Balancing the Tree Pose

By Min Choi

HE B2B Marketing Operations Manager, LG Electronics USA

 

What can you do when you can no longer recall the company email you just sent to your boss, with your son’s name signed instead of yours? And what can you do when you’ve totally lost track of time at work and forgot to take your daughter to the dance recital she has been looking forward to for a year? The answer is brutally but truly ‘nothing.’ At work when I’m swamped with emails and conference calls, I feel like I’m failing my cause of working hard to be a good father. On the weekend at 7am my mind tells me I should be happy when my kids are trying to help me wake up by scrubbing my face with Clorox wipes. But despite that pungent smell, my body cannot lift itself up.

Although it may sound extreme, this is the daily life of an average white-collar dad or mom trying to sustain a work-life balance. But throughout the years, I’ve started wondering, ‘what is work-life balance anyway?’ Let’s be real. You cannot be fully charged at work and then be fully charged at home all the time. Not even my amazing LG phone can stay fully charged all day long. Instead of living my life with constant guilt that I am no good for either work or home, I decided to reinvent my yoga tree pose.

Rather than trying to balance the leg that will no longer go up to my knee, I just embrace the beer-belly body the company has granted me and do the tree pose lying down. In other words, at work, make sure you keep telling your nearby coworkers a few months ahead of time that your daughter’s dance recital is coming up. Trust me. They’re much more reliable than your Google calendar that always gives you the notification when you have your phone in silent mode.

At home, I started a thing called ‘adult talk time’ with my kids. My girl Lois being 6 and my boy Daniel being 3 both love hearing about what stresses me at work. They think it’s hilarious! I tell them about how my conference call went. How the person on the other end would not stop talking to the point where I had time to run to the bathroom and come back without them even noticing. I tell them about how there is a data I need to finish creating by this week but how I don’t like crunching numbers so much. Lois will sometimes give me very important recommendations such as ‘practice makes perfect, dad. Keep on it.’ She is totally right.

As our well-acclaimed British friends say, ‘keep calm and carry on.’ That is what I consider to be a work-life balance. Don’t feel guilty because you’re not perfect at work and you’ve delayed responding to an email an extra 14 hours. Even if it weren’t your kids, something else would have distracted you anyway. Don’t be guilty because you’ve missed some of your kid’s sports games. I am blessed to have a wife who thinks our 3-year-old’s soccer game is worth seeing over a final Cubs game. I love my family and my job as they’ve allowed me to find my own way to happiness.

Life’s Good.

It was a grand slam for LG at the Nationals Park Roadshow

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May 16 was a beautiful day at the ballpark for our first Commercial Display Roadshow of the season. With perfect weather, we treated hundreds of guests to a major-league experience at Nationals Park in Washington DC with exciting new LG products, breakout sessions, VIP ballpark activities and great giveaways. Plus an enlightening and informative keynote presentation.

We took over the stadium’s Norfolk Southern Club on the 3rd Base Side with an exhibit of LG commercial display innovations. Guests got hands-on with the game-changing new LG OLED Wallpaper and LG OLED Wallpaper In-Glass, new Transparent LED, new 88-inch Ultra Stretch Display with Touch Overlay, razor-thin LG OLED Hospitality TVs and much, much more.

Our certified technology partners conducted breakout sessions, discussing their numerous digital signage solutions and benefits. A big shout-out to Omnivex, BrightSign, CHIEF, Allure, Peerless-AV, Ping HD and TSI Touch for helping us knock this event out of the park. Have a look at their websites today and see all they can offer your business.

Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe Publications and one of the most prominent personalities in the A/V industry, delivered an outstanding keynote presentation titled 4K IS LITERALLY 2020: The Perfect Storm of Resolution and Colorimetry. Garry detailed how to get maximum benefits from a 4K system, and for the attendees his keynote was approved for 1.5 InfoComm CTS RU credits (CTS Domain A).

