Is Coin-Op Ready For Portable Device To Brick-And-Mortar Convergence?

What a difference just a few years makes. It was not that long ago when the pundits were predicting the complete and total demise of brick-and-mortar stores. All shopping needs, they forecast, would be met by the Internet and would be accomplished in the comfort of their homes. Malls and retail districts would turn into wastelands of empty stores, where the only movement to be found was the occasional tumbleweed tumbling across a deserted mezzanine.

As it turns out, people actually like to leave their homes and shop. That is not to say the Internet did not and will not have a significant impact on how we spend our leisure or shopping dollars. But the fact that we now carry the Internet in our pockets has had a significant impact on options. According to a recent study by Euclid Analytics, a location analysis and branding researcher, young consumers want the best of both worlds. Millennials (ages 18 to 34) crave an online shopping experience in the physical world, the study argues. Portable devices and brick-and-mortar retailers seem to be converging. Nearly 90% of millennials want to receive communications from a store or business, Euclid found.

"This research clearly illustrates a trend: Millennials and other mobile-connected consumers want from physical retail what they get online, which is a highly personalized and convenient shopping experience," said Euclid chief executive Brent Franson. "As these shoppers walk into stores, Wi-Fi will create the new 'logged-in' experience that bridges the physical and digital worlds."

According to the survey, both millennial men and women would use in-store Wi-Fi while shopping in order to receive a more personalized experience. However, each gender differs in what their preferred shopping experience looks like. Some 68% of the men indicated that if a retailer or other business offered guest Wi-Fi, they would be "very to somewhat likely" to use it for faster checkout by means of a VIP lane. On the other hand, nearly three quarters of millennial women say they would be "very to somewhat likely" to use the service to get instant access to an exclusive gift, daily deal or coupon for that day's purchase.

It does not require a large leap of the imagination to see how this will transfer to family entertainment centers or even street amusement locations. In a business environment in which surprising convenience quickly evolves into expectation, FEC-goers may soon begin walking through the doors anticipating a personalized and seamless experience between the location and their device. Some very basic early functions might include bonus coupons for gameplay, tracking redemption points, and discounts on food and beverages.

Leaping ahead, it could look more like an Amazon shopping experience in which the location provides personalized suggestions or incentives based on past spending habits and gameplay. These might include invitations to corporate sponsored special events or links through which individual games recognize the player. You like driving games? Check out our new driver! Someone just beat your high score on our classic Frogger. And don't forget to order our new date night chicken cheese fries! Here's a coupon.

Far from intrusive, these features and perks may serve to build brand loyalty among millennials, even the most cynical of them. What seems to become clear in thinking about this location-to-device relationship is that such links will eventually become as much a part of the FEC experience as location décor and other brick-and-mortar amenities considered standard today. How well prepared typical FECs and route operations are to meet this seamless future remains to be seen, but right now the field is wide open.