The Campaign

There are a lot of restrictions for digitization of retail stores including heavy initial costs and electronic conditions. These restrictions are inevitable, but can be managed. As spec cards for the retail store show only simple information, it is not necessary to display intricate contents. In addition, the contents replacement cycle is typically quite long. We wanted to eliminate PCBs (printed circuit boards) and batteries from the digital spec cards using e-ink displays instead of LCDs that require a constant power supply. e-ink displays only use electricity to draw ink capsules to its screen film. After contents come up, electricity is not required to keep contents on the screen. Our digital spec card is very simple and features an e-ink panel without PCB or battery. Instead, all electronic mechanisms move through the docking cradle for contents updating. To change contents, simply dock it to the cradle.

The Brief

For product R&D, it costed 40,000 USD Cost for development of contents management system, 20,000 USD Cost for H/W & system design, 20,000 USD Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is 99 USD (per unit)

Creative Execution

We researched and developed the new digital spec card solution for 12 weeks beginning in January 2018. Thirty sample products were manufactured. This March, our mock up products called “Samsung Eco Spec-cards” were installed at Samsung Electronics Headquarters in Korea. Soon after, it was installed and is currently operating at a Samsung retail store in Hongdae, one of main streets in Seoul where millennials prefer to shop. More Eco Spec-cards are being manufactured to be launched at Samsung retail stores in July in China, Chile, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Samsung Eco Spec-cards reduced the process of information delivery from headquarters to each retail store, as well as the time and the effort of operation in store. Samsung Eco Spec-cards have tangible benefits for the company. There is a 40% reduction in production cost compared to typical LCD products. Samsung Eco Spec-cards are good for the environment since they decreased *99.9% of the amount of electricity used, and *98% of industrial waste such as PCBs and batteries (*by standard Samsung retail store). It means not only efficient retail operation, but also real money and environmental savings impact. In 2019, Eco Spec-cards will be launched at 3,000 Samsung Mobile Retail stores all over the world.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The digital experience is becoming increasingly important in the current offline retail environment. The specific experience the customer gets through digital communications inside the store helps retailers build a strong relationship while increasing sales at the same time. Samsung Electronics plans to build a digitized environment at retail stores and reinforce Samsung's branding. The starting point for retail digitization is to replace the paper specification (spec) card with a digital spec card. Our solution minimizes initial building costs and infrastructure for digitization and provides customers with a new retail experience.

We aimed to adopt the simplest user experience design. The digitization goal of the spec cards is to display them consistently with each device across all global retail stores. Every retail store in the world has a different environment and culture, but our docking system is familiar to everyone. We considered the handheld user experience design, and applied this method to digital spec cards. Even when there is no wireless network, everyone can access the digital spec card and update contents without a complicated CMS (contents management system). All you need is to connect to a docking station and click the image on your computer to have contents automatically updated within seconds.