24/06/2008 - Tchai International BV, located in Ridderkerk/NL, won the Superstar GOLD, not just in the group International but also the GOLD Award for technical implementation.

MOBILE PHONES ON THE CONVEYOR BELT

The display solution for mobile phones from Samsung is characterised by the fact that the mobile phones are presented like products at a sushi bar on a conveyor belt. The Managing Director Ed Tchai explained to us how the display was developed and how his company has positioned itself in today’s market.

dv: How did you win the order and what is the communication like with the client Samsung?
Ed Tchai: “We have been working together with Samsung Benelux for many years now and have completed some very successful projects for Samsung, particularly in the last 3 years. For this particular project Samsung was looking for a both unusual and exclusive option for presenting its mobile phones. Samsung wanted to create a qualitatively high but also unique, image in shops and on exhibitions which is quickly recognisable as being from Samsung. The PoS solution should, above all, be suitable for use in a shop window and have a high “stopping power“, that is it should strongly catch peoples’ attention. It should also fit to already existing displays.

Through developing the Samsung “sushi-bar” we have really managed to create something very special. The display really catches peoples’ attention wherever the display is used. During shop opening times but also outside of them people stop to get a clearer impression of what is going on in the shop window. There has never been anything like a “sushi-bar“ in retailing before. Samsung mobile telephones are passed by the observer just like at a real sushi-bar. The consumer can view the mobile telephones from all sides. A screen shows Samsung image films. The “sushi-bar“ can be delivered with or also without an anti-theft cap. The whole attention of the end user is caught by the freestanding form, the conspicuous character of the display with rotating telephones, gripping contents on the screen and a beautiful overall visual impression.

Samsung appeared with the “sushi-bar“ at the end of 2007 at the “POP Awards“ organised by POPAI Benelux and won. We received the golden peacock in the category: electrical goods, computers and telecoms retailing for the best display. We also received the Innovations and Creativity Award for this display. Therefore our expectations for participation on the Superstar were appropriately high. We are very proud to have also received recognition on an international level for our work.

“ dv: Which materials were selected for the display solution and what do you believe supported the high value impression of the solution most sustainably?
Ed Tchai: “The materials used on the sushi-bar were those such as MDF high gloss painted and acrylate. One most important point was naturally mechanical implementation. Round RVS plateaus with the mobile telephones on them are transported by a conveyor belt system. Perfect working of the materials rounded everything off very well and gives a high class impression – which fits to the Samsung brand.

dv: Can you illustrate on the displays which won prizes which requirements are concretely placed by the mobile communications industry today on a display or on you as the displayer?
Ed Tchai: “The mobile communications industry is a very fast moving branch. Introductions of new products change places with each other at a very rapid pace. Mobile telephones are very innovative and trend-sensitive products with a relatively short product cycle. End users always want the latest technology. So the product presentation should be very similar. To this end one needs innovative, creative displays which communicate a clear and unique communication message. This should aid the end user in selecting a product and support the salesman. End users want to take hold of the products and try them out. Anti-theft security is therefore essential.“

dv: Which branches are you currently working for apart from mobile phones?
Ed Tchai: “Tchai International is a specialist in the area of instore communication. It has been our profession for over 47 years now to get involved in everything to do with communication and presentation to the end user on the sales area. We develop counters, showcases, floor displays, shop-in shops and complete shop construction concepts. We are also involved with regulation and product range updating and category management. Our main headquarters are in Ridderkerk in the Netherlands and we also have our own sales offices in India and Indonesia. Everything we produce for our customers is “tailor-made“ and adapted exactly to their requirements, whereby we use our own creativity, innovative designs and extensive technical know-how. We are in a position to use various materials and can also combine them together; metal, wood, plastics, glass or aluminium, to name just a few.

Use of multimedia in displays is also one of our specialist areas. Our portfolio of services includes conducting market research analyses, complete concept development and installation in sales areas. The customer decides for himself which of our services he wishes to use. We produce in the Netherlands, Bulgaria and China. Tchai is, above all, active in the fields of entertainment electronics (Philips, Samsung), the automobile industry (Cadillac Hummer, Yamaha), home decoration (Akzo Nobel, Forbo), the cosmetics industry (Keune, Revlon) and for many other branded goods manufacturers from the widest range of branches on an international level. The experience which we have accumulated over many years in these branches places us in a position to realise very efficient POS solutions for our customers.

“ dv: Where is the trend heading concerning product presentation from your point of view as a global player on the PoS equipment market?
Ed Tchai: “It is well known in the meantime that the shop is a very important factor in the decision-to-buy process consumers go through. Branded goods manufacturers and the retail trade react to this by pouncing on the end user and grabbing his attention in the shop. The buying behaviour of consumers must always be the basis for PoS concepts. Branded goods manufacturers and the retail trade must therefore work together even more intensively in order to serve the end user in an optimal manner instead of against each other by “laying the knife on the table“. This means that, for presentation of goods in a shop, there must be PoS concepts implemented which offer the end user clarity, an overview and also an experience. Dealers are more and more creating a framework in which the branded goods manufacturer can profile himself without destroying the overview in the shop. However, not every branch is the same which is why this development is infolding at different speeds.“