Small-group VIP tours of Nationals Park were happening, and attendees were given the opportunity of a lifetime—professional batting cage practice. What’s more, every hour we gave away signed baseballs and game tickets. And since no trip to the ballpark is complete without ballpark food, we provided a tasty lunch of fan favorites.

The LG Commercial Display Roadshow in Nationals Park was a day to remember, and lots of photos were being shared across social media. Everyone had a blast.

So, was it the awe of LG OLED or the thrill of swinging for the fences that prompted one attendee to say that we made him feel like a kid again? We’d say it was both. Funny how that works.

Our next Roadshow will be in Seattle on July 19. If you’re anywhere nearby, please save the date. We promise it will be amazing.

In the meantime, have a look at our #LGOnTheRoad Twitter feed from the show #LGOnTheRoad Twitter feed.

‘Digital everything’ and its impact on the transportation experience

Garry-

 

Garry Wicka

Head of Marketing, Commercial Division, LG Electronics USA, Inc

 

 

 

You have likely heard a lot about transportation in the news recently, specifically within the airline industry: United’s forceful removal of a passenger, a scorpion stinging a passenger (again United) and a stroller-related incident on American Airlines. With all of these issues hitting both traditional and social media faster than a speeding bullet one has to wonder…what are the main drivers? Is it an issue of reduced customer service (staffing/training) at airlines? Is it smaller seats on every plane? Is it the lack of consideration for others when traveling? My guess is that it’s likely a combination of all the above.

The one common thread within all of these instances – they were captured digitally, with personal cell phones.

Digital engagements have become ubiquitous when traveling. Everyone has a digital device with them and digital advertisements are all around us. Digital wayfinding is growing in popularity, digital menu boards are part of the landscape at transportation hub food courts, and even some bathrooms are starting to get their own digital signage telling you if they are open or closed for cleaning. Just this week, the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it will integrate informational digital signage on its On-the-Go interactive kiosks in the NYC subway, and JFK airport just unveiled a 30×10-foot LED video board to show flight arrival times, advertising and other information.

One of the key ingredients for many of these digital experiences is the actual display – from the small 3-inch displays on your phone to the enormous video walls you can find in all of the transportation hubs around the country.

The importance of the display was highlighted in a 2015 whitepaper titled Improving the Customer Experience where it said, “Information for customers who are underway is most useful when it is in real time. Ways to deliver this information include mobile devices (cellphones or smartphones), public display signs and audio messages.”* And Dziekan and Kottenhof have noted that there are seven main effects of real-time information displays: reduced wait time, positive psychological factors (including reduced uncertainty, increased ease-of-use and a greater feeling of security), increased willingness-to-pay, adjusted travel behavior such as better use of wait time or more efficient traveling, effects on mode choice, increased customer satisfaction and, finally, a better image of transit service.**

As the transportation industry continues to recognize the importance and benefits of digital displays, so do the manufacturers of these displays. The needs of the transportation sector are often unique and manufacturers who are responsive to these needs will be able to offer the best customer experiences. Some of these needs include: high brightness options for both indoor and outdoor usage, new display formats such as ultra-stretch models that can fit into unique areas, better protection for displays to allow longevity, and innovative display designs that can become iconic fixtures in a transportation hub. Absolutely mesmerizing examples of the latter can be seen in the Incheon International Airport in South Korea with the LG OLED hanging arch experience, and what you are seeing in the Orlando Airport with one of the longest video wall experiences being deployed in the check-in area.

Clearly, digital is everywhere and ties into all aspects of the transportation sector. Hopefully, the success of digital displays will take a little pain out of the process of traveling.

