Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/803877
A P R I L 2 0 1 7 / S C T 29 hoppers have long relied on those static "you are here" mall maps to locate stores, dining districts and other sites as they strolled through shopping centers. Today they have got vastly superior navigational tools at their disposal, together with a new class of digital signs to help enhance the experience. Interactive digital way-finding kiosks in particular are generating interest at shopping centers worldwide. At Florida's posh, Miami-area Aventura Mall, these have literally become an art form. This 2.7 mil- lion-square-foot center's touch-display 3-D kiosks are wowing users through their zooming and panning functions and a layered effect that shows the mall directory receding and expanding. The stations also offer a feature called MediaPins, which creates markers on the map to highlight sales promotions, movie times and similar special events. The first few auto-filtered keystrokes on the kiosk keyboards will generate any desired location within walking distance. And the seven dual-sided kiosks are anything but clinical: Encased in a DuPont Corian facade crafted by Long Island City, N.Y.–based Snarkitecture, these smart-looking devices double as artsy 70-inch-tall landmarks. Shoppers seem increasingly taken by such technology. Mall of America introduced six interactive kiosks just before the holidays last year and got 15,000 unique visitors in the test phase alone. Among other functions, the kiosks provide step-by-step directions and esti- mates of walking times to various shop destinations. >> S