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From Ideas to Application: Real Cases Finish Line Finishes First Finish Line is a clothes and shee retailer with over 640 locations in malls across the United States. In late 2012, Finish Line was about to unleash its new instore POS technology to engage more shoppers. Although Finish Line was initially criticized for the timing of the rolk-out, director of store applications and delivery, Rob Baugh, knew from the start it was going to be a home-run. From previous research conducted by the National Retail Federation, Finish Line knew an astounding 95 percent of retall purchases were still occurring in physical stores. Thus, an opportunlity awalsed retailers that could engage more customers to make more in-store purchases. Baugh knew the goal of the POS system was to provide service to the customer, when the customer needed it. Before Finish Line could make any technological improvements, it required network upgrades and additional wireless access points. Mobile receipt printers were placed throughout stores to ald sales associates performing mobile POS transactions. To leverage the opportunity at hand, Finish Line implemented a mobile POS system to aid and engage shoppers through their entire in-store shopping experience. To enable mobile payments, it upgraded its POS system to a platform from MICROS Systems and implemented a customer engagement solution from Verifone. Their new electronic parment options included magnetic stripe and PNN-based debit/eredit cards, chipenabled smartcards, and moblie peyments. The multimedia processors were high-speed, color, and supported full-motion video for additional shopper appeal. iPod Touch devices used Micros' MyStore application and Verfone's PAYware Mobile Enterprise software, which supported all device transaction functionality. High confidence in the success of the new system led to a 36-store, 3-month pilot program from May to August. Each store featured five mobile devicos that could process a variety of business activities. Customers appreciated using the mobile POS units to interact with sales associates. The overall results of the pilot were very positive and one month later, the positive results led to a companywide roll-out, right before the crucial holiday season. Finish Line issued five devices per store and edded bsrcode scanners to allow users to conduct price checking and inventory management processes. Transactions completed on the mobile units are sent through the retsiler's centralized system to consolidate its sales and inventory data. Finish Line's new POS system and mobile payments acceptance has changed its in-store shopping experience. Finlsh Line did its research and pursued an opportunity to change in-store consumers' shopping experience and put the customer first. Source: Amato-McCoy, D. M. (2012). Perfect Timing Chain Store Aqe, 88[7], 28-28. Thinking About the Case 1. Why do retailers want to provide customers with more productservice information when they come into a retail store? 2. How does Flnish Line put the customer first? 3. Why is it important to monitor the results of newly implemented technology, even when it is previously deemed successful? 4. Would you be more inclined to shop at Finish Line or one of their competitors, and why? Realizing the Goal Helps Reach Results Businesses aiming to expand, gain a larger market share, or compete with compethors can accomplish these goals through reducing costs, raising barriers to market entrants, or creating new products or services. Additionally, each of these goals can be accompliahed through the use of innovative technologies. When companies explore uses for innovative technologies with a specified goal in mind, they can experience tremendous results in their attempts in shaping consumer behavior, changing their shopping experience, or even altering the backhouse operations. Other times, when technology reaches maturity, it has other unforesoen uses. In both of the following short case examples, the exhibited company uses tochnological innovations to either differentiate itself in the market place, attract new customers, lock in customers, offer a now peoduct or servico, or some combination of the previous. Pespod is an online grosery ordering service provider whose goal was to use branding as a way to promote an innavative product-sarvice combination. Pespod placed virtual walls in commuter rail stations and other public locations that looked like products on a grocer's shelves. These virtual walls offered branding and advertising which attracted customers and served as a reminder of Peapod's innovative service which is online grocery ordering and delivery. Shoppers can use the Peapod app on their smartphone to order greceries and have them delivered the next day. Although their technology is changing the way consumers approach 64 The Information Age