*White Paper: Improving the Customer Experience

**Dziekan K, Kottenhof K (2007) “Dynamic at-stop real-time information displays for public transport: effects on customers” Transportation Research Part A 41 (6) 489-501

Digital Displays Give Omni-Channel Wings

Garry-

 

Garry Wicka

Head of Marketing, Commercial Division, LG Electronics USA, Inc

 

 

 

Wings give lift, enable new views, and allow soaring with seemingly no effort. Retailers and brands have long depended on the Three Ps of product, price, and promotion to be their wings, but the highly competitive landscape of multichannel and the empowered consumer are now defining the need for a new set of Three Ps, the productivity of places, processes, and people. Each of these offers tangible measures of enterprise performance that can be applied to quantifying the customer experience. The latter are fundamental to success in omni-channel retail.

Omni-channel is the label given to a retail ecosystem that allows the enterprise to embrace and leverage online and mobile commerce while integrating these with their operating asset base of physical stores. The objective is to serve the consumer’s journey of discovery and fulfill their needs and wants through approaches that meet their ever-growing expectations. Continuously improving the productivity of places, processes, and people will also focus on increasing traffic and conversion as the imperatives of retail success, regardless of the channel.

Physical retail stores and customer service locations offer the most engaging and immersive experience with customers for brands. The physical store, as a high-value element of the omni-channel strategy, warrants approaches and investment that contribute to the achievement of overarching brand goals, as well as specific outcomes.

In a twist on omni-channel that offers more physical browse/buy options, rather than just widening existing customer paths to purchase, TJX Companies announced plans to launch a new off-price chain of home goods stores. This recognizes the importance of the shopping experience as an outing, with browsing and discovery.

Physical retail matters to major brands. For example, Ernie Herrman, CEO of TJX, told Wall Street and retail analysts on a February 22, 2017,1 earnings call that TJX would introduce a new store concept that will not compete directly with HomeGoods, adding “Our approach will be to differentiate these two U.S. home concepts to encourage customers to shop both stores, which has been key to our successful growth at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the U.S. and Winners and Marshalls in Canada.”

Digital customer experience can be described as a culture of business development and of change management to exploit the enabling effect of technology elements for ever-increasing benefit to all stakeholders. Visual communications and media presentation bring the in-store experience to life and help to drive engagement in other omni-channel elements.

According to the Forrester Research Inc., Global Business Technographics Priorities and Journey Survey 2016, 73 percent of retail businesses identify that improving the customer experience is a priority. This is second only to increasing revenue. The same survey report reflected that 68 percent of retailers have made personalization and experience a priority, but 53 percent lack the right technology to personalize.

The opportunity cost of poor customer experience is high. The TimeTrade State of Retail 2017 report declared that customer experience could boost a retailer’s revenue by 5 percent. This reflects that retailers missed out on a $150 billion payback during 2016. The TimeTrade Survey showed that millennials, in particular, would pay up to 20 percent more for a better retail experience, indicating that not only revenue, but also margins and loyalty can be dramatically impacted by customer experience. Visual communications and media presentation can bring the in-store experience to life for shoppers, while driving engagement with other omni-channel elements.

Digital is the trim tab of the customer experience rudder. A trim tab is a small wing on the tip of a larger wing or a rudder that uses little energy to help move the larger wing or rudder that turns the vessel to its new course. Digital display images and messaging readily enable new approaches to improve customer engagement and experiences. The concept of the “endless aisle,” in which all inventory is visible to customers, is an example of integrating inventory visibility with online-enabled and in-store purchases. The display and interactive technologies to accomplish this are readily available and all interests are well served.

Image presentation of High Dynamic Range (HDR) quality that can optimally present products in these and other categories enables a level of product promotion, merchandising, and representation quality that is essential to generating increased traffic and conversion, as well as premium pricing and margins.

As noted in The Media Monthly report from Peter J. Solomon Investment Banking in March 2017, summarizing media sector activity, “One of the most pivotal developments in digital signage has been the integration of proximity-based communications. Signal transmitters called beacons detect the presence of a mobile device and trigger a customized response that can appear as anything from a message delivered through the retailer’s mobile application to a greeting displayed on a nearby digital sign. Proximity-based communications send personalized deals allowing store staff to deliver better service or provide product recommendations based on shopping history.”

