News

Panphonics unveils new directional audio systems for retail stores

May 16, 2011

Panphonics, a provider of directional audio speakers, today announced that it has developed new audio systems for the direct delivery of messages in retail environments.

According to the company's press release, recent findings from Panphonics installations in 7-Eleven TV and IKEA, for example, demonstrate that customer attention is increased tenfold, when compared with display areas that do not install directional audio. The release stated that the increased attention has increased sales for Panphonics retail customers using the company’s Sound Shower loudspeakers, when compared to pure visual solutions.

The 7-Eleven TV Network has incorporated Panphonics speakers in a roll-out that will reach an estimated 190 million monthly viewers at more than 6,200 7-Eleven stores throughout the United States and Canada. The network, when completed, is expected to drive more than 2.3 billion impressions annually.

In each 7-Eleven store where 7-Eleven TV is installed, the Sound Shower speakers are integrated with two LCD high-definition monitors that will target audio only to consumers who are positioned directly in front of the monitors. The 7-Eleven TV in-store network will deliver around-the-clock programming with national and local entertainment news and weather, as well as exclusive content fit for convenience shoppers.

The kid’s area in IKEA’s Helsingborg, Sweden store features an installation from Gothenburg, Sweden-based sound installation firm Ljudbyran, for which Panphonics and Electrosound installed six Panphonics Sound Shower 1200 speakers. The Sound Shower speakers are installed discreetly in the ceiling of the kid’s corner and create perceptual audio channels within the area.

The IKEA kid’s corner design includes interactive video and audio, and leverages the Panphonics speakers for specific audio messages throughout the area. Panphonics Sound Shower speakers are specified by IKEA in their global store design blue book as one of the solutions for the Kids Corner.

“The 21st-century retail experience is a multi-sensory one, and the ‘Sound of Shopping’ concept appeals to brands that want to place an aural stamp on the worlds they are creating inside their stores,” said Kari Mettala, CEO of Panphonics. “There are multifaceted benefits from directional audio installations, including the expansion of retail space, and the true, direct message delivery to specific customers. We can now amplify customer engagement in an immersive way, and create greater customer satisfaction.”