Hurrairah bin Sohail explores the technology deployment at Whiskers n Paws, a pet shop where the AV systems are crucial to creating an engaging and excellent retail environment.
Whiskers n Paws is a pet grooming establishment that has opened a new retail outlet at the Lohas mall located in an upcoming neighbourhood of Hong Kong.
An existing working relationship with one of the investors in Whiskers n Paws led to Betrue being appointed as the systems integrator for the project. Victoria Yun from Betrue, says: “When Whiskers n Paws wanted to open up a new retail outlet in one of the up-and-coming neighbourhoods of Hong Kong located in Lohas mall we came on board to handle the technology side of the deployment.”
For the course of the Whiskers n Paws project, Betrue worked in tandem with an interior designer. Yun talks about how the collaboration played out in the initial stage: “The building has been fashioned to be a space station and there is a giant capsule and the spaces in general follow this theme. We worked with the interior designer to make sure that the technology was in line with their goals for the spaces. For example, when the interior designer asked for an ‘instagrammable’ spot to be created for pet owners to take pictures of their freshly groomed pets we had to make sure that the technology delivered. Also, since this is a retail space we had to take into account things like power consumption so that we could keep the overheads low. All of these considerations were factored into our work.”
The ‘instagrammable’ spot Yun references takes the shape of an LED tunnel at the facility and it has been designed to serve as a backdrop for patrons to post content on social media platforms. Yun details how this aspect of the installation was approached: “Our initial ideas for the tunnel were for an LCD panel videowall and this then transformed into a curved, bendable LED wall. As we progressed, our ideas evolved as we started to take into consideration input and feedback from the client and from the interior designer. We eventually ended up with an installation of LED panels, mirrors, and LED lighting to create something that was aesthetically pleasing and made the impact that was required.”
The process of selecting an LED tile for the tunnel was a measured endeavour. Yun says: “Our first consideration was power consumption. After that we looked at colour accuracy because the aesthetics of space were very important. We needed to have something that was high resolution and had a good refresh rate because we wanted patrons to use the LED as a backdrop for pictures they were sharing on social media. So, one of the things we knew was that we could compromise on the pixel pitch, we could pick any of the different LED brands available, but we could not compromise on refresh rate. We requested for a high refresh rate LED tile because we knew that the LED would be viewed and captured through mobile camera lenses. We made sure the LED we chose had a wider greyscale and better colour capabilities. And all of these decisions were to ensure that the pictures and user generated content at the tunnel would be of the best quality.”
Continuing with the discussion about the aspects of LED that were weighed up, Yun says: “We needed to make sure that the LED did not run too hot because people and animals will be in close proximity to it. And lastly, we had to consider how easily the LED could be cleaned. You have to understand that this is a pet shop and with animals there can be accidents. Based on all these criteria, we selected the Absen LED tiles as they were the best fit.”
Absen 3mm pixel pitch LED tiles were selected for the job at Whiskers n Paws. The content displayed on these LED videowalls has been provided by Betrue and it is scaled and modified to fit the dimensions of the display. Yun says: “We’ve done many installations with LED, so we are quite familiar with setting up videowalls and hiding power supplies. We were working with limited space, so we had to be creative.”
As a point of note, Yun adds: “The LED lighting strips were a design element that we added because they enhanced the impact of the displays as well as being a cost-effective way to create the aesthetic that was wanted.” In another part of Whiskers n Paws, Panasonic projectors are used for the community area. Yun explains: “Retail is not just about selling, although that is a large part of it. In this space, the client aims to host patrons in this space and hold education sessions to further their understanding about their pets and their grooming. To help them achieve this, we added projection to the space as well as a media player connected via HDMI. You can also connect via Airplay. We’ve provided microphones as well and with this solution you have a complete system to be able to use the space as you want.”
Continuing with discussing the variation of displays at Whiskers n Paws, Yun talks about another retail area: “Three Samsung 55-in TVs hang from the wall and they showcase advertising and promotional material for the outlet. Originally, we wanted to make it a curved videowall, but decided to go with the triangular version at the end to be fiscally responsible.”
To further enhance the retail experience Betrue added a dash of interactivity. Yun says: “The 65-in interactive touch panel is there to present the online shop. A lot of retail is now in the digital space so the interactive touch panel links the shop to the digital work. The touch capabilities of the display allow for the patrons to shop online with natural, touch gestures.”
On the audio side, TOA amplifiers paired with Bosch 4-in speakers are pressed into action. Yun details: “The retail space is not large, so the audio system is a simple one. We have a simple DSP, microphones, speakers, and an audio mixer. We have divided Whiskers n Paws into three zones, and the audio system accounts for this. The spaces are the education or seminar area, the coffee bar, and the general retail area. The playback is primarily background music to keep the space alive.”
Regarding Betrue’s experience of working on the Whiskers n Paws project, Yun narrates: “It is always demanding working with an interior designer, but on this project they were very open to trying new stuff. They listened to us when we raised points about how technology would need to be accommodated, from the LED display to the other areas. We interfaced with the ID with regards to things like reflective surfaces, material sampling to match different textures, making sure that the lighting was not too dim. I think it was our combined efforts that resulted in the great outcome in the end.”
Yun concludes: “The project is completed, and the facility has been operational for a few weeks. The user is understanding how to operate and maximise the potential of the AV systems. For the future, we would like to look into automation and apply it to Whiskers n Paws. This was suggested as part of the original concept, but we were just not able to implement it during the course of this project. I think the facility could benefit greatly from having control via an iPad with a set of pre-programmed presets that would toggle through the different modes of operation. We would also like to streamline the process of them uploading content and perhaps automate that as well.”