The report reflects that “beacon-integrated digital signage provides highly customized, highly scalable customer engagement opportunities at the point of sale. As evidence of its effectiveness grows, retailers are taking notice. For example, Levi’s has incorporated beacons into its digital billboards, prompting a passersby with discounts and directing them to nearby stores. Whole Foods Market is using beacons in conjunction with its Powershelf technology, which dynamically displays pricing in some stores.”

The report adds, “the value-add of beacons goes far beyond these applications. By enabling digital signage to recognize individual customers and react accordingly, beacons enable each customer to experience each digital sign differently, adding new opportunities for retailers to generate sales and learn about their customers. Beacons, augmented reality, RFID, and other interactive digital-signage solutions can be combined to deliver holistic experiences to the consumer. A customer shopping for apparel may walk past a beacon-enabled digital sign that analyzes his purchase history and infers what products he will most likely buy. The sign displays a personalized discount for those items and provides directions to the nearest store. When he arrives, a digital display greets him by name. The display tracks what he browses and shows information on each product, offering recommendations and building the shopper an outfit in the process. He then tries on all his selections simultaneously as several versions of the shopper wearing different items appear in the AR mirrors. The customer taps the items he wishes to purchase and pays for them using a touch interface. From outreach to sale, interactive digital signage transforms the consumer experience into a seamless, personalized process.”

The Internet of Things (IoT) now provides a myriad of image-triggering mechanisms such as proximity and demographic detection, or “lift and learn,” in which product handling for examination enables product features and benefits to be communicated to encourage conversion, upsell, and cross-selling.

Other types of flat panels for media and information presentation bring unique experiences to customers visiting the physical store. Transparent displays that present animated and video messages on a display area that is also see-through are well suited to retail windows, cabinets, coolers, and as fixture and architectural features.

A digital mirror can overlay the customers’ body outline with product images. This reduces time and effort in the fitting room on the part of the customer as alternate products are more easily assessed and accessorized.

Interactive display using touch or gestural navigation immerses the consumer and others of the shopping party in the discovery and selection of products. Gamification for entertainment and edutainment is well suited to interactive display.

For some retailers, dynamic signage is a coping mechanism to bring vitality to tired-looking physical stores and a way of deferring investment in locations or departments that may be badly in need of upgrades. This “quick fix” of dynamic media can also buy time during which more thorough analysis and planning can be conducted .

In all cases, dynamic signage and place-based media presentation deliver the simultaneous benefits of branding and merchandising along with improved ambiance and vitality. Robust media can attract shoppers to increase store traffic and deepen the shopper loop.

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Some approaches that can maximize the value provided by dynamic signage include using the digital display medium to:

1) Drive traffic based on moments that influence purchase by engaging consumers according to what they want to know, do, learn, try, and buy.

2) Create better same store performance by digitizing approaches and automating them for greater efficiencies, economies, and productivity of places, processes, and people.

3) Provide moments of engagement and experience that are memorable.

4) Add a virtual aisle to bridge the in-store and online experience. This will include inventory visibility, cross selling, upselling, easy ordering, ship to a preferred location, and e-commerce.

5) Move customers to service approaches that best serve their shopping and buying approaches.

6) Promote using dynamic displays and personal engagement based on analytics. Analytics in retail is the science of integrating a customer’s needs, history, habits, likes, and wants. All these are in the head of the consumer and increasingly in the cloud, so retail success through analytics is moving information from the cloud to the eyes and hands of customers.

The overwhelming force of value is the new inertia resulting in the assessment and the implementation of visual media. As in all retail improvements, change management is the critical success factor.

Within omni-channel, the physical store must continue to serve brand interests and consumer needs for improved customer engagement. Dynamic signage gives omni-channel wings by improving the in-store experience and driving customers to online and mobile brand and product engagement. Digital displays give omni-channel wings.

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1. As reported in the February 23, 2017, article at RetailWire.com titled “Will a new TJX concept put more hurt on department stores?”