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posted by martyb on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the fun-with-elves dept.

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.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Snospar on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:48AM (1 child)

    by Snospar (5366) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:48AM (#773370)

    Can't decide what makes it worse: the fact that it is clearly not holographic in any meaning of the word (it's basically a screen projection onto glass like a cars HUD); or the annoying laggy response to spoken queries.

    Then there's the shots of kids smiling and in awe... but we don't get to see if they're actually looking at the elf!

    Humbug!

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    Huge thanks to all the Soylent volunteers without whom this community (and this post) would not be possible.
    • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:46PM

      by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:46PM (#773510) Journal

      "annoying laggy response"

      That's what made the largest impression on me. It was the icing on the mediocrity cake.

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Bot on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:56AM (3 children)

    by Bot (3902) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:56AM (#773373) Journal

    The bad of shopping in real shops
    - limited inventory
    - time spent getting to the shop
    - no global competition driving down prices

    The good
    - interaction with real people

    The Holo elf removes the only advantage.

    --
    Account abandoned.
    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @10:06AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @10:06AM (#773391)

      Kenya suffered a sort of hostage massacre situation in a huge mall. Somalian islamists did it.

      Christmas markets all over Europe are now protected by concrete and steel bollards to stop trucks of peace from running down children and otherwise spoiling the festivities.

      Minnesota's Mall of America is huge. It's symbolic of American decadence, wealth, and power. It celebrates Christmas. Minnesota has a large Somalian population. Ungratefully, they hate America.

      • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday December 12 2018, @05:54PM

        by Bot (3902) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @05:54PM (#773557) Journal

        What's flamebaity about parent? it is natural to hate other countries. Tribal instincts and all. That doesn't mean everybody gets all terrorist about it, people are good, well, they only get borderline close to it, as any sports match will prove. Even those who claim to be superior to racism and class divisions start foaming at the mouth when what they perceive as fascist gets nearby. Intolerance towards intolerance or something.

        --
        Account abandoned.
    • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:25PM

      by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:25PM (#773770)

      More Good
      You get to look at products in person, which for some things makes a big difference. No need to rely entirely on deceptive photos and vague reviews.

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by aristarchus on Wednesday December 12 2018, @09:10AM

    by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @09:10AM (#773376) Journal

    Ellie will point you to the Microsoft Store.

    Evil Elf! Elf of Darkness! Black Peter! Worse than a lump of coal in your stocking! Pointing you to the Microsoft store? What acts of pure evil must one have done during the past year in order to deserve such a punishment? Surface? RT? Oh, my Gawd, the agony! The suffering! The technical incompetence! Say it ain't so, Santa, say it ain't so! (I am imagining a rehash of Dickens' "Christmas Carol" with Billy Gates and the Ghost of Computing future, but it would be too scary, and it would have boarders.)

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:38AM (4 children)

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:38AM (#773401) Journal

    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)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @02:22PM (#773444)

      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

        by Bot (3902) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @05:57PM (#773561) Journal

        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)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:04PM (#773488)

      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

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @04:54PM (#773518)
        • They're more likely to die of old age rather than become the feared monopoly.
        • Government is a vampire; it's a bad business that won't die, because it can just declare its income at the point of a gun—indeed, the worse it performs, the more likely its income is going to increase.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @01:48PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @01:48PM (#773436)

    "Ellie the Elf"? So how long before she gets sexually harassed ...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:26PM (#773652)

      I want to virtually fuck the elf girl, but they should make her taller and bustier.

  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @03:04PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @03:04PM (#773459)

    Then call it 3D
    In case we forgot the difference, A hologram changes perspective when viewed from different angles

    • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:24PM

      by wonkey_monkey (279) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:24PM (#773650) Homepage

      It's not even 3D. And a true hologram is even more specific than "changes perspective from different angles."

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk
  • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM (#773659) Homepage

    you can speak to Ellie the elf (no, really, that's her name)

    Why would we not believe that?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk
  • (Score: 1) by NateMich on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:21PM (1 child)

    by NateMich (6662) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:21PM (#773764)

    Parking at the mall is a chore. Walking around the giant mall is a chore, especially when you have people hawking shit you don't care about. Waiting in line at the stores is a chore. On top of all of that, everything costs more at the mall.

    Good luck with that business model.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:34PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @11:34PM (#773776)

      You are not the target audience. Stupid cunts with hubby's credit card are the intended user.

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