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Mall of America debuts helpful holographic elf for the holidays
How would you keep a shopping mall lively in an era when more and more people are buying their holiday gifts online? The Mall of America has a one-word answer: holograms. It's partnering with mixed reality firm VNTANA on what's billed as the "first-ever" holographic shopping concierge. Visit the mega-mall's Holiday Cottage throughout the season and you can speak to Ellie the elf (no, really, that's her name) for help tracking down top gifts. Ask about how to find an Xbox One for the kids, for instance, and Ellie will point you to the Microsoft Store.
The hologram isn't mind-blowing by itself (it's more like those Pepper's Ghost musician holograms than a true 3D image), but it's helped by a VNTANA platform that can tie a chatbot to a digital model. And no, you won't have to shout over the mall traffic -- there's a handheld microphone to take your voice requests.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:38AM (4 children)
I've been to the Mall of America a few times. Last time was 2007. It's handily located next to the airport so one can just pop in. on the way to whatever business brings the traveler to Minneapolis. They had a giant display of Legos, lots and lots of stores, a small amusement park in the center, a few displays of this and that, and that was pretty much it. The West Edmonton Mall was bigger and better.
Big shopping malls were pretty cool in the 70s and 80s. But now, with Amazon and other online merchants in the picture, they're obsolete.
The whole idea originally was that they were "malls" where people could gather and meet, while doing a little shopping on the side. They were not "shopping malls". But consumerism soon warped them into primarily being all about shopping. Most of them have policies against "loitering", and have successfully convinced the public it's somehow unethical or unfair not to buy anything when visiting. Since such is their attitude, I simply don't visit.
A few times I've tried to talk to mall management about making some changes, but those people have no imagination at all and looked at me like I was from Mars. Like, I suggested in their mall directories that they list the stores around the mall as well as the ones in the mall. But they see that as giving away an advantage and helping these outsiders compete against their tenants. It's like they really think the shoppers can be so easily manipulated by pretending that these other stores do not exist. I also suggested they put price tags on the furniture in the food court. I mean, why not offer those for sale? They're extremely tough chairs and tables. Yes, that furniture is very expensive, and there would not be many takers, but still, they could at least offer. I also suggested they make pedestrian access easier. But they have a major attitude problem with that idea. They see pedestrians as riffraff likely not to have much money, and would rather the design of the mall subtly steer them away. Crazy. I also suggested that they could put apartments on top or very close to the mall. Why not get into the apartment biz?
No, they seem unwilling to tinker with their basic formula. Most mega malls don't even have a grocery. When Sears dies, they won't have decent tools any more. Or home appliances. They've devolved into expensive clothes, expensive food, and a very few other items. Meh, let them die.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @02:22PM (1 child)
The Mall of America is managed by the Triple Five Group (which in turn is owned by Canada's Ghermezian family, along with the West Edmonton Mall).
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday December 12 2018, @05:57PM
You talk about the triple five group in a post ending with triple fours posted at 2:22 (triple two).
I'd say JACKPOT!!!
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:04PM (1 child)
The problem is not that malls are obsolete, the problem is that Americans have forgotten how to run a business. Perhaps because they only hire people from B-schools who don't ever rock the boat, rather than promoting talent from within.
Radio shaft, while never great, was a source to get parts for electronics projects. Then management decreed that all mall stores should become exclusively phone resellers, but the mall already had 10 of them, and they went out of business.
Sears had a wide assortment of stuff that I could get on sight rather than waiting to have it shipped, good quality tools with a no hassle return policy. Then a CEO ran the company into the ground just like he had done with Kmart to keep their real estate for himself.
Mall operators had a center that the community went to, then they threw out the small community stores, like tobacco shops, music instrument stores etc for the same black, white, grey copies of clothing stores and jewelers. They got rid of the snack stands and restaurants interspersed among the stores, and pushed them to the periphery. They removed "unproductive" art and park like settings to put in mall carts. They removed the bus stops to keep the blacks out, but not just blacks ride the bus.
I recently was at the mall to try to obtain some new clothes. Management had decided to not stock anything I wanted.
There is still demand for brick and mortar, but someone would need to cut through all the business cargo culting, and give the people what they want.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:54PM