Karstadt Department Stores

Germany
Developer/OEM: Pixelpark (Berlin, Germany)

For music lovers in Germany, shopping for a new sound recording may never be the same. Karstadt, the country’s largest department-store chain, has transformed music retailing with a new touchscreen kiosk called Music Master. The new system puts a wealth of multimedia information at each customer’s fingertips—from video clips reporting the latest pop-scene news to audiovisual “tours” of music titles recorded by a given artist.

To date, Karstadt has installed Music Master kiosks in 165 stores throughout Germany. At each store, Music Master is linked directly into the branch outlet’s merchandise handling and cash register system, enabling Karstadt staff to respond to customers’ requests and queries instantly. For example, Music Master can alert a Karstadt salesperson to place an order for a customer on a title not stocked on the shelves, even before the customer has finished perusing information via the touchscreen kiosk.

The Music Master system was developed by Pixelpark, a Berlin-based developer of interactive multimedia systems.

“Music Master marks a first in retail technology,” says Stephan Balzer, a marketing manager with Pixelpark. “This is the first time that a multimedia kiosk has been completely and seamlessly integrated into a store’s inventory system. That link gives customers more options when using the kiosks. They can check availability of any recording and order it right away if it’s not on the shelves; they can pull up the very latest information on an artist; play the hottest new music video; or look at the cover of a brand new CD on screen. The whole idea is to make shopping for music a sensuous, audiovisual experience.”

Touch: Intuitive and Easy

One of the keys to Music Master’s success, Balzer says, is the touchscreen interface. “If you put a keyboard on the system, right away you leave out some groups that have a fear or dislike of computers,” he says. “Karstadt music stores serve many older customers who don’t know—and really don’t want to know—what an ‘F1’ command is on a keyboard.

“By contrast,” he adds, “everyone knows how to touch their finger to the screen to pop up the information that interests them. It’s intuitive and its easy. The touchscreen makes accessing information fun.”

To ensure reliable operation and a clear, bright image on the screen of each Music Master kiosk, Balzer and his colleagues at Pixelpark selected IntelliTouch touchscreens from Elo TouchSystems.

“We wanted a touchscreen that could preserve the clarity of the full-motion videos and other sophisticated graphics Music Master displays,” Balzer says. “IntelliTouch gives us that clarity without sacrificing anything when it comes to durability and reliability. It was a logical choice for us.”

“Virtual Presence” of Compact Disks

By enabling customers to order titles not available in the salesroom, Music Master benefits both Karstadt and its customers. Karstadt gains by increasing its sales without having to increase staff, retail space or inventory. And customers enjoy more choices in what to buy and better information on artists that interest them.

Music Master has also increased “impulse purchases,” according to research conducted by Karstadt. By providing customers with up-to-date information on various titles and artists, Music Master inspires customers to make more spontaneous decisions to buy.

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