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When Palm, the maker of handheld computers and related products, ventured into the public areas of malls with its first prototype kiosk location in 2002, the company expected most business to come from current Palm device owners. But a majority of sales have come from other quarters.
Many buyers are new users, especially women, thanks to the environment created by B&N Industries," says Kanwal Sharma, director of Palm Caf�, Palm Solutions' new retail segment. Previously, Palm products had been sold only online and through other retailers; the company is now testing Palm Cafes in four mall locations.
 "Retail
is all about showing a great product, but the space
must be inviting or the customer will never see the
product." He says that early sales results are encouraging.
Adds B&N designer Kevin McPhee, who headed the project,
"The caf� is attracting new users by breaking down the
barrier of a fear of technology." Sharma says, "With
this unique feel, every passerby is blown away."
 In
a Small Space
To keep the project cost-effective,
Palm opted for a freestanding kiosk, and since the nature
of the space could vary from one mall to the next, it
needed to be modular. B&N, the fixture manufacturer,
handled design, fixtures, and graphics, working closely
with Palm beginning with the conceptual stages of the
project. Explains McPhee, "Palm wanted people to be
encouraged to walk into the space and play with the
product, so the space couldn't look too technical. Yet
it needed to convey enough technological information
to avoid alienating customers looking for upgrades or
accessories for Palm products they already have."
So B&N created a series of freestanding fixtures, modifying
the company's 9-ft.-high stock Sorbetti pole system to
include power and lighted Palm logo heads. B&N also increased
the strength and weight-bearing properties of the 36-in.-diameter
Sorbetti acrylic tables so that customers could try out
products-an activity made more comfortable through the
use of stools by Italian manufacturer LaPalma and lamp
task lighting by Artemide. Clear acrylic boxes mounted
to the poles present products and accessories. B&N also
designed a cashwrap showcase of MDF with aluminum laminate,
topped with Orange Sorbetti Acrylic and clear glass to
display products.
Silent Marketers
Illuminated pole-top logos, easily spotted from a distance, draw shoppers to the Palm Caf�. Product features are communicated through signage attached to the poles, customized with fluorescent tube lights from Hera Lighting, Norcross, Ga.
The Power to Play
With live product usage critical to sales, powering and securing the devices with minimal disruption of the mall floor offered a unique challenge. B&N planned the whole system of modular fixtures around a single power line that branches out under the floor and rises through holes in the floor tiles to run through each pole, lighting graphics and powering the Palm devices and security. Devices are leashed to under-table security boxes linked to a main box in the cash
Palm Caf�
Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair, Santa Clara, Calif.
Dimensions: 350 sq. ft.
Materials: acrylic, aluminum, steel
Design: B&N Industries Inc., San Carlos, Calif.
Fixtures, graphics Design: B&N Industries Inc., San Carlos, Calif.
Retailer: Palm Solutions. Milpitas, Calif.
Photographer: Michael Skott, Orcas Island, Wash.
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NASFM is made of up over 450 store fixture manufacturers with corporate headquarters across the world, and over 800 plants worldwide. Combined, NASFM members produce about 85% of the store fixtures manufactured through the U.S. and Canada. When you bid out your jobs, make sure your suppliers are NASFM members.
The National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers
3595 Sheridan St., Ste. 200, Hollywood, FL 33021
954-893-7300, fax 954-893-7500, nasfm@nasfm.org |
