CES 2015 Day Three: A Kiwi in Vegas...
- 09 January, 2015 16:47
During Day Two I wrote about how marketers can use data from connected devices to improve customer experience and increase sales.
Of course this depends on the device being popular and there also needs to be a strong value proposition before customers choose to supply their data to brands.
One such device is the Liif, a connected pillbox that alerts you or someone else when you forget to take your meds. When I spoke to the founder, Daniel Weng today he said he was already in talks with marketers from a pharmacy chain and a drug company.
There are lots of these connected devices here to excite marketers but one that has got more attention than any other is the connected car.
The automakers made a lot of noise this year but a lot of it just wasn’t relevant for today’s marketer. The march towards self-driving cars continues unabated but the product development cycle is long so the reality of us all watching ads on TV while cars drive us to work seems a way off.
Passenger safety and comfort were common themes this year, as were fuel economy and emission reductions.
To capitalize on the trend for connected cars, marketers will need to work out how they can use driving data to create value for their customers.
Insurance companies, fuel companies and auto retailers among others are well placed to take advantage of this but from what I could see, only the automakers themselves were using data to improve the experience of their customers and increase sales.
There are thousands of marketers at CES. Rather than just scheduling back-to-back meetings with their agencies and other suppliers, they are increasingly scanning the floors for stand out products and putting them to good use for their brands.
This year Lowes demonstrated how they are using the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift, which was a huge success at CES last year.
Using 3D and augmented reality technologies it is possible for Lowe’s customers to see what their home improvements will look like before they start renovating. This reduces purchase indecision and improves customer satisfaction.
Marketers can also use it to increases sales by recommending complementary products. It is currently being trialled at selected stores in Canada. It’s not particularly connected but it is cool, I tried it and it is a good example of why more and more marketers are coming to CES.
At the same stand I was introduced to an “autonomous retail robot” but that was just ridiculous and slightly terrifying, which just goes to prove, not all innovations at CES should be used by marketers to try and improve customer experience and increase sales.