Curated Instagram Posts On Touchscreen Look Books Tell Brand Story, Drive Authenticity, In NYC Flagship Store

NEW YORK – An iconic global fashion retailer is showing curated user-generated content (UGC) on in-store digital screens to tell its brand story and make authentic connections with shoppers, through a new software partnership between ComQi and Pixlee.

ComQi’s shopper engagement technology has been integrated with Pixlee’s UGC-driven marketing platform to efficiently deliver and update curated photo posts from social media streams on interactive “look book” screens inside the brand’s New York City flagship store.

Touchscreens located around the store are populated with scrollable Instagram photo and caption posts showing consumers wearing apparel sold by the store. Shoppers can navigate the screens to view all the latest curated posts, and “like” them, on the spot.

The look book program has been running for almost a year, and the retailer has recognized the benefit of bringing the authenticity of user-generated product endorsements inside its doors. “Their customers are helping shape the brand story, and that’s what’s really important,” says Tahima Begum, VP of Customer Success for San Francisco-based Pixlee. “Bringing that content into the store for them – the social media, the word of mouth buzz, all of that – is so valuable.”

“They wanted to make sure that the content on screens in the flagship always looked fresh and new, and used great content from their social streams that shows real user engagement there,” explains Stuart Armstrong, Group President of ComQi. “Shoppers would get that social engagement through screens, and that would not only encourage them to like posts and do their own posts, but influence them to buy apparel that’s popular with their peers.”

ComQi already provides the content management platform for the retailer system-wide, so when the customer asked about integrating social media on flagship store screens, ComQi’s account team looked for ways to quickly deliver a streamlined product.

The retailer uses Pixlee for content curation for its own online and mobile marketing activities, so ComQi’s developers worked with Pixlee’s software team to integrate the two platforms, through software application programming interfaces (APIs).

Realized quickly and easily, the result is a service that meshes with the day-to-day workflow for the retailer’s social media and marketing teams. Instagram posts curated and distributed out of Pixlee are now also posted automatically to the interactive look book screens. ComQi’s EnGage™ CMS sorts posts based on their data attributes, smartly directing Instagram posts that are appropriate by department – so menswear posts don’t appear on the screens located in women’s wear.

Begum says Pixlee’s development team has worked with other software companies to incorporate UGC on the in-store screens of other retail customers, but says working with ComQi was seamless and easy.

The store is using 65-inch touch displays set in portrait mode, as well as 20-inch touch screens set in landscape. As many as 10 screens around the flagship use the UGC look book, the numbers changing as seasons change and marketing priorities shift.

“UGC content is incredibly valuable to a brand, because of that authenticity, and being able to reliably update material that shoppers respect and trust in-store, without adding additional work or complexity for the retailer, is the real magic of this integrated service,” says Armstrong.

“They love it,” says Begum, of the retailer. “They’re super excited about what it does, and asking to do more.”

About ComQi 
ComQi, a wholly owned subsidiary of AUO, is a global leader providing a cloud-based Digital Signage & Shopper Engagement Technology that influences customers in-store through digital touch-points like in-store media, mobile, touchscreens, IoT & social media. Through ComQi’s EnGage™ CMS, ComQi enhances the shopper journey thus helping our clients drive traffic, increase sales & encourage brand loyalty.

For more information, visit www.comqi.com

About Pixlee

Pixlee helps brands sell more online and market better with real customer photos and videos. Powered by the belief that customer stories are the most powerful way to articulate the value of a product or service we help brands scale word of mouth marketing. Today, more than one in four Americans interact with Pixlee content before making online purchases and shoppers that engage with Pixlee are 2x more likely to purchase. Pixlee enables more than 1,000 brands to develop a more authentic marketing experience and create stronger relationships with their most passionate customers.

For more information, visit www.pixlee.com