Posted on 03/12/2022 8:02:19 AM PST by BenLurkin
The screens...use a system of motion sensors and cameras to display what's inside the doors — as well as product information, prices, deals and, most appealing to brands, paid advertisements. The tech provides stores with an additional revenue stream and a way to modernize ["modernize"?] the shopping experience.
The company wants to engage more people with advertising, but the reaction, so far, is annoyance and confusion.
"Who on God's green earth thought this was a good idea?" "The digital cooler screens at Walgreens made me watch an ad before it allowed me to know which door held the frozen pizzas,"
Cooler Screens CEO Avakian said he developed the concept after watching in-store customers whip out their phones to find product information and reviews. Traditionally, in-store advertising has been limited to options like signs, promotions and prominent placement on shelves. But Cooler Screens' targeted digital ads deliver at the "moment of truth," Avakian said, right as consumers decide which product to pull out of the fridge.
Brands can place ads spread over multiple freezers, ones that display products' nutritional labels, or ads triggered by weather or time of day. An ice cream company might want to run ads when it's hot outside, while a coffee brand could hit the morning rush.
The setup aims to help stores add high-margin advertising revenue to offset their core low-margin retail business.
Avakian insists the tech is "identity-blind" and protects consumers' privacy. The freezers have front-facing sensors used to anonymously track shoppers interacting with the platform, while internally facing cameras track product inventory.
Some customers have expressed frustration with the experience.
The items on display don't always match up with what's inside because products are out of stock.
"We see advertisements literally everywhere and now I have to go see it on the cooler?"
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
—My new pet hate are the talking (i.e. video) gas pumps where you subjected to a stream of loud noxious commercials while you’re pumping gas. As far as I can see you can’t turn it off and you can’t even turn the volume down !—
Agree with you on this. I hate pumping gas now for this reason.
well get rid of it, you are being used badly and paying for it
On the pumps here (San Antonio area) there are four buttons on either side of the screen where the video plays.
The second button down on the right side is the MUTE button.
YMMV, of course.
That does nothing for the noise!
Thank you!
I will try it!
Can’t you just ignore the advertising and open the damn door to see what’s inside?
“The digital cooler screens at Walgreens made me watch an ad before it allowed me to know which door held the frozen pizzas,”
That is TOO FUNNY. If Walgreens would bother hiring anyone with marketing experience they would have been told to TEST THE SYSTEM first, before dumping it on unsuspecting customers.
So, I’m not alone in hating that! Nobody was asking that the time spent pumping gas be monetized.
The only brands that have the squawking pumps around here (Indiana) are Shell and BP. I buy Marathon if I’m not in town to hit the Costco which is always the cheapest.
Look at post 20!
If it works, that FReeper has done a vital public service!
I often get gas at H-E-B. I’m so used to selecting all the right buttons in a row. Especially the button to cancel that gas additive spiel.
mine do
everywhere i have tried, 2nd button from top on right mutes.
The mask mandate at Walgreen’s was enough to chase me out the door on a permanent basis. In fact, mask mandates taught me that I could do without a lot of consumer goods.
Cable TV was originally billed (pun intended) as an, “add free” subscription service. Amazing FR hasn’t accepted adds!
“... at thousands of stores ...”
Maybe they should have test marketed this first.
Must have been terribly expensive.
I would wager that some Walgreen executive(s) had a financial stake in this venture.
Sometimes the volume control is the 3rd button down. I have also had some success in turning off the video completely by pushing the 2nd and 4th button at the same time.
Those adverts are bringing in revenue.
So it’s basically like any other business decision.
Results will tell if it paid off.
If not, there will be some great sales on giant tv screens at the retail surplus store.
I’m forced to get in my car, roll the windows up, and turn on my music to avoid that horrible nuisance.
The ones around here were getting vandalized pretty regularly, even to the point of destroying the video screen. Never heard of anyone being prosecuted for that in spite of continuous security camera recording.
The replacement units have lower volume settings and a "No" button that mutes the volume.
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