General Pants gives in-store shoppers iPad assistants
General Pants last night unveiled its General Pants Kiosks aimed at changing and enhancing the shopping in-store experience for Australian consumers.
Displayed on Apple iPads, the General Pants interactive kiosks fuse music, fashion and social media to create an experience that guides, informs and entertains consumers. The launch of kiosks marks more than six months of development to create an omni-channel platform that marries together online and offline to deliver a next generation shopping experience for consumers. Insights analytics over the past year have proven pivotal in delivering a solution that has exactly the right level of engagement for the General Pants Co. consumer.
Digital Artists Network (DAN) was the lead technical and creative partner on the project. The Whybin/TBWA-owned agency’s innovation was pivotal in the creation of insta-opinion.
Responsys enabled the automation of individualised communications to consumers, while hybris and Epicor platforms enabled General Pants to integrate its ecommerce and ERP solutions into the kiosks. As well as the ERP platform, Epicor provides the tools that enable the unification of inventory across all the sales channels.
At the core of the kiosks are centralised management systems and data analysis tools that allow General Pants to guide, connect with and react to the consumer shopping journey like never before.
Each of the kiosks will have the following functions:
Insta-Opinion: Almost everyone needs a second opinion when trying on a new outfit, but there’s not always someone available to give an honest view on the potential purchase and the General Pants clientele aren’t camera shy. Aptly named Insta-Opinion, this section of the kiosk allows consumers to photograph themselves in an item or hold an item up in front of the camera they’re considering purchasing and submit that photo in real-time for feedback from other kiosk users, approximately 300 devices across the country. In seconds, the kiosk user will see a percentage of who’s given their outfit the thumbs up or thumbs down.
What’s Playing: Music and shopping go hand-in-hand and with the introduction of the kiosks consumers can now select what tracks gets played in store. General Pants has collaborated with The Naked and Famous to create playlists exclusively available to consumers via the What’s Playing section of the kiosks. The kiosk user selects the track that they would like to hear which then goes into a queue to be broadcast through the speakers across the whole General Pants store.
The What’s Playing function is powered by Spotify, and if you want more tracks added to the kiosk all you have to do is #GPRequests on twitter and your tracks will be added to the playlist for next time you come in and shop.
Our Picks features the latest curated trends in clothing and accessories which consumers can choose to browse, purchase in-store, email to themselves or order from the kiosk and have their items shipped directly to the their home. Kiosk users will be able to select individual items from the campaign shoots, press the ‘help’ button, the music will dip and a chime rings and a General Pants staff member will be over to assist the consumer and find the exact or similar item.
Our People: Our People will curate user-generated photographs from Our Crew (General Pants Staff) and You (customers) featuring their self-created General Pants looks that have been shared across Facebook, Twitter, Vine and Instagram. Kiosk users can browse through the user-generated images and purchase General Pants product that features in the photograph. This consumer-to-consumer shopping brings to life the street-styled looks that are synonymous with General Pants Co. All consumers have to do to join in the fun is #generalpants and they too could feature across all the General Pants channels.
What’s New: What’s New features all the latest clothing and accessories that have just arrived at General Pants, sorted alphabetically by brand for ease and updated on a daily basis. This will enable shoppers to see product that is available across all our stores, allowing General Pants to showcase everything ‘New’ without it taking up valuable retail space. Again when a customer zeros in on something they like they have the option of assistance, sending the product to their phone our purchasing it on the spot for delivery to their home.
What’s Happening: General Pants thrives on being a creative hub both in stores as well as the head office. ‘What’s Happening’ is a curation of the GP marketing, buying team and the store crew contributing to what is happening in the business. This section of the site tells you when the next concert tickets go on sale, shows you the latest exclusive collaboration, new product that has just arrived in store and any famous people that have dropped by to say ‘hi’ and or behind the scenes of what goes on in the General Pants world. There is no one editor, nor one right opinion, this section of the Kiosks is about collating the ideas of ‘everyone’ that works at General Pants nationwide.
Our Site: A version of the General Pants e-commerce site where consumers can browse through all clothing and accessories. If consumers have seen something online at home but can’t find it in store this can also use as a tool to show the crew what they have seen.
Help: Assistance is never far away with the kiosk help button. Each time the kiosk user has found an item of clothing they’d like to try on, would like a fashion recommendation from the General Pants Crew or they need some assistance navigating the kiosk they can press the Help button. As soon as the help button is pressed the in-store music dips down, a chime rings out and a General Pants staff member promptly approaches the customer for assistance.
General Pants CEO Craig King said of the launch “There are plenty of buzz words going around, omni –channel, bricks and clicks, user experience etc. Rather than fall into a category we took a step back and focused on what our customers were doing. We asked ourselves what are we doing for them, how can we better communicate our stories and how do we enrich their experience? Our responses helped conceptualise the kiosks.
What’s exciting about retail now is that technology has caught up to imagination. This opens the door to endless possibilities but rather than drown your customers in tech it’s a chance to seamlessly engage them in your brand whilst merging with current social phenomena. We have taken key insights we have learnt in recent years and used these to develop the kiosks. We have made sure they encompass everything our consumer has been asking for, including social integration, time poor options for shopping, peer to peer shopping, music, fashion, technology and entertainment all curated by the ‘global trend hunters’ the General Pants team.”
Liz Harper, general manager of Digital Arts Network said “We’re incredibly excited to launch this in-store innovation as the creative and technical build partner for the General Pants Kiosks. At DAN we solve business challenges with technology; this was a fantastic brief to do just that.”
The kiosks will initially be installed in 10 General Pants stores across NSW and rolled out to its 47 stores nationally by February 2014.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Latest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.