Mobility trend in Hospitality

A recent TripAdvisor survey found that over 40% of travelers use their smart phones to plan a trip and over 46% use their smart phones to enhance their trip while traveling.

No longer is it just an idea or an aspiration for the hospitality industry to use innovative methods to engage with their guests, for example Marriott Hotels, just this year, announced the addition of mobile checkout to its industry-leading Marriott Mobile app for smartphones. Clearly mobile check-out is just the latest innovation from the brand as a new service designed for today’s connected travelers. Read More »

Tags: ad, advertising, App, application, business, business insider, Cisco, clothing, cmx, connected mobile experiences, consumer, content, context, coupon, customer, customize, data, device, evolution, grocery store, habit, hospitality, hotel, IDC, Industry, landscape, location, location services, location-based, macro, market, mobile, navigation, offer, personalize, phone, Real Time, realtime, retail, rtls, services, show-room, show-rooming, showroom, showrooming, smartphone, store, technology, travel, venue, wayfind, wi-fi, wifi

This is part of a series of how location services is a core part of the mobile evolution in various industries. In a previous post I looked at the growth of mobile  location, data and context based advertising, and there is no doubt from the evidence that this market space is already big, and predicted to grow exponentially over the next 4 or 5 years.

While this is very interesting at a macro level, for most of us what does that really mean, what can it be used for, how can we get some value or benefits from it….

Let’s look at this from the point of view of various industries, both looking at the uses of the consumer and of the business in a practical manner.

Today we look at the Retail Industry, and ask a few questions to understand the landscape.

• How are consumers habits changing
• What are retailers doing about this
• What can we expect to see in the coming year(s)?

How are consumer habits changing?

We already know that today over two-thirds of all U.S. consumers have a smartphone (expected to be >90% in about 3 years) and the capabilities that this brings is changing the face of retail business as we know it. Specifically looking at mobile retail and advertising the patterns are undeniable, we as mobile retail consumers are doing things differently and happy to engage and be engaged in new ways.

◦    Remember the coupon cutting days…well mobile coupons are starting to become the norm…recent research among mobile users shows significant numbers redeemed mobile coupons… 41% at grocery stores, 41% at department stores, and 39% @ clothing stores (source: Business Insider 2014) Read More »

Tags: ad, advertising, App, application, business, business insider, Cisco, clothing, cmx, connected mobile experiences, consumer, content, context, coupon, customer, customize, data, device, evolution, grocery store, habit, IDC, Industry, landscape, location, location services, location-based, macro, market, mobile, navigation, offer, personalize, phone, Real Time, realtime, retail, rtls, services, show-room, show-rooming, showroom, showrooming, smartphone, store, technology, venue, wayfind, wi-fi, wifi, wireless

This past spring, Cisco and John Lewis—the United Kingdom’s leading department store retailer—successfully completed their pilot of the Cisco StyleMe virtual fashion mirror. The Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) ran the pilot, while partnering with C In-store and AITech.

During the six-week pilot (April and May), more than 1,000 customers tried StyleMe (an average of 40 a day)—far more than expected. In addition:

• A staggering 34,000-plus garments were viewed in the outfit builder, and almost 2,500 garments were tried on virtually.
• 67 percent of customers gave the mirror a positive assessment, and some great shopper stories emerged—including one from a delighted disabled lady, who was able to try on clothes for the first time in a store, thanks to Cisco StyleMe.

The John Lewis Partners (staff) also loved it. They found that StyleMe was a tool that created shop floor “theater” (crowds formed) while helping them provide great service sell even more effectively. They came up with lots of ideas on how to develop the experience even further.

We learned several key lessons.

Read More »

Tags: artificial intelligence, Cisco, clothes, clothing, gesture recognition, IBSG, John Lewis, pilot, retail, shoppers, shopping, StyleMe, virtual, Virtual Fashion Mirror, virtual reality

John Lewis, a leading U.K. retailer, is now piloting two Cisco StyleMe Virtual Fashion Mirrors at its flagship London department store on Oxford Street, providing customers with a virtual way to try on clothes. The mirrors were developed by the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), with partners C In-store, AITech, and The Team.

The 6- by 3-foot mirrors incorporate built-in cameras that capture shoppers’ body dimensions and positioning. Using artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and gesture-recognition technology, the mirrors then superimpose clothing items over customers’ on-screen images.

In effect, the mirrors become virtual changing rooms where customers can create complete outfits from more than 500 women’s-wear garments and accessories selected from johnlewis.com. This makes the shopping experience easier and more enjoyable by letting customers see how they look in new outfits without getting undressed.

Read More »

Tags: artificial intelligence, Cisco, clothes, clothing, gesture recognition, IBSG, John Lewis, shoppers, shopping, StyleMe, virtual, Virtual Fashion Mirror, virtual reality