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 ...
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