H ow can you successfully position a hospital receptionist and round- the-clock audio from a floral kiosk within eight feet of one another? SoundTube has the answer. The concept for self-serve floral kiosks was developed and patented in 1998 by Milton Vallaire. Milton, a lifelong florist, grew up work- ing in his parents’ floral shop and entertained the idea of a way to provide fresh flowers to the customer 24 hours a day. Over a seven year period, Milton worked with several developers on his idea but was unable to attain the solu- tion he desired. A conversation with his nephew Darren resulted in the re-launch of the project. In 2005, Darren Vallaire designed and suc- cessfully developed the 24 Hour Florist Kiosk System and brought Milton’s concept to reality. Three initial test installations were launched in 2006 and 2007. Preliminary test venues included a shopping mall, a hospital center and a flower shop. The goal of the flower shop was to provide customers with an after-hours self- service purchase option. The florist constructed a vestibule, similar to an ATM room, to house the kiosk. Speakers provided customers with verbal purchasing instructions for arrangements and orders, resulting in a source for flowers around the clock. After successful location testing, marketing of product began in summer 2009. The self- service floral kiosks at the venues are marketed and stocked by a local florist. Signage on the kiosk is that of the local operating florist and the kiosk becomes an expansion of their opera- tion. Customers can quickly purchase fresh floral arrangements directly from the kiosk or order them for delivery at another location. The Customer Experience: Through 16 glass doors, custom- ers view fresh floral arrangements available for immediate purchase. Touch-screen displays feature floral gifts, product promotions, relevant advertising and new items for upcom- ing holidays. Screen instructions and kiosk signage prompt the user to touch the dis- play screen to begin. Through a speaker system, voice prompts instruct the customer throughout the selection and purchase process, making the kiosk user-friendly and providing a more positive buying experience. The customer can either obtain a selection from the kiosk or order an item for delivery. Once a floral arrangement is selected, the item is purchased with cash or credit card. The door will then unlock for the buyer to retrieve their flowers or a delivery order is sent directly to the florist. A receipt is printed and the transaction is complete. The search for a new audio solution was prompted by a hospital installation where the 24 Hour Florist Kiosk was located in the hos- pital lobby, a mere eight feet from the reception desk. Since promotional and marketing mes- sages ran whenever a user was not present, the constant audio stream quickly became disrup- tive and distracting to the hospital’s receptionist. An interim, but undesirable, solution was to turn down the volume on the kiosk’s audio sys- tem. While solving the receptionist’s immediate issue, kiosk users were not able to clearly hear voice prompts, resulting in a less than optimal buying experience. 24 Hour Florist needed a speaker that would allow the kiosk users to hear relevant marketing messages and instructional voice prompts for the purchasing system, but contain that audio in a specific area. “I knew a product like that existed,” said Darren Vallaire, “so I did an Internet search and found SoundTube and the FP [Focused- Point] Dome speaker.” The focused-point dome loudspeakers direct high-performance sound to a specific area. The kiosk speakers needed to have maximum sound quality to provide the user with clear verbal instructions and provide accurate sound reproduction for the impact of the promotional and marketing messages. Speaker mounting and installation have varied by venue. Some locations have height limitations. The SoundTube FP Dome speaker selected requires a 13” clearance for optimal operation, so Vallaire is exploring new ways to flush mount them in ceilings for additional installation options. The 24 Hour Florist team currently custom fabricates all mounting mech- anisms to best serve the specific requirements of each venue. “Kiosks are seeing good sales volume; both florists and venues love it,” says Vallaire. “We have a backlog of florists wanting to implement the kiosk, and we’re currently working with realtors and agents to secure venues for them.” SoundTube Entertainment is consistently developing new technologies that enhance audio product performance. For more informa- tion, contact SoundTube at (800) 647-TUBE; (435) 647-9555 or [email protected]. CR CustomRetailer • March 2010 39 Tips & Techniques: Darren Vallaire Getting the Point Problem Solving with the SoundTube Focused-Point Speaker By Darren Vallaire The focused-point dome loudspeakers direct high-performance sound to a specific area. The 24 Hour Florist Kiosk speakers needed to have maximum sound quality to provide the user with clear verbal in- structions and provide accurate sound reproduction for the impact of the pro- motional and marketing messages.
Floral Kiosk article in Custom Retailer Magazine March 2010
Mar 10, 2016
Interested in our floral kiosk? Give us a call at 225-296-7890 or visit our web site at www.worldwideflowersdirect.com
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How can you successfully position a hospital receptionist and round-the-clock audio from a floral kiosk within eight feet of one another?
SoundTube has the answer.The concept for self-serve floral kiosks was
developed and patented in 1998 by Milton Vallaire. Milton, a lifelong florist, grew up work-ing in his parents’ floral shop and entertained the idea of a way to provide fresh flowers to the customer 24 hours a day. Over a seven year period, Milton worked with several developers on his idea but was unable to attain the solu-tion he desired. A conversation with his nephew Darren resulted in the re-launch of the project. In 2005, Darren Vallaire designed and suc-cessfully developed the 24 Hour Florist Kiosk System and brought Milton’s concept to reality.
Three initial test installations were launched in 2006 and 2007. Preliminary test venues included a shopping mall, a hospital center and a flower shop. The goal of the flower shop was to provide customers with an after-hours self-service purchase option. The florist constructed a vestibule, similar to an ATM room, to house the kiosk. Speakers provided customers with verbal purchasing instructions for arrangements and orders, resulting in a source for flowers around the clock.
After successful location testing, marketing of product began in summer 2009. The self-service floral kiosks at the venues are marketed and stocked by a local florist. Signage on the kiosk is that of the local operating florist and the kiosk becomes an expansion of their opera-tion. Customers can quickly purchase fresh floral arrangements directly from the kiosk or
order them for delivery at another location.
The Customer Experience: Through 16 glass doors, custom-ers view fresh floral arrangements available for immediate purchase. Touch-screen displays feature floral gifts, product promotions, relevant advertising and new items for upcom-ing holidays. Screen instructions and kiosk signage prompt the user to touch the dis-play screen to begin. Through a speaker system, voice prompts instruct the customer throughout the selection and purchase process, making the kiosk user-friendly and providing a more positive buying experience. The customer can either obtain a selection from the kiosk or order an item for delivery. Once a floral arrangement is selected, the item is purchased with cash or credit card. The door will then unlock for the buyer to retrieve their flowers or a delivery order is sent directly to the florist. A receipt is printed and the transaction is complete.
The search for a new audio solution was prompted by a hospital installation where the 24 Hour Florist Kiosk was located in the hos-pital lobby, a mere eight feet from the reception desk. Since promotional and marketing mes-sages ran whenever a user was not present, the constant audio stream quickly became disrup-tive and distracting to the hospital’s receptionist. An interim