Sony Selects Elo TouchSystems IntelliTouch Touchscreens for Retail Kiosk Installation
Sony Selects Elo TouchSystems IntelliTouch Touchscreens for Retail Kiosk Installation
For Release
May 30, 1996
Fremont, Calif.
Elo TouchSystems, Inc., announces that Sony Retail Entertainment, a division of Sony Corporation of America, has selected IntelliTouch® touchscreens for use in three listening station applications at Sony Style The Entertainment Store located at 550 Madison Avenue in New York City. Some kiosks serve as a listening station for sampling CDs. Other stations located at a central listening bar support an electronic catalog of products sold in the Sony Style store, while others enable customers to purchase movie tickets. The New York installation pilots a program that will be rolled out to other Sony Style store across the country.
“We selected the Elo IntelliTouch touchscreens because of their functionality, ease of use and responsiveness,” says David Spencer, vice president of Sony Development, a subsidiary of Sony Retail Entertainment. “The listening station kiosks are built into the product shelving, enabling quick access to our CDs and other material. Customers don’t have to select a CD in one area, and then go to another part of the store to play it.”
To listen to a CD, customers can make selections either with the touchscreen or by scanning the bar code label on the product. A menu regarding the artist and music then appears, and the customer uses the touchscreen to access additional information, such as tour dates, biographies on the musicians or related genre music.
Customers can also purchase movie tickets and browse the electronic catalog by touch. The kiosks for movie ticket sales and the electronic catalog are centrally located within the store to ensure easy access and to help control the flow of traffic through the store.
Reliable, Stable Touch Access
The IntelliTouch touchscreens withstand the long-term wear and tear that is inevitable in a public environment. The operate despite contamination from dirt, grease or splashed liquids, and are unaffected by scratches from rings, keys and other objects that customers might have in their hands when using the kiosk. They also resist electromagnetic fields generated by power supplies, electrical conduits and other sources often present in public facilities.
According to Harlan Bratcher, vice president and general manager of Sony Plaza Inc., the IntelliTouch touchscreens offer benefits to Sony Style customers. The touchscreens respond quickly to the lightest touch. They are also accurate and maintain calibration over time, withstanding constant use and environmental factors, such as humidity and temperature, that can cause capacative touchscreens to lose calibration. When calibration is lost, “drift” develops between the user’s touch and the screen image, which can be confusing to the customer.
“The IntelliTouch touchscreens maintain the screen-touch relationship,” says Bratcher. “What the customer touches is what the customer gets. Not having to recalibrate to maintain the screen-touch relationship also means that we reduce maintenance time and costs.”
The software applications for the 21 listening stations and the listening bar were created by Sony Development. The cabinetry for the installation was designed by James Mansour, Ltd. Each listening station comprises an IntelliTouch touchscreen with a 15-inch Sony monitor, two surround sound headphones, an electronic bar code scanner and a computer, all of which have been integrated into the retail fixtures.
For information on IntelliTouch touchscreens, contact Elo at 800-ELO-TOUCH (800-356-8682). Direct electronic mail inquiries to eloinfo@elotouch.com.
Patricia Brogan
V.P. Sales and Marketing
Tel: 510/651-2340
E-mail: pbrogan@elotouch.com
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