Shinola Engages New Consumers with Old-School Tech

Shinola tapped old-school designs to engage consumers in a new way during the most recent holiday season.

The luxury watch, accessory and bicycle brand trialed the Picture Flap installation at its King of Prussia, Pa., location this past November and December. An analog display mimicking retro split-flap train departure boards, the Picture Flap grabs shoppers with its signature clacking sound.

Gareth Phillips, the Shinola store manager, said a great deal of people stopped to watch the panels change and even took smartphone videos. “We had many comments on how cool and unique it was,” he said. “It also allowed our brand to showcase many different products and categories, which was helpful.”

In addition to the positive feedback and interactions Shinola had with customers, Mario Hernandez, Shinola director of visual merchandising and store design, said sales of the products featured on the board exceeded the company’s forecast.

Created by Oat Foundry, an engineering design studio based in Philadelphia, the Picture Flap is positioned toward retailers seeking an alternative to static digital signage. The 1-foot flaps can be designed with up to 30 images, or they can feature a single image or message spread across in a sort of collage.

While billed as an analog display, the Picture Flap isn’t exactly low-tech as it can be controlled remotely from the Oat Foundry’s offices (as was the case with Shinola) or from a retailer’s smartphone or tablet.

Hernandez said Shinola is currently reviewing plans to use the installation again later this year.