Paper “Four Ps” labels are the primary tool used by carrier retail teams to display the four key marketing variables - product, price, promotions and positioning - next to individual handsets for sale in mobile phone stores.

Known by many different names -- such as fact tags, handset labels, product tags, FAQ labels -- these paper tags require near-constant work to ensure they are in the right position, remain presentable, and more than anything else, contain accurate information.

Carriers incur significant human and business costs associated with manually creating, printing, distributing and posting their paper “Four Ps” labels in mobile phone stores. Those costs are incurred regardless of whether a carrier’s labels are produced and distributed centrally by retail teams or produced locally by store managers.

These “Four Ps” labels are inefficient, allow for little control, and usually trigger costly problems. All mobile phone stores struggle with the paper labels fixed next to featured handsets, because the information printed on them is often not synchronized with what’s showing on the carrier Website or in the POS system.

MicroSigns give retail teams the agility to dynamically manage the distribution of their product information, price promotions and merchandise positioning directly on screens installed at individual handsets in mobile phone stores. Automating the paper “Four Ps” label process provides immediate cost savings and more control over this essential retail communication tool.

Using MicroSigns automates that old paper label process, significantly reducing the time it takes to implement “Four Ps” information changes in stores. Information change latency disappears, and distribution and scheduling errors are dramatically reduced. Product information, price information, promotions and merchandise positioning can now be quickly managed on hundreds of MicroPlayers, in thousands of stores, in just minutes. With paper tags, those changes can take days or even weeks.

MicroPlayers display interactive product information about wireless handsets on 3.5-inch color LCD screens installed under or beside each handset in a store. Rich media content is used to present everything currently displayed on a paper “Four Ps” label, and then much more, without any additional work from the retail team or sales staff. Typical rich media content displayed on MicroPlayers includes a handset’s particular features, technical specifications, accessories, plans, add-ons, services, warranties, insurance, and any other relevant information. Customers use non-mechanical touch buttons to interactively view this product information at their own pace. The MicroSigns platform provides simple online interfaces and tools to easily create, edit, and approve interactive content segments displayed on each MicroPlayer.

Sophisticated import tools assure that prices displayed on a wireless carrier’s Website and POS system correspond to those displayed in stores. Scheduling tools enable price changes to be triggered at the exact time, day and location required. This feature gives retail teams the agility to manage price changes in all of their stores.

Less human intervention in the paper label printing and posting process significantly reduces the possibility of product and price change errors. Inherently, this also reduces the time required by store staff to manually change out paper labels in stores, freeing them up to service customers.

Planogram tools built into the MicroSigns platform provide an enormous amount of agility for the management of merchandising strategies. Retail teams can now set the exact merchandise positioning of handsets in their stores, and have the appropriate information displayed at the correct MicroPlayer location. Reporting dashboards enable retail teams to track MicroPlayer product information changes and see which products, prices, merchandise positions and stores in the network don’t conform to plans. The platform even enables retail teams to access and view information displayed on individual MicroPlayers, across the entire store network, from their desktop Web browser.

These tight controls greatly reduce the chances of the wrong information being posted next to a handset, a common problem with paper labels because of the steady fluctuation of featured handsets and the need to rely on different people, store by store, to get it right.

MicroSigns also facilitate the creation and management by retail teams of promotion campaigns that can be directly targeted to individual handsets by brand, store section or region. Rich media promotion campaigns can be displayed on individual MicroPlayers, attracting customers’ attention directly to specific handsets.

Paper “Four Ps” labels are the primary tool used by carrier retail teams to display the four key marketing variables - product, price, promotions and positioning - next to individual handsets for sale in mobile phone stores. Known by many different names -- such as fact tags, handset labels, product tags, FAQ labels -- these paper tags require near-constant work to ensure they are in the right position, remain presentable, and more than anything else, are accurate. These limitations make it hard for sales executives and their people in the stores to effectively execute their sales strategies.

