Nike’s Berlin Flagship Combines High-tech Gadgetry with Supreme Personalisation

Celebrity endorsements, Olympic partnerships, an internationally recognised and trusted brand, billions of dollars’ worth of global revenue – it’s very easy to think that Nike might have considered that it had the sportswear retail game sewn up. Continue doing what it’s doing and the strength of the swoosh brand alone will ensure that growth will continue for years and years to come.

But, the retail game, of course, is – and always will be – as competitive as a World Cup Final, and resting on one’s laurels is simply not a tactic that chimes with the company’s famous “Just do it” attitude and slogan. Instead, over the past 18 months, Nike has been seizing opportunity after opportunity to unite the very latest in retail and sports technology to create better, futuristic and digitally-powered in-store personalized experiences in a number of new flagship stores that have sprung up around the globe – and the Berlin store is one of the very best.

Personalisation Begins with the Media Wall

Approach the entrance to the Berlin flagship and you will be met with a 3x3 metre media wall – designed by Demodern – displaying images and live streams from the world of football. Live statistics from various soccer leagues are broadcast for sports fans, as well as real-time social media posts from the 11teamsports community – and of course some on-sale product information to boot. It’s all very welcoming for Nike customers, engaging their generalised interest in the world of sport, and putting them in the mood to buy.

But this is just the beginning – the second half of the game comes in the form of personalization. Using 3D cameras, the Demodern system recognises shoppers as they arrive – even from a distance – and initial contact is established. As customers’ smartphones connect to the free in-store Wi-Fi, Nike identifies and accesses data about the arrivals via the revamped Nike app, and personalized content is posted directly to the media wall – stock availability of recently searched-for items, push notifications and tailored offers.

The media wall also allows for multiple interactions. Customers can “push” the rich media content – including the live streams and sports updates – to their smartphones, and are encouraged to take a selfie, which becomes instantaneously discoverable via a custom hashtag.

The Multi-Touch Footwear Table and Replica Kiosk

Athletes in need of some new sporting footwear can take a shoe from the shelf and place it on the Multi-Touch Footwear Table. The interactive touch-screen table top uses RFID and video recognition technology to access information about the product’s composition, traceability, stocks, in-store availability, price, and even showcase videos of famous athletes in action wearing the shoes. Multiple products can even be placed on the terminal for direct comparison. Watch the short video below to see it in action.

The Replica Kiosk is an additional large-screen interactive display installation to the media wall. Football enthusiasts use touch controls to navigate their way through the whole Nike team range – “from the Barca strip down to the Hertha BSC Berlin fan shirt,” says Demodern. This is a piece of tech that works to close the gap between Nike’s stationary and online retail departments, essentially unifying the two for in-store customers. Users can find, customize and order their favourite Nike team products, view product availability in real-time for in-store or online purchase, and subsequently make payments either on their smartphones or at the cash desk.

“For retailers it′s becoming increasingly important to link the digital retail world with the stationary one in order to synchronise business processes on both levels and to deploy them in a way that boosts sales,″ says Alexander El-Meligi, Managing Partner at Demodern. “With the digital service tools used in Berlin we are optimising the sales processes of the store and the online shop and creating new added value for the customers while establishing a strong sense of loyalty with the brand and continuing the online shopping experience inside the bricks-and-mortar store.”

The Ultimate Goal is Personalisation

Nike’s Berlin flagship store is a triumph of technology-enabled in-store experience – of that there is no doubt. But, underpinning all the futuristic gadgetry is the retailer’s ongoing commitment to delivering personalization every step of the way. Indeed, the experience of using the media wall, Replica Kiosk or the Footwear Table is heightened all the more through the individualized connections that are forged with customers. Nike continuously uses a panoply of mobile applications and wearable tech products to build comprehensive profiles of its customers – data that determines not only the types of products that people buy, but the sports they like, their fitness levels, their favourite workout activities, and their long-term sporting and/or fitness goals.

With this information, Nike is able to layer in additional personalized experiences across all its touchpoints – and if the retailer can roll out its Berlin innovations to more stores around the globe, the excitement that such personalization will bring will only add to the attraction of setting foot through the doors and getting a truly connected experience like no other in sportswear retail. The last word goes to Nike CEO and President Mark Parker. “We are surrounded by technology and data, but for athletes to truly achieve their potential they require something richer and more meaningful. They don’t need a dashboard; they need a relationship.”

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