Canadian firm’s interactive mirror technology sets retail and hospitality sectors buzzing
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A customer steps up to a new and very cool interactive mirror installed in her favorite apparel store. With a few screen taps, she creates an avatar of herself, allowing her to quickly and virtually “try on” a variety of different styles and colors.
No lengthy fitting-room sessions with piles of discarded clothes. The mirror can even recommend outfits and tell buyers what’s in stock. Customers at Brands for Less in Dubai and Puma in the U.S. are already enjoying the experience.
What is this new innovation? It’s the iMirror, a creation of Calgary-based technology firm, NOBAL, which reports that their product is having real bottom-line impacts for retailers. NOBAL CEO, Bill Roberts, reports, “Our retail clients have seen increases in ‘customer basket size’ of 15 to 20% by using iMirror. Even better is that they’re discovering their ROI on the product is less than one week.”
According to NOBAL, in one retail store’s experience with the iMirror, compared to a regular fitting room, they saw a doubling of both items purchased and sales volume.
The above is just one of the retail applications for the revolutionary iMirror. In the Fifth Avenue New York flagship store of Puma (a longtime NOBAL client), customers can use the iMirror’s built-in selfie camera and keyboard to send photos to friends. Says Roberts, “It’s been a great promotional tool for the brand.”
The iMirrors interactivity shows up in the hospitality realm as well. In the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler, B.C., guests use iMirrors to check weather, maps and ski conditions, and access additional hotel information.
NOBAL recently inked an agreement with Caesars Entertainment, to install and display two iMirrors at Black Fire Innovation Center. The center is a partnership between the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) and Caesars Entertainment (part of the U.S. hotel chain).
In the center, visitors can envision an in-room experience with iMirrors, which allow guests to order room service, shop, and purchase event tickets. iMirrors in the hotel’s lobby experience enable guests to check in and out, book events, view amenities, make spa reservations, tap-to-pay, and book rides. They also provide maps and kid-focused applications, while providing advertising opportunities for on-site restaurants, which can provide additional hotel revenue.
Says Roberts, “Not only does the iMirror enhance a hotel guest’s experience, but by putting other retail and hospitality services in front of those guests, it can boost the property’s bottom line.”
In today’s age where data is king, the iMirror can enable retailers to collect data and keep track of shoppers’ buying habits—time, average sizes, colours and specific fashions. Moreover, the iMirror’s tracking capability is providing a proven way to reduce the estimated $3 billion annual cost (North America) of shoplifting and property damage.
NOBAL, founded 10 years ago, is now managed by CEO Roberts, who was previously the founder and president of two companies—Real Storage Management and Calgary Archives Corporation. He expanded both beyond their initial Calgary bases to span all of Canada, before selling them.
Says Roberts, “The ease with which customers interact with technology these days is so different than even five to ten years ago. Products like the iMirror are helping traditional industries like retail and hospitality catch up to those buyers, and make them more likely to want to do business with them.”
NOBAL is just one of many high-tech companies based in Calgary, which is rapidly becoming a mini Silicon Valley in its own right. Alberta plans a $20 billion investment in industrial digital transformation, and Calgary companies like NOBAL are leading the charge.
NOBAL is poised for its own dynamic growth in the coming years, if their recent high-profile hires are any indication. The company recently added Sean McManus (VP, Technology), Daniel Maher (Director of Technology), and Lindsay Panchyshyn (Director of Marketing).
For more information on NOBAL’s leading-edge iMirror products, visit www.NOBAL.ca
CONTACT:
Ms. Lindsay Panchyshyn, Director of Marketing
NOBAL Technologies Inc.
403-589-3322 | www.nobal.ca | [email protected]
