Remember near the end of the first Ghostbusters movie when the group is told that the next thing that they think of will come and destroy them? Despite his best efforts, Stanz can’t help himself. “It just popped in there! I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never, ever possibly destroy us. Mr. Stay Puft…” enter stage left: a giant marshmallow man stomping through New York. Well, it happens.
The point is that however strong-minded you think you are we’re all influenced by advertising. Good adverts stay in your head, even when you really don’t want them to! That’s why the industry spends millions of dollars to this day, and it is why products are advertised even inside stores when you’re already gone in, intending to buy.
Product Adjacent Advertising
It’s also no secret that video delivers higher levels of engagement than static ads, hence why you see large display screens inside supermarkets – but only in certain locations.
So, why don’t we see video screens in the aisles, right next to the products? The reasons are simply practical: getting power to them is time-consuming and expensive and when the retailers want to alter the layout their choices are limited by the power cabling, they’ve spent all that time and money on.
Of course, stores could use fully battery-operated screens but making sure these are fully charged requires a daily charging routine or time and money wasted replacing battery cells, a maintenance hassle that no one needs.
If only there was an easy way to bring video screens right to the level of the eyeballs of shoppers, with relatively little hassle. Well, the good news is, you can.
The answer is the Wi-Spot 3.0, a small video display that is powered entirely without wires. Available in either five-, seven-, or nine-inch variants, the Wi-Spot can display compelling images and video right next to products they are advertising. Early adopters have seen sales double or even triple (details available under NDA).
Additionally, thanks to embedded sensors, a Wi-Spot can track aisle traffic to provide insights and analytics, so store layouts can be planned using data rather than guesswork.
It’s also environmentally friendly and our calculations show that over its lifetime our first-gen Wi-Spot can prevent up to 5,000 batteries from going to landfill1.
Wireless Power Is Real?
You might be thinking, hold on a minute, wireless power is real. Yes, wireless power is here, and it’s safe and ready to be deployed for multiple applications. Not only that, but it’s highly efficient – even more so than using batteries.
Here at Wi-Charge, we have spent over ten years developing a way of sending useful amounts of power to devices, wirelessly and safely. The tech, which we call AirCord™, uses infrared to send power from transmitters attached to mains power to receivers integrated into devices up to 10 meters away.
Rest assured: AirCord is completely safe, with certifications from all the major regulators worldwide, such as the FDA, CE and the IEC. Unlike alternatives, which send energy out in waves, AirCord™, power is beamed precisely to the receiver: a centimeter from the beam there is no energy transference at all. If the line of sight is interrupted the circuit is immediately broken and the energy transfer ceases, resuming once the obstruction is removed.
What happens if something in the store is left in the aisle and blocks power? The Wi-Spot display contains an internal battery to act as a buffer in the event of interruptions. It charges up in normal use and once charged can power each screen for many hours. A cloud-based platform provides management and monitoring, so retailers will be notified of any power interruptions and have plenty of time to correct any issue.
In most locations, our transmitters will normally be installed in the ceiling, which is ideal for distributing power. This is ideal for a retail environment where access to power will be straightforward. We have our R1 transmitter that can be used up to 10 meters in range, or our transmitter that can be fitted into a Track Light, with a 5-meter range.
Naturally, all content on the Wi-Spots can also be updated wirelessly using Wi-Fi, so it can be changed as often as needed.
Check out this clip of a Wi-Spot deployment in a supermarket in Germany where the screens are attached to movable pallets of products. These can be freely moved around inside the store to high-traffic areas with the Wi-Spot always maintaining their power connection, with no cables to worry about – which is neat!
Go Large
OK, so what about bigger displays? While our R1 transmitters are currently optimized for devices that could run on batteries we do have a solution for larger digital signage using low-power e-Ink technology, which are easier to update than conventional posters.
So Many Possibilities
While we love our Wi-Spots we’re not primarily a display business: we’re a wireless power company. We’ve created the Wi-Spots to showcase what wireless power can do, and if you're interested we’d love to hear from you.
However, the possibilities are myriad, with many use cases. One is smart locks – imagine not having to worry about your smart lock ever running out of power. Actually, you don’t have to imagine: Canadian company Alfred already has a Wi-Charge-ready smart lock available for sale.
Never having to worry about your smart lock running out of power would be great in any home, but it could make a huge difference in build-to-rent or commercial locations, where the time and expense saved by not having to replace batteries will be significant in the long term.
Wi-Charge would also be a fantastic way of keeping battery waste and wire clutter out of your home. Think of your electric toothbrush, over-the-ear headphones, or your game controller, all powered wire-free and always ready to pick up and use.
One day, you’ll even be able to pick up your smartphone from the table in front of you and have it ready to go, fully charged. It might not seem like much but one day it will be the norm, and you’ll never want to go back.
If you want to find out more about Wi-Charge then go to our website. If you want to speak to us about how our Wi-Spots can help you in your retail business or how we work together to integrate it into your product then get in touch now.
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