ARHT rolls out retail hologram experiences

Hologram technology company ARHT is introducing a new touchscreen model, ARHT CAPSULE, to enhance in-store shopping experiences. The screens display life-sized presenters and products, either live or on a video loop.

The first CAPSULE screens will likely be rolling out later this year at high-end luxury stores.

Why we care. Marketers are finding new ways to use screens in-store to help shoppers find what they want and alert them to discounts. They are also using hybrid events (a mix of in-store and virtual participation in a single event) to increase the wow factor for shoppers who choose to shop in-person instead of online.

The new CAPSULE technology is aimed at wider B2C adoption in this vein. Since 2014, ARHT has been supporting holographic presentations at live events and for internal use in mostly B2B use cases.

Shopping with holograms. Touchscreens in-store allow shoppers to select videos about specific products. The recorded demonstrations show a lifesize presenter with the product. Customers can also use the touchscreen to zoom in on the featured products.

“CAPSULE is the newest addition for the retail sector,” said Gorana Seeley, ARHT’s vice president, global retail. “Retailers have had a tough time bringing shoppers back into stores [after pandemic lockdowns].This technology bridges the online-offline gap for those customers. It gives them a reason to come back into stores. A hologram can’t be experienced on a phone or laptop.”

Connecting to digital experience. Marketers can connect the hologram in-store display to the customer’s digital experience. For instance, they can display a QR code on CAPSULE that takes the shopper to a promotion or an app.

“We can link to anything a customer would like,” said Seeley. “A QR code could take the customer to a coupon if they purchase a product that day. If not in-store, they can buy online.”

By connecting the in-store hologram experience to the digital experience, marketers can measure the ROI impact of the display.

The CAPSULE comes in one standard size. Marketers can fit the technology into their budgets by choosing either to purchase or lease the units, and by how many units they use.

Live demos. The CAPSULE also produces live holograms, just like previous ARHT technology.

Dig deeper: How event marketers can use hologram technology for live and hybrid experiences

This means that stores can host celebrity appearances and other live demonstrations via hologram. The hologram is produced in a “capture” studio in one location and then can be transmitted to multiple locations elsewhere.

This technology makes it possible for live product demonstrations for luxury products at the customer’s request. A high-end retailer could have CAPSULE units in multiple locations, and host live product demonstrations that are captured from a single location.

The technology can also be used by manufacturers to show hologram product demonstrations to retail buyers.