Pilot test: RFID-driven sales promotion
Nikkei RFID technology recently reported on a couple of RFID pilot tests that were led by the government. The pilot tests were conducted in the context of METI's so-called Japanese Future Store Project. A unique experiment was done by retailer Marui and apparel company Flandre. The two companies RFID-tagged individual men's and women's clothes and then installed a smart-shelf driven sales promotion system -- when a sales item is picked by a customer, the system visually explains why the item is special, recommends matching clothes, etc. The pilot test was done at Marui City Shinjuku around the end of last year.
They've made some nice video clips featuring models -- they spent most of the money for the pilot test for this part: making good video contents that are triggered by RFID. They aimed at providing unique "surprising" experiences to consumers, which conventional customer service couldn't provide, and assess the effects of such sales promotion.
Marui's spokesperson says that the sales probably increased by 10-20%, compared to stores without RFID.
They also thought about installing RFID-triggered ads in fitting rooms, however, their final decision was to install them at the storefront where customers are still just beginning to be interested in a sales item.
Posted by konomi at June 19, 2006 05:56 AM | TrackBack