Impressius, manufacturer and marketer of the Impressius Box, which offers an alternative to photo booths in travel retail locations, has retooled its technology to create a remote digital photo mosaic experience.
The adapted technology has been designed as an alternative business stream in response to COVID-19 and helps brand clients to engage with their customers and communities remotely.
Brand employees and consumers are encouraged to share their lockdown selfies on Instagram (using a brand hashtag) or on a private platform. Once enough photos are collected, a custom mosaic is generated and sent to the brand as a digital file to share with its audience.
There is the option of the mosaic being printed on a range of corporate gifts – including mugs, calendars and mouse mats – which can be delivered to employee and customer homes.
The diversification provides a new income stream to Singapore-headquartered Impressius, whose Impressius Box photo machines can already be found in 20 countries. They are deployed by brands with strong travel retail interests including Absolut Vodka, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, Pernod Ricard and Whyte & Mackay.
When traffic begins moving again, Impressius said it hopes its photo boxes will continue to be popular, as they are hygienic in the sense that they don’t require the use of the touchscreens seen with traditional photo booth or tablet applications. Its devices are contactless, as the boxes are operated directly from shoppers’ smartphones.
Impressius Founder and CEO Nicolas Brunet said: “We’re hoping brands and retailers will appreciate this advantage once in-store campaigns resume.”
Impressius’ core product comes in two sizes, the main box weighing just 7kg (168 x 290x 320mm) and a Mini version weighing 1.6kg (113 x 111 x 95mm). There are just two technical requirements in-store – power outlet and wifi or a sim card.
There are four print options for images processed through the Impressius devices: sticker, fridge magnet, flip frame and a personalised label for packaging and gifting. There is also an option for the output of a brand promotional coupon.
Users are encouraged to post their photos using brand hashtags and store locations on social media, creating a stream of shares, likes and new followers.
GDPR-compliant email profiles are automatically captured so that brands can retarget and follow up on qualified leads. An analytics report provided by Impressius tracks how well a brand is trending and who is talking about it.
Brunet told The Moodie Davitt Report: “As the volume of travellers will be a fraction of what it was in the foreseeable future, collecting data of each shopper will become paramount.
“Over the years of collaborating with brands, retailers and their agencies, we have unfortunately observed that data was treated like an afterthought. The rich data that our solution captured was barely exploited; the TR marketing teams and domestic marketing teams often operate in silos.
“I hope this crisis will correct the lack of digital maturity in travel retail and that data will be treated as a first class citizen over simple ‘retailtainment’ gimmicks.”
Going forward, Brunet said his company will be focusing more on creating cutting edge digital and hybrid experiences post-COVID, enabled by augmented reality, social integrations and artificial intelligence.
