Smart Display Solutions for Post-Covid Retail Sector: Cases in Taiwan

For retailers, getting customers back into stores is a big challenge in the post-Covid era. People’s consumption habits have been changed due to the pandemic. They tend to rely more and more on shopping online to reduce the risk of infection nowadays, which forces retailers to rethink the role of physical stores. What makes the stores remain essential or be worth visiting when people can get what they want without going out?

Guided by Taiwan’s Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) and supported by Information Industry Institute (III), Taiwan's display industry has delivered a variety of solutions for retailers to win back the customers. Here are some worth mentioning examples of Proof of Business (PoB), which help redefine the physical retail spaces and even develop innovative business models.

Firstly, in outdoor retail space, it is crucial to grab passersby’s attention. Mercuries Data Systems Ltd. (MDS), who targets the 2 million monthly visitors of Taipei Xinyi District department store area, has built up flag display and smart street sign at Xiangti Avenue with Taipei City Government’s permission of site-use. The side-by-side environmental resistant P3.9 LED screen with high quality display can catch people’s attention and supply sale information of nearby stores or showing cross-screen interaction on the hour.

Figure 1: Flag display on Xiangti Avenue, Xinyi District

In order to optimize the use of traditional street signs, the P3.9 LED smart street sign integrates people flow detection and public information display, and utilize 5G network to provide stable service. As passersby key in their destination, it can turn to the corresponding direction to offer guidance. For the rest of the time, it shows surrounding store’s advertisement, current weather condition or traffic information. In short, this solution transforms a street sign into a mini service station which provides real-time tourism information.

Figure 2: A pedestrian is using smart street sign on Xiangti Avenue

Another outdoor display solution, designed for the facades of retail stores, has been introduced by ARK Group (ARK). Aiming at making the most of the limited store space for small retail shops, such as convenience stores, ARK cooperates with RAI Technology (RAI) and Innolux Corporation (Innolux) to transform the traditional shop window into a 3D shopping wall. The application integrates techniques including ARK’s 8K 720 degree 3D multi-dimension shooting, RAI’s AI recognition and somatosensory interaction, and Innolux’s 110’ AM Mini LED screen. It presents delicate display effect with high contrast ration panel, and, through the 3D show reel, allows customers to browse jewelry, limited edition figures, or other products that are unlikely to be displayed on the shelf in the store. Customers can purchase these products by simply scanning the corresponding QR code showing on the screen. Moreover, services like interactive games and virtual AI clerk are also provided by the 3D shopping wall. Customers can earn discount code of the stores by playing the games and get basic assistance from the virtual clerk, which is especially useful when all the store clerks are busy during rush hours.

Figure 3: ARK, RAI, Innolux cooperate to create a 3D shopping wall for Taiwan’s convenience stores

Lastly, in order to fully utilize the idle time of customers waiting for service at hair salons, Solmate adopts the latest TARTAN mirror from Space4M Inc., an AUO company, to provide the AI salon service. This indoor solution integrates AI hair color simulation, hair quality detection, audio-visual entertainment content, etc. The service aims at not only decreasing the misunderstanding between customers and designers and also allowing customers to watch videos for entertainment or shop online while waiting for hairstyling. It can also analyze customer’s hair condition to recommend hair products, which creates product selling and advertising revenue for hair salons. So far, this solution has been implemented in more than 5,000 hair salons in Taiwan.

Figure 4:Customers can choose hair color they like and check the simulated dying result

In conclusion, innovative display applications can be one way to help retailers adapt to the next normal in retail. By providing immersive and interactive experience, which online shops cannot offer, future retail stores would no longer only be spaces for product display, but rather significant channels to make whole Online merge Offline (OMO) seamless consumer services. Since the coronavirus pandemic has spread to almost every country in the world, we believe that retailers in Malaysia are likely to face similar challenges as Taiwan’s. Hopefully these screen solutions can provide some inspiration and enable Malaysian retailers to keep their physical stores relevant in the digital age.