Article

Zain launches 'store of the future' in Bahrain

Wireless service provider's new flagship store is an interactive retail experience.

March 26, 2009

Digital agency R/GA announced the opening of Zain's flagship store in Bahrain, an interactive retail experience that utilizes the latest in digital technology. Zain is a leading wireless services provider in 23 countries across the Middle East and Africa providing a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to 63 million active individual and business customers. The digital component of the Zain project was led by R/GA London in collaboration with R/GA's retail practice.

"The flagship store in Bahrain exemplifies how digital technology can propel customer experience to new heights in the retail environment. It truly is the store of the future," said Bob Greenberg, R/GA's chief executive and global chief creative officer. "Zain is an extremely forward-thinking company. To partner with them on this project enabled all of us to create something revolutionary."

Capitalizing on a decade of digital retail experience working with world-class brands such as Nike, Verizon, and Nokia, R/GA partnered with Zain to transform the 350-square-meter space into a digitally enhanced customer experience that places information about products and services front and center. The modern store features multiple large-scale LCD and LED installations, world-class customer service centers, and progressive technologies such as motion sensor screens that change imagery when customers walk by, and "lift triggers," which display product information when customers pick up mobile devices.

SLIDESHOW: View photos of the Zain flagship store.

"We wanted to create a retail environment unlike any other in the world, an environment that's entirely focused on the ultimate customer experience," said Tito Alai, Zain's commercial director. "Zain's flagship store invites people to explore our products and services in a retail space that's interactive, informative, and entertaining."

In addition, R/GA custom built a rendering engine in Flash to show specialized Zain Arabic fonts. This feature allows customers to read all digital communications in either Arabic or English. Other key features of the flagship store designed by R/GA include:

• Digital Signage: A 65-inch LCD Welcome Wall promotes Zain's product offerings as customers enter the store. In addition, multiple smaller screens are displayed in several areas throughout the store.
• Brand Spine: A massive installation in the center of the store combining 14 large LCD displays and text LED. Store visitors can text their messages to the sign and watch synchronized brand images, ambient signage and dynamic text move across the LCD displays.
• Customer Queue: Alleviating the need to wait in line, customers can check in at a touchscreen display and receive a ticket or SMS message to alert them when a representative is available for checkout. Queue signage throughout the store lets customers know their place in line.
• Value-Add Service Touch Displays: Ten 42-inch interactive displays throughout the store, each describing a different Zain product or service. Touchscreens allow customers to find out more information.
• Promo Wall: A 16-screen motion-tracking video wall detects customers walking by and follows their movements with swirling, vibrant motion graphics. Four mobile devices in front of the display provide information to customers when lifted from their docking stations.
• Zain Create: Customers can customize their mobile devices with Zain phone overlays, beads and other accessories. R/GA's touchscreen tool allows customers to select from available phone skins and other available objects. A specialist applies the designs to the customer's device while they wait.

R/GA has been working with Zain since early 2008 to drive its future digital strategy. All proprietary technologies and digital designs are created by R/GA. R/GA's Retail practice works collaboratively with IPG-sister agency FutureBrand on digital retail efforts for the telecommunications giant.