SAN
FRANCISCO — With its combination of cutting-edge technology, interactive
attractions, and high-quality music and video, the new flagship Original Levi’s
StoreTM is raising the bar for high-tech retail emporiums across the
country and around the world.
The
$20 million store, set to open on Union Square August 6, is part theater, part
art gallery, part museum, part cinema and part rave. It features 70,000 watts of digital audio, a biometrics
recognition system, a 3D body scanner, and at least as many video screens as
the floor of New York Stock Exchange. It takes what Nike, Virgin and Sony have
done with their high-profile “mega” stores to a new level.
Directing the construction of this technological wonderland is Greg Ercolino, president of Ercolino Productions, a New York-based technical consultant and systems integrator. It’s not surprising that the Levi’s store is “one-upping” other theme-oriented superstores — Ercolino Productions has been responsible for many of those projects as well. In fact, Ercolino and his team have been the brains and the brawn behind more than a dozen high-profile, high-tech retail stores in the last five years for companies including Nike, Virgin and Sony.
Ercolino
says the 30,500-square-foot flagship Original Levi’s Store is the most
advanced, most interactive, and most interesting project he’s worked on to
date. “It’s like a film festival,” he
says. “People want to be entertained,
they want to learn something new, they want to experience something. To do that, you have to be interactive and show
them things they haven’t seen before. That’s what I believe we’ve done here.”
With
the increasing popularity of the Web and the onslaught of online shopping,
brand-intensive companies like Nike, Virgin and Sony have turned to interactive
technology and multimedia to draw customers to their retail stores and build
brand awareness. Although Levi’s has been a relative latecomer to the “mega”
store world, the San Francisco flagship store offers the company a chance to
wear the crown — at least for a time.
Levi’s
may have followed the lead of other retailers with its “mega” store, but the
company’s investment in this project clearly demonstrates its willingness to put
its name and reputation on the line, and establish itself as an interactive technology
leader.
Ercolino
believes that this type of interactive retail emporium is here to stay. “People
want to be turned on somehow,” he says.
“They want interactive gags and games to play. They expect great
sounding audio and high-quality video when they go shopping. People are used to it now — they have it in
their homes.”
E-commerce
may be growing in popularity, but Ercolino believes that it’s not likely to
stop people from hitting the pavement to go shopping — it will just make it
more competitive. “It’s like the hunt,”
he says. “People want to be stimulated
in their shopping experience, to go out and find something new. I don’t think you’ll ever replace that
ritual.”
Ercolino
says the trend towards interactivity is likely to permeate more than just
flagship or “mega” stores. “There will always be a place for the interactive
technology that is included in these stores, whether it is in flagship stores
or in malls across the country,” he says.
The
flagship Original Levi’s Store does not skimp on audio and video, sporting 17
independent surround-sound zones, more than 45 video screens, 40 power
amplifiers, and an colossal video wall that fills the store’s pane windows
facing Union Square. Behind the scenes,
there are more than 60 advanced computers running on a high-speed local
network, with nearly a terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) of storage capacity. Tying it all together is more than 25 miles
of cable and wiring.
The
technological centerpiece of the store is an advanced media management and
playback system that Ercolino Productions developed, called MediaSpace. To date, most media playback systems have
used banks of videodisc and CD players or VCRs, but MediaSpace uses all-digital
audio and video that is streamed directly from computer hard drives. This way, content can be created and played
back on the fly, and directed to sound zones and video screens anywhere in the
store.
A
full-time media manager will operate the MediaSpace system and direct audio and
video to surround-sound zones and video screens throughout the store. The media manager will be able to create
“shows” and control the store’s atmosphere and ambiance through media.
In
addition, the store features a live DJ/VJ booth for audio and video artists to
perform. Technology inside the DJ/VJ
booth interacts with MediaSpace and can be preset for a range of experience
levels and performances. “MediaSpace is a very versatile system and will allow
the store’s media manager to keep the show fresh and new,” says James Terry,
the chief software developer for Ercolino Productions.
Because
media is managed in an all-digital environment, Levi’s will ultimately be able
to extend the functionality of MediaSpace to manage content remotely, and
distribute it to similar systems in Levi’s retail stores anywhere in the
world. “In the future, this system can
be rolled out across the Internet or a satellite network,” Terry says. “Our design goal was flexibility. When you
add the Internet, there’s really no limit to what we can do.”
Visitors
will be faced with activities and attractions at every corner of the new store.
Just inside the main entrance are four video periscope stations, allowing
customers a virtual — if not voyeuristic — tour of each floor. Each periscope is connected to four
remote-controlled video cameras — one on each floor, and 16 in all — that
can scan the store, pan and zoom, and automatically identify points of
interest. When you direct a camera
toward one of the store’s attractions, the periscope describes it to you with
on-screen text.
If
you have indeed come to shop, you can be custom-fitted with Levi’s jeans using
an advanced 3D body scanner. The
scanner, in a dark room just behind the futuristic steel-encased fitting area,
captures 48 image slices of your body in less than two seconds, then processes
the images to extract key body measurements.
The computer also creates a 3D representation of your body and displays
it on a screen inside your fitting room.
But
maybe you like your jeans to be a bit more snug. The “shrink-to-fit” attraction — one of the store’s odder
features — will dip you and your new Levi’s jeans into a special bath, then
blow dry you and your pants in a human dryer until they hug every curve just
right. If you prefer a more traditional
approach to custom fitting, the Levi’s Original Spin Program allows you to
choose from a range of cuts and styles and have a pair of jeans custom tailored
based on your exact measurements and preferences. There is also a “Factory Area” where you can watch Levi’s
staffers embroider a custom design on your jeans with a 15-color thread embroidery
machine, or burn a photograph into them with a special laser-etching machine.
