It is crucial for retailers of today to know how to blend their digital and physical in-store experiences to match individual customer buying journeys, Will Dean, Co-founder and CEO at Electric Gamebox shares some best practices: ________ We launched Electric Gamebox in 2018 to create immersive social games powered by top-class technology. Our mission is to change the way we play video games and to bring people together through shared play. We aim to elevate immersive entertainment to the next level – with 1,000+ units playing 100+ games in the next 5 years – to continue to create a genuinely social experience, where the content could be updated frequently, bringing people back again and again. We opened our central London venue in October 2019, and now have locations in Essex and Manchester in the U.K. Most recently we opened our Dallas venue in December 2020, which has seen huge success (more than 10,000 customers thus far), despite COVID-19. Read More: Setting Records, Walmart Continues Moving Toward Becoming a Totally Renewable Business Retailers have to increasingly provide an experience that complements their products. Engaging customers is getting harder and technology helps provide that personalized approach, both during the store visit and online. LEGO stores are reinventing the toy store model, blending the digital with the physical, to turn their locations into memorable experiences which also reinforces love for the brand. Similarly, M&M’s have created something far bigger than a sweetshop. A visit to M&M’s World is more like a trip to a mini theme park, and almost everyone who goes in there wants to share a picture of their visit on Instagram. In my experience, trying to be subtle often leads to confusion. Be bold with your message, but also clearly explain how customers benefit from engaging with your brand over others. This means you have to add real value that is meaningful and articulated. Secondly, technology is a tool, not an end in itself. For example, bright, large, expensive screens are not worth watching without something engaging to show on them. First think about your message, and then how you can use technology to deliver it in the most effective way Read More: SalesTechStar Interview with Mark Magnacca, President and Co-founder at Allego From our perspective, showing potential customers what others experienced as well as what they will likely experience by visiting our venues is incredibly effective. Of course that means we have to tailor our message to each individual. This is an area where AI / ML can really excel, and we see increased adoption of tech that allows brands to tailor messages to individual consumers (the audience of 1) even in real time. The brick-and-mortar retail industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with lockdowns forcing shopping centers to close. Malls have to reinvent themselves and create new drivers. Fortunately, indoor theme parks and innovative tech experiences such as ours have helped revitalize retail spaces. Location-based entertainment businesses see that the days of the traditional bowling alleys and movie theaters are over and need to think outside the box. Read More: Remote Work Doesn’t Mean The Risk Is Remote Electric Gamebox (EGB) is reinventing how users play video games. The Gameboxes combine projection mapping, touch screens, motion tracking, and surround sound technologies to deliver an entirely new form of immersive entertainment without any bulky headsets. Teams of 2-6 play 30-60 minute games featuring levels and challenges designed to be fun, social, and collaborative. The first location opened on London’s Southbank in October 2019 and EGB now has UK venues in Outer London and Manchester and a US venue in Dallas, Texas. EGB has 6 games currently available to choose from and more games being launched every month. Will Dean is an entrepreneur who started his career working in counter-terrorism for the UK Foreign Office before founding Tough Mudder in America in 2010. After leaving Tough Mudder, Dean came back to Britain and wanted to create something new, so he teamed up with co-founder, CFO and fellow Tough Mudder veteran, David Spindler, to launch Electronic Theatre, now renamed Electric Gamebox.Hi Will, we’d love to hear about your journey through the years…tell us more about Electric Gamebox and what inspired the platform?
What are some top of mind thoughts you’d like to share on the state of retail tech innovations today and how you are seeing brands and innovators redefine the retail experience today?
Can you talk about some of the world’s top brands that boast of out of the box retail experiences?
In what ways can brands across industries think of new ways to improve and enhance their retail experience with the smart use of tech; a few tips?
What are some sales technologies and retail technologies that you see are showing increased adoption interest from brands and marketers today?
A few thoughts on what you feel today’s sales and marketing leaders need to do differently in today’s buying market to create a seamless brick and mortar experience that also enhances and matches the brands digital buying experience.
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