Video Stops Traffic At Sun Diego
By Matt Pillar, chief editor
March 2015 Integrated Solutions For Retailers
There’s a place for interactive displays and complex analytics, but for boutique retailer Sun Diego Boardshops, it’s enough to simply stop traffic
When Pete Censoplano and his team set out to design Sun Diego Boardshop’s new 7,000-squarefoot space, creating a “wow” factor was central to its mission. Censoplano, VP of operations and marketing at Sun Diego, says creation of a breathtaking video wall would be the key ingredient to the chain’s 2014 store opening.
Naturally, the small business went about the discovery stage the way most small businesses would. Censoplano and company considered the do-it-yourself approach. Their first stop was Best Buy. “It didn’t take us long to determine that creating a video wall with multiple screens that run coordinated content simultaneously was far outside our realm of expertise,” he says. Outsourcing the design, build, and content management of its video wall concept was clearly the path of least resistance for the retailer, but as Censoplano shopped the idea, his hopes were dashed by another surprise: sticker shock.
Overcoming The Cost And Complexity Of Video Wall Construction
After realizing Sun Diego Boardshops would need to hire outside expertise to see its video wall vision come to fruition, Censoplano consulted with several audio/visual contractors on the project. Without fail, bids came in far beyond the retailer’s budget. “When we began receiving quotes of $30,000 and beyond, we knew we faced a cost-of-entry barrier,” says Censoplano. The solution to Censoplano’s dilemma came from an unlikely source. Grandview Digital, a supplier of popular surf DVDs sold at Sun Diego Boardshops, wanted a crack at the project. “James Ravenel, head of business development and sales at Grandview Digital, had done a few video display projects on a smaller scale,” explains Censoplano. “We shared our concept with him, and he decided he wanted to tackle it.” The resulting five-feet high by sixteen-feet long, eight-screen display now hangs prominently on a wall about eight feet off the ground over one of the retailer’s sandal displays.
The eight 46-inch NEC X464UNV displays that comprise the video wall are now running tiled, synchronized video content that runs seamlessly across the multiple screens. “In addition to their know-how, we were sold on the fact that the NEC screens they used are high-quality and conducive to the synchronized video we envisioned because they feature a very narrow border on the outside of the displays.”
Managed Content Creates A Hands-Off Scenario For Sun Diego Boardshops
Censoplano is quick to admit that Sun Diego Boardshops wasn’t looking for any complex interactivity or customer analytics from the project. “We just wanted to wow our customers and create a cool experience,” he says, “but Grandview helped us evolve our vision into a marketing project.” The video production company, which is quickly evolving into a digital display company in its own right, procures and manages the content displayed at Sun Diego Boardshops. That content comes from several of the merchandise vendors the retailer does business with, including brand names like Billabong, Quiksilver, Reef, Rukka, RVCA, Vans, and a host of others, and it’s refreshed at least quarterly to correspond with the seasonality of the business. “Sometimes it’s new product video, sometimes it’s advertising, and sometimes it’s pure entertainment, such as action video that promotes our partners’ surf and skate teams,” says Censoplano.
While the retailer isn’t yet going to great lengths to measure the sales impact created by its new video wall, Censoplano dubs the project a success. “The fact that customers stop in the store and stare at it is justification enough for our vendors to participate, and because Grandview manages all the content, a weight is taken off my back from the marketing perspective.”
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