Skechers has added an interactive hologram experience to its flagship store in downtown Manhattan Beach, California. The Proto Hologram lets visitors interact and take selfies with Skechers ambassador Howie Mandel, and receive a discount code for their Skechers purchase.
The installation is a full-sized Proto Luma unit with a touch screen, high-fidelity speakers and 4K video. According to the local news report, it is the first permanent in-store Proto installation with a major brand, and the first Proto retail experience that enables an actual transaction, allowing customers to unlock discounts and make purchases.
How the experience works
Visitors touch the screen to take a selfie with a life-size hologram of Mandel. Skechers president and CEO Michael Greenberg said the live link means Mandel can be anywhere in the world, tie into the Proto box in the store and see what is going on. Proto Hologram founder David Nussbaum said that when Mandel cannot beam in, an AI avatar takes over and can speak with shoppers in other languages and dialects in his voice.
Why Skechers did it
Greenberg said the company does not want to be just a footwear store and wants shoppers to have fun. He said he visited Proto's studio, liked what he saw and proposed trying it in a Skechers store to see whether it would grow. Proto Hologram is based in Van Nuys, California.
