Great Technology Enables Great Ideas

By Cris Derr

Technology is cool sometimes even jaw dropping like the transparent LCD display presented by Planar at CETW this past week in New York.  While people crowded around our transparent display in awe, it was the buzz around the solutions that could be built with such technology that was really inspiring. Great technology enables great ideas.   At Planar another technology that enables great ideas is ERO™ for our Clarity™ Matrix LCD Video Wall. ERO does much more than deliver amazing display quality by improving image contrast; it also enables interactive touch solutions on a grand scale.  ERO does this in two ways: first it protects the LCD screen allowing for touch input without damaging the LCD, and second it enables a large planar surface that is needed to implement touch solutions across a video wall.  The results are amazing creations of interactive touch signage that are larger than life.   With Planar’s ERO technology, video wall signage can be created that impacts and engages the viewer in a way traditional signage can’t match.   Examples of such cool creations include the Interactive Tiger Wall at the University of Missouri and the new Nike Town Bowerman Wall in Portland Oregon.

With over 25 years of experience building state of the art displays, Planar continues to innovate and introduce touch technology that creates real value for our customers.   If you would like to know more about Planar’s touch displays drop me a line, and feel free to join me on LinkedIn.  Cris

Don't Forget Your Employees

By Cris Derr of Planar Systems

Here’s my Deliver WOW! moment of the day from IQmetrix Wireless Summit in Miami: Knowledgeable, motivated employees are as important to increasing sales as engaged customers. OK, you’re probably thinking “The Miami heat has finally gotten to Cris’ Pacific Northwest brain.” Possibly. But it’s easy to focus on the customer-centric benefits of interactive retail experiences created by iQmetrix XQ software and Planar System stylish touch displays.

What has become far clearer to me during my time here at the summit is the importance of employee training as you build more engaging retail spaces. CEOs and other retail leaders at the summit have shared stories about how the iQmetrix/Planar solution can be used to dramatically improve training of new and existing employees. After exploring the very intuitive touch interface, it became obvious to them that:

• Employees become smarter about the features and benefits of the product they are selling.
• Since the tool is integral to the selling process, employees are also learning about the selling process itself.

What a homerun: a solution that delivers WOW!, increases sales and productivity and trains employees. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the importance of using technology like the iQmetrix/Planar solution to train and engage employees in the products that are selling.

Also, please drop me a line if you have any questions about how to use Planar monitors to create great touch solutions such as the one with iQmetrix – or simply visit us at Planartouch.com.

Join me on linkedin.

Say Goodbye to No-Touch Retail Displays

You gotta love the way reporter Dan Yates of the Canadian newspaper Leader-Post recently described the new, interactive digital displays that my company, Planar Systems, and iQmetrix are collaboratively developing: "Think of it like a brochure come to life."

The digital signage solution that we are creating with the new iQmetrix platform, XQ Interactive Retail, really is the ultimate brochure for a retail environment. Customers can thumb through page after virtual page of product pictures, descriptions and other information. They can even register their preferences or complete an order—all before a customer service person has even greeted them.

But these digital signs are more than virtual brochures. They are customer magnets in almost any type of retail environment. Every time my family walks into a store with interactive displays, my young daughter starts running for them. It doesn't matter what the store sells – clothes, auto parts, electronics. She's interested. It's not because she instantly cares about auto parts, but because she's in control of her experience. These digital signs provide an experience anyone familiar with a touch-screen handheld device can immediately master and manipulate.

When a customer walks into a store and is confronted by a long line at the service counter, interactive signage provides a reason not to turn around and walk out. They have an alternative way to get the information they need or, at the very least, a diversion while they are waiting.

Unlike mannequins and other displays designed not to be touched, Planar digital signage includes a damage-resistant glass front that screams "Bring it on!" Customers can touch the screen simultaneously with two fingers to control the experience, whether it's a virtual tutorial for a product or a build-your-own-device activity.

The digital signage partnership we recently announced with iQmetrix is designed for mobile device retailers, but almost any retailer today could benefit from the interactive customer service, education and other experiences that these displays deliver. I'd love to hear about ways you'd like to see digital signage used in your retail store or places where you shop. Best Regards, Cris.