Paper “Four Ps” labels are the primary tool used by carrier retail teams to display the four key marketing variables - product, price, promotions and positioning - next to individual handsets for sale in mobile phone stores.

Known by many different names -- such as fact tags, handset labels, product tags, FAQ labels -- these paper tags require near-constant work to ensure they are in the right position, remain presentable, and more than anything else, are accurate. These limitations make it hard for sales executives and their people in the stores to effectively execute their sales strategies.

Message limitations

Sales executives and their teams face big challenges because of the tools at their disposal and the physical space limitations of stores. The black and white paper labels they most typically use in the tight spaces that are available tend to be bland, are subjected to constant wear and tear, and can convey only the most basic information about a handset’s features and benefits. There’s no room on the labels to promote any high-margin up-sell products, such as accessories and extended warranties.

Sales associates need to be steadily educated and updated on fast-changing product, price and service information. It’s very hard to stay current and speak knowledgeably, and the problem is worsened because of the high staff turnover rates common in the retail wireless sector.

Selling handsets and mobile phone plans is complicated and resource-intensive, meaning many customers entering phone stores have extended waits for sales associates to come available. Until then, shoppers must educate themselves by reading the very limited information available on paper tags and the cardboard signs, posters and other promotions material scattered around stores.

MicroSigns completely change the sales dynamic in mobile retail stores and directly address the biggest selling challenges many of these retailers now face. Digital MicroPlayers are always accurate, always look great, and provide a depth of information that gets and keeps waiting customers engaged until sales associates come available. The MicroSigns platform provides mobile retail sales people with tools to dynamically manage the distribution of their product information, price promotions and merchandise positioning directly on screens installed under or beside individual handsets in mobile phone stores.

The MicroSigns platform acts as a sales education tool for associates in stores. Weekly sales strategies for products, accessories and services can be developed centrally and distributed, using the Internet, to targeted MicroPlayers. Sales associates can then simply view those screens to see how products, services and promotions are being handled each week. The MicroPlayers can also be used to quickly educate and refresh sales staff memories on the steadily evolving features of individual handsets on offer in stores. MicroPlayers are also selling tools for associates, who can use the touch buttons and deep on-board information to browse through the features, benefits and specifications with shoppers as questions and buying signals come along.

MicroPlayers serve many powerful, beneficial purposes in stores. When sales associates are occupied with other customers, MicroDisplays provide all the detailed information shoppers are looking for - using a sophisticated, engaging digital experience that is far superior to the simple, limited world of paper labels and brochures.

With MicroPlayers:

• The information can always be current and accurate, and even dynamically mapped to POS data such as pricing;
• The product and service information is consistent between handsets;
• The displays are interactive and can store large amounts of rich media content, meaning they can be used to up-sell accessories, plans, add-ons, services, warranties and insurance -- all of which can boost the average revenue per user (ARPU);
• Detailed product information is always available and on time, with the compliance issues of paper labels no longer an issue;
• Product returns are reduced as customers leave the stores better educated about the features and functionalities of the handsets they selected;
• Sales executives and their sales teams are able to target individual promotions to specific handsets in stores, to generate excitement about special offers and drive their sales strategies in stores.

Paper-based “Four Ps” labels are the primary tool used by carrier retail teams to display the four key marketing variables - product, price, promotions and positioning - next to individual handsets for sale in mobile phone stores.

Known by many different names -- such as fact tags, handset labels, product tags, FAQ labels -- these paper tags can offer only limited information to customers and add little or nothing to the customer experience.

No one to talk to

Customers visit mobile phone stores expecting to speak with sales associates, but are often required to wait for extended periods before being served because of the complexities of the products and services, and steps such as activations that are often part of transactions. This is especially true during peak periods.

As they wait, their only information sources are the posters and promotional material scattered around stores, brochures, and the paper “Four Ps” labels by the phones, which provide only the most basic product and service information.

Confusion

When sales associates do come available, customers are often disappointed with the store staff’s level of knowledge. Sometimes they discover the promotions they’ve seen in print or online are not available in the store, or the sales associates don’t know about it. And the prices that show on the labels by the handsets are sometimes different in the POS system, and more often than not, higher.

