Article
New Balance builds brand engagement at Foot Locker flagship
The sneaker brand recently launched its 574 customization kiosk that turns shoppers into shoe designers.
September 26, 2013 by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group
The New Balance brand is known as a bit of a personalization innovator in the retail sneaker game. The company launched its online customization tool for its signature New Balance 574 sneaker more than two years ago, successfully building a legion of loyal customers proud to step into their unique "Made in the U.S." soles.
And last month at the Foot Locker flagship store in New York's Times Square, the more than 100-year-old brand introduced the physical version of the customization tool — an interactive touchscreen kiosk that allows shoppers to design everything from laces and logos to fabric and heel phrases.
According to Foot Locker, the combinations are nothing short of dizzying — "all adding up to a total of 48,000,000,000,000,000 combinations (that's 48 quadrillion or 48,000 billion for those keeping track)."
Foot Locker even invited Labor Day visitors to the Big Apple to stop by and see the new kiosk with a post on its Facebook page:
The kiosk installment was conceptualized and designed by the Chicago-based firm Upshot. The company posted the following on a blog highlighting the project:
Displayed materials, color options, shoe laces and example shoes inspire creativity and individuality. The touchscreen display lets shoppers scroll through all the options and build their shoe from the endless combinations only limited by their imagination.
The interactive screens are situated above merchandising displays featuring various color combinations of the 574, giving shoppers the opportunity to touch, feel and see the real-life product while they design their custom kicks. Not forgetting the importance of social media, the kiosk also enables shoppers to share their designs on Facebook or Twitter directly from the screen.
The video below shows a time-lapse view of the kiosk's construction:
Read more about in-store media.