In addition, the store features a range of other
multimedia and interactive attractions including CD listening stations,
Internet stations, and “Attitude Pods” — specially designed audio/video
entertainment chairs. An “Image Capture” attraction allows you to take a
digital photograph of yourself, superimpose the image on a variety of
backgrounds, and then email the picture to friends and family. If you like, you can even choose to become
an instant model by electing to have your image stored in the MediaSpace system
and projected on the store’s video screens.
The store also features an advanced biometrics
system, a type of technology increasingly used in business environments to help
create an individual experience for each customer. At the Original Levi’s Store, many of the attractions will
include a special fingerprint scanner that will allow visitors to build a
custom profile of their personal preferences as they navigate their way through
the store. In the past, similar systems
have used unique bar-code or magnetic-stripe cards to identify customers and
build customer profiles. The
fingerprint scanning system is currently unique in the retail market and does
away with the need to issue special cards to customers who wish to
participate.
The biometrics system is part of Levi’s effort to
manage the customer relationship and offer them more personalized
services. “Once you know who a person
is, you can start to build a relationship with them,” Ercolino says. “When I walk into a store, I want to be
treated like an individual. With the
fingerprint scanners, you don’t need anything other than your hand, and Levi’s
can begin to help people feel like they’re having a unique and personalized experience.”
Ultimately, Levi’s will be able to integrate this
biometrics technology with the store’s point-of-sale systems to streamline the sales
process.
Customer relationship building is part of Levi’s
overall marketing strategy, and the flagship Original Levi’s Store will differ
from other “mega” stores in one additional — yet significant — way. The clothing company decided not to plaster
its logo everywhere, and much of the media content displayed on the video
screens will be unbranded rather than commercial. While this goes against the practices of companies like Nike,
Sony and Virgin, Ercolino believes that consumers are ultimately turned off by
“in your face” commercialism.
“We didn’t want to do the hard sell here,” Ercolino
says. “Levi’s wants to sell their products without beating people over the head
with the brand.”
“It’s something of a backlash against hard-sell
branding. But I believe that if you
have interesting things for people to see and do, and personalized, interactive
content, people will feel like they’re being treated like an individual,”
Ercolino says. “We’re going to play you music you never heard and show you
things you never saw. But we’re not
going to beat you over the head.”
The Original Levi’s Store, located at 300 Post Street on San Francisco’s Union Square is slated to open August 6.
High-tech Highlights of the
flagship Original Levi’s Store:
MediaSpace — A unique media management system that controls and distributes digital media management and distribution system designed and developed by Ercolino Productions. In the past, video screens, interactive kiosks, and audio systems were driven by independent tape and laser disc players. Levi’s MediaSpace system uses advanced software to manage digital media, and audio and video is stored on computer hard disks and can be streamed to any of the store’s audio or video environments.
Surround Sound — The audio system in the flagship Original Levi’s Store features 17 independent 6-channel surround sound zones driven by the store’s MediaSpace system, and 70,000 watts of audio amplification.
Biometrics System — Visitors can choose to have their fingerprint scanned and record their personal preferences for increased levels of customization and personalized service throughout the store. This advanced fingerprint scanning and recognition technology is increasingly used in a variety of business applications, from bank ATMs to corporate environments. Ultimately, Levi’s can integrate this biometrics technology with the store’s point-of-sale systems to streamline the sales process.
The Vortex — As visitors navigate their way up the spiral staircase at the center of the flagship Original Levi’s Store, they pass through three independent projection video and surround-sound environments driven by the store’s MediaSpace system.
Video Periscopes — Four video periscope stations allow visitors to take a virtual tour of the flagship Original Levi’s Store. Each periscope station is connected to four remote-controlled cameras that can pan, zoom, and automatically identify points of interest on each floor and describe them with on-screen text. In all, 16 remote-controlled cameras throughout the store feed content to the video periscopes.
Image Capture — Visitors can capture a digital image of themselves, superimpose their photo on a variety of backgrounds, and email the picture to friends and family. In addition, visitors can become “models” by electing to have their picture stored in the MediaSpace system and projected on the store’s video screens.
CD Listening Station — The flagship Original Levi’s Store features a CD listening station for visitors to sample new music.
Internet Stations — Visitors can surf the Levi.com, Dockers.com, and Slates.com Web sites to learn about Levi’s products and make purchases online.
Attitude Pods — These specially designed audio/video entertainment chairs allow visitors to comfortably immerse themselves in media. The store’s MediaSpace system will deliver high-quality music and video to each Attitude Pod.
Original Spin — The Levi’s Original Spin™ Program enables customers to create their own unique pair of jeans. Visitors choose from a range of cuts and styles, and jeans are custom tailored based on their unique measurements and preferences.
3D Body Scanner — This sophisticated body measurement system captures 48 image-slices of a subject’s body surface in less than 2 seconds, then processes the images to extract key body measurements and produce a 3D representation. Video screens inside each of the store’s fitting rooms display a visitor’s 3D body image as they are trying on clothes.
Shrink to Fit — Visitors can create their own “shrink-to-fit” jeans by putting on a pair of Levi’s jeans, immersing themselves in a special bath, and then entering a special human drying area.
The Factory Area — Using special embroidery and laser-etching machines, visitors can have custom jeans made with designs, images, or photographs embedded in them.
Live DJ/VJ Booth — Live disc jockeys and video jockeys can spin their music and control video from this booth. The DJ/VJ booth interacts with the store’s MediaSpace system and can be preset for a range of experience levels and entertainment genres.
Union Square Video Wall — This is one of the largest video walls in San Francisco, with nine 16”x9” rear-projection video screens positioned to face Union Square. Each screen can project its own content and be controlled independently, or all nine screens can integrate to project a single video stream. The video wall can also be raised and lowered depending on its use.