
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Virtual Visualization What started as virtual training for aviation pilots 20
years ago has spilled to the retail and package goods
industry applications. This reminisces the scene in Iron
Man where Tony Stark creates his futuristic suit using
3D holographic imaging tools, allowing him to see and
test products in a virtual setting. Although the movie
pushes the current boundaries, retailers such as Lowe’s
and IKEA are already allowing customers use their
smartphones and tablets to visualize home
improvement implications. In 2014, Lowe’s Canada
unveiled the first installations of the Lowe’s Holoroom
(http://www.lowesinnovationlabs.com/innovation-
holoroom/ ), a home improvement simulator that
applies 3D and augmented reality technologies to
provide homeowners an intuitive, immersive experience.
IKEA’s approach leverages augmented reality by
allowing customers to view furniture from the retailer’s
catalogue in the actual customer’s home setting. Only
now, package goods companies are starting to explore
augmented reality applications for smartphones that
links their packaging to deeper brand stories and
experiences. It’s not surprising that Dussault (http://
www.dassault-aviation.com/en/ ), the leader in
augmented reality technology is also one of the world’s
largest military aircraft manufacturers.
Future: Look to science and the military for the next
instalment of immersive experiences.
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part three
Know the Six Signs That You Are in a 5D Experience 5D design, better known as immersive experience, is growing as a marketing and branding
practice. With all of this growth, have you ever wondered if you have participated in a 5D
experience or, more importantly, can you spot one when it’s happening? Here are the six
signs that you have participated in what is becoming the next level of brand engagement.
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1) It’s a Sensory Experience The senses impact our view of the world,
our emotions and our behaviour. A 5D
experience capitalizes on all five senses,
stunning realistic visuals, the tactile
feeling as one navigates the
environment, the sound emanating from
the experience, smell, virtual taste and
image association (taste the lushness
found in a photograph of an orange). The
ideal 5D experience needs to appeal to
all of our senses, and also cater to our
sense of balance and discovery.
2) It Allows Participants to be Lost in Time We are talking about a 5D experience
when the participants loose the sense of
time. Gaming is a great example of an
immersive experience often resulting in
players loosing track of time. Immersive
experiences draw viewers in by creating
an environment where time has no value
or influence. For brand marketers, this is
truly an ideal factor where the target
group is so involved in the experience,
that the notion of stopping seems
foreign.
3) Provides a High Level of Storytelling 5D experience is the virtual manifestation
of a well-written story that is visually
delivered while allowing the participant
full control. For an immersive experience
to be relevant, it needs to be anchored in
a story and all of its aspects from the
scene and players to the required
behaviour and rituals.
4) The Experience is Stunningly Real Stunning and realistic visuals are the
common denominator of 5D experiences.
The harder our brain needs to work at
discerning the information, the more
taxing the chore becomes, and the
harder it is for a participant to remove
the boundaries between digital
experience and the reality. The closer to
reality, the more immersive the
experience becomes. The brain no longer
needs to differentiate between the virtual
and the reality. Without the boundary,
the brain’s processing power is now
relegated directly to the reptilian brain,
the brain ruled by reflex and impulse,
deepening the reality of the 5D
experience.
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5) Allows for Multiple Participants Humans are social creatures and the
closer the 5D experience reflects our
social needs, the closer the experience
comes to reality. One of the key
dimensions of immersion is the ability of
being surprised, challenged and engaged
with other participants. The ability to
contribute and help narrate the story
makes the 5D experience that much
more realistic and it deepens the
experience.
6) Intuitive and Instinctive To the best of my knowledge, the top
games do not come with extensive
instruction booklets. The games are
designed to reflect how humans interact
with their environments and as such,
immersive experiences are intuitive.
Intuitive thinking is not a conscious
process and relies on the senses, sixth
sense and instincts versus rational
thinking. Similar to being stunningly real,
5D experiences rely heavily on the
participants’ intuition and instincts to
navigate the experience.
“The ability to contribute and help narrate the story makes the 5D experience that much more realistic and it deepens the experience.”p
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As I have noted, immersive experiences have been around for quite some time, and brands
are now looking at how they can repurpose existing and emerging technologies in ways that
will allow for their brands to tell richer and more engaging stories in innovative ways. The
true definition of an immersive experience will constantly evolve to a place where the lines
between reality and virtual will blur and become one. With retailers having the ability to
include all five senses, they are well positioned to create immersive experiences that other
channels cannot, and bring the sci-fi scenes from Total Recall a new reality.
5D experiences exist in many forms and anyone who has viewed an IMAX movie, played one
of the leading video games, or visited an interactive display in a museum or art gallery has
participated knowingly or unknowingly in an immersive experience. As the use of this
approach continues to gain momentum, it will become harder to determine what is
immersive and what is real, what is virtual and what is reality.
conclusion