When Hasbro, Inc., Pawtucket, RI, went shopping for a kiosk to promoteproducts, it found help was just an EconoTouch away.
The EconoTouch System built by Peekskill, NY-based Interactive SalesSystems consists of a base unit and monitor, with software installed beforedelivery. The system is ready to use as soon as it’s plugged in, says ISSpresident Donald Lunetta, Sr.
Toy marketing needs “a lot of action, a lot of sizzle” to catch a shopper’seye, says Hasbro vp-sales Richard Berne. But underneath the dazzle must besolid information that convinces parents to buy. Kids want action graphicsthat show characters and each toy in action. Parents want priceinformation. Hasbro’s new kiosks give both.
“We see kiosks as enhanced information providers,” says Berne. “Once thesizzle grabs them, we want a guarantee that each and every time [consumersuse the kiosk they] will get quality, accurate, and updated information,”including special offers or discounts.
EconoTouch can update information to accommodate new products or a changein store assortment. That reflects well on the brand, Berne says.
“We simply take the CD-ROM disc out of the unit and, for a nominal fee, puta new disc in, and it’s as if we’re marketing the product with a new look,”he explains.
Berne won’t say how much Hasbro spent, although he admits cost was “anextreme factor” in the planning process. But Hasbro’s requirements wererigorous: It wanted a kiosk with “tremendous clarity, the ability to changeformat, and a minimum three-year in-store shelf life,” he says.
Hasbro will test EconoTouch units in 400 Target Stores this summer, and mayexpand to other outlets if sales increase as expected. “I see clickabilityacross all our portfolio of brands,” says Berne. “We’re involved in thegame industry, the pre-school industry, and the boy’s action industry.Using kiosks is brand new for us, but we think this is one more way to helpconsumers make that selection at point-of-purchase.” O
Aegis Communications Group Inc., Irving, TX, has launched E-tailing, one ofa series of syndicated information products designed to survey how Americashops online. The work is being done by Aegis’s Atlanta-based Elrich &Lavidge Marketing Research division.
E-tailing will survey shoppers to determine who they are and what, how, andwhere they buy. It will study the key strengths and weaknesses of variousWeb shopping channels, examine key products, and determine why shoppersswitch from one channel to another.
Initial clients and co-sponsors will be online marketers, Web sitedevelopers, and researchers.
Promotion allowances for packaged goods retailers grew robustly last year,reports promotion research company Leemis Marketing, Chicago.
Promotion allowances – per-case discounts offered retailers to participatein consumer promotions – were up in almost 75 percent of the 325 categoriesLeemis tracks. The average allowance was 10.6 percent of case cost, up from9.8 percent of case cost in ’97.
Dry grocery had the biggest surge: Allowances averaged 11.8% of case price.The other five major segments also rose: refrigerated (11.9%), frozen(8.8%), household (9.6%), healthcare (7.2%), and personal care (8.3%).
Manufacturers offered 10 percent fewer promotions in ’98, fundingmerchandising support for fewer brands but spending more on each brandchosen. Leemis used its Price-Trak system to collect data. Price-Trakmonitors promotion activity across 51 major markets. O
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