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NEC Display Solutions Client Installation Retail

IKEA

Innovative retail experiences

By investing in its digital capabilities, IKEA is seeking an ever closer relationship with its customers. By connecting with their customers IKEA is realising its vision “to create a better everyday life for many people.” IKEA has been working with Beaver Group since 2015 to introduce a huge range of diverse digital solutions across its 25 stores in the UK and Ireland. Everything in IKEA’s huge digital estate is connected and managed centrally via the signage.ninja software platform from Beaver Group, improving the way IKEA delivers its in-store messaging and enhances its customer engagement. The latest innovative offering is in the rug and textiles department at IKEA’s Milton Keynes store.

The Challenge

IKEA understands that some customers might struggle to visualise the correct rug size that they need, this is because the rugs in store are suspended upright on display or rolled up ready to load onto trollies for purchase. The measurements are readily available but unlike other products in store, customers can’t easily see if it ‘looks right’.

 

Laser projectionThe NEC Solution

In order to assist shoppers, Beaver Group developed an intuitive and interactive concept which drives an NEC PX803UL laser projector to project the life-sized rug dimensions onto the showroom floor. This is controlled via a user interface screen running a custom developed HTML app, linked to the signage ninja platform. The customer can either select a rug size manually or search via product code. They can also choose to overlay different furniture layouts onto the rug outline to assist in properly gauging the optimum size. The NEC laser projector is suspended from a ceiling mount - with 360 degree installation flexibility floor projection offers an exciting new dimension to retail signage. With first grade high-end blue laser diode light source, combined with a unique quality Phosphor wheel technology and no filter replacement required, the PX803UL provides maintenance-free, reliable operation for up to 20,000 hours. Delivering floor projected images at 8,000 ANSI lumen brightness the rug dimensions are clearly visible even in the brightly lit showroom.

Working with IKEA, Beaver Group has also successfully implemented a number of other projects in partnership with NEC: In IKEA’s Norwich store, six NEC 55” displays featuring advanced ShadowSense™ touch technology and protective glass enable customers to create mood boards through an easy-to-use interactive experience. Configured in a 3 x 2 video wall, the huge 10-point touch display intelligently ignores accidental touches yet provides accurate and reliable touch performance even in high ambient light. The intuitive and user-friendly touch behaviour is crucial to allow shoppers to easily browse products and room layouts without frustration.

Projector

Elsewhere, NEC’s P502HL-2 laser projectors are used to create background themes to enhance customers’ visualisation of room sets as they journey through the showroom. Playback of video content helps them to understand how to customise their living spaces. “NEC has a great range of high-quality and super-reliable products especially suited to the environments and applications that our clients need. In particular, NEC’s range of laser products have ensured that the solutions we have installed are extremely well received and our clients and their customers can enjoy fantastic benefits from using them,” says Peter Critchley, Director at Beaver Group.

ProjectorThe Results

The IKEA model demonstrates how a forward-thinking and engaged retail business can use and benefit from digital systems throughout its business operations. With one user and content-focused system driving all elements of the in-store digital communication solution, IKEA has a broad and growing platform to deliver the messages they want, in exactly the way they want to.

The rug sizer is in use constantly throughout the day providing IKEA customers with an engaging and highly visual tool to help them to make the right purchase to enhance their home. This innovative solution is just one example of how laser projection is opening exciting opportunities to surprise and excite customers as retailers seek ways to enhance the shopping experience and forge a greater connection with their audience.