Nintendo UK plays up game products on web-based, in-store displays
With a hot product like its Wii game console about to hit retail stores in the United Kingdom, Nintendo UK is showing previews of the console, and the number of days until launch, on web-based displays facing customers standing in store checkout lines.
"Nintendo has always been leading innovators for games and players, and this approach to real-time marketing proves that we are at the cutting edge of in-store point-of-purchase promotions,” says Ian McMillan, Nintendo UK’s trade marketing controller.
Nintendo UK, working with consultants Henley & Henley and Comtech M2M, a provider of machine-to-machine communications technology, has begun deploying its Retail Communications Display units in the busiest stores operated by two UK-based retailers, Game Station and Game Group Ltd.’s GAME store chain. Game Station operates more than 200 stores in the UK; Game Group operates about 400 GAME stores in the UK and another 300 in other markets in Europe.
The Retail Communications Display units provide a scrolling digital promotional message, a high-resolution image of the featured product, and a countdown timer that shows how many days are left until the product launch date.
The display units are supported by a secure web site, which Nintendo managers access from their headquarters to administer the display units and their digital content. The system enables managers to deliver new promotional messages and images to all display units within 10 seconds, and to confirm in real time what content each unit is actually displaying. It also lets managers check to see in which stores the display units are located. “Nintendo is no longer reliant on store staff to comply with point-of-purchase updates,” the company says.
Nintendo Wii began stirring up interest among consumers during the holiday shopping season. In the U.S., Yahoo Shopping reported that for the week of Dec. 10-16, “Wii” and “Nintendo Wii” were the two top shopping search terms.
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