Projects: Lowe’s Goes Virtual To Squeeze More SKUs Into NYC Stores

November 12, 2015 by Dave Haynes

Lowes-T1V-OneShop-84in (1)

Commercial space is insanely expensive in Manhattan, so if a big box store wants to have a footprint in New York City it has to slim down the number of SKUs it has on hand and get creative with how products are marketed.

One of the ways the DIY chain Lowe’s is doing that is by using interactive touch tables and walls at its two Manhattan stores – in Chelsea and on the Upper West Side. The two locations are about 30,000 sq. ft., or about 1/4 quarter of a Lowe’s in the suburbs.

The retailer worked with T1V Interactive in Charlotte, NC, down the road from Lowe’s HQ, to develop something called OneShop – interactive touchscreen tables and walls that give urban shoppers access to additional items not in stock and plays to the whole endless aisle idea.

 

The 84-inch 4K Wall gives customers the ability to explore and easily compare the actual size of appliances including refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, and washers/dryers. T1V’s Next Aisle Over software enables customers to view the products in 3D, review product specifications, easily make side-by-side comparisons, and to search and filter by product dimensions, brand, or price point.

Lowes-T1V-OneShop-32inTable cropped

The 32-inch interactive touchscreen table is embedded in a stainless steel table top, and gives shoppers access to rug and lighting solutions pulled directly from Lowe’s e-Commerce database, as well as customer reviews.

The platform also communicates with all 10 stores in the orbit of Manhattan area, with the ones off the island serving as fulfillment locations for the Manhattan stores. The technology allows customers access to the full breadth of Lowe’s offering, whether they choose to buy the products in-store, pick-up online orders, or purchase items for same or next-day delivery through the interactive touchscreen Walls and Tables.

Lowe’s has access to T1V’s online analytics platform, providing insight on key metrics like product views, device activity time, average session length, and sales conversions.

I like, and it makes perfect sense. The virtual appliance thing has also been done by Samsung, at some Best Buy sites. In both cases, the driver was finding a way to demo huge appliances, and their variations, without eating up huge amounts of retail space.

Leave a comment