MicroSigns completely change the sales dynamic in mobile retail stores and directly address the biggest selling challenges many of those retailers now face. Digital MicroPlayers are always accurate, always look great, and provide a depth of information that gets and keeps waiting customers engaged until sales associates come available. MicroPlayers are the customer-facing component of the system - a key communication touchpoint between carriers and their customers. MicroPlayers provide engaging, interactive rich media content using simple touch buttons by the screen. Customers can easily navigate their way around to find a handset’s particular features, technical specifications, accessories, plans, add-ons, services, warranties and insurance.

Customers use the screens to learn at their own pace, and find out what they want and need to know without the intervention or perceived pressure of sales associates. The process helps empower them in their purchasing decisions. The ability to browse the rich media content displayed on MicroPlayers keeps customers occupied and directly addresses concerns about long perceived wait times in busy stores. Selling phones and service plans is resource-intensive, and the average wireless retail sales transaction takes about one hour to complete from the time the customer enters the store to the time that person leaves with a phone in hand. MicroPlayers help occupy and educate shoppers as they wait, and can make the difference between getting a sale or watching impatient prospects give up and leave stores.

Sales associates use MicroPlayers as selling tools, taking customers to the interactive screens to step them through the features and benefits, ensuring a product is clearly communicated. MicroPlayers are also effectively used by retailers to keep sales staff up to speed on new products, weekly promotions and special offers, as well as maintaining and boosting their knowledge level on what they’re selling.

The dynamic price changing capabilities of the MicroSigns platform ensure that prices on the carrier’s Website and POS systems align with those displayed in stores. This 100 per cent compliance reduces the number of price adjustments and the number of unhappy surprises for sales people and their customers. The MicroSigns system enables digital sales promotions to be centrally managed and targeted to individual handset locations. This assures consistency between channels, guaranteeing that promotions are available where required.

Rich media content segments displayed on MicroPlayers help to provide channel consistency for retailers and their participating brands. Instead of black and white text tags, shoppers can see the rich visuals and marketing messages they’ve seen in advertising and online extended right to the shelf-edge in stores. This is extremely important in an increasingly multi-channel environment, given that more than 40 per cent of wireless customers research their purchase online before going to the store.

Paper “Four Ps” labels are the primary tool used by carrier retail teams to display the four key marketing variables - product, price, promotions and positioning - next to individual handsets for sale in mobile phone stores.

Known by many different names -- such as fact tags, handset labels, product tags, FAQ labels -- these paper tags are the final point of contact in stores between a brand and customers. But they are wholly ineffective in the important task of conveying brand value.

The information is limited. The look is bland and unattractive. The information is inconsistent. And the format offers no possibility to convey emotion.

Carriers spend a lot of time and money building, maintaining and managing a consistent brand message from the highest level all the way through to their retail outlets.

In stores, information space is limited and usually reduced to paper tags that are unattractive and convey minimal information. There is no brand continuity, no emotion, and often the information that prospective customers have read online does not correspond with the information they see on these paper tags.

MicroSigns completely change the brand dynamic and message in mobile retail stores and directly address the big challenges of keeping brand messaging strong and consistent. The MicroSigns platform gives retail teams control over the “last retail mile” in stores, enabling them to convey their brand values to their customers on engaging displays immediately adjacent to each featured handset in their stores.

MicroSigns provide brands with a platform that attracts, engages and impresses customers, helping to turn them into brand evangelists. MicroPlayers convey an innovative, reliable, and strong brand image that is only reinforced when customers use the screen technology in stores. Rich media content displayed at each handset enables the communication of a brand’s language, style, look and feel, facilitating the expression of emotions and allowing customers to uniquely experience the brand.

The MicroSigns platform helps brands to provide channel consistency directly adjacent to handsets in stores. This is extremely important in an increasing multichannel environment, given that over 40% of wireless customers research their purchases on carrier Websites before ever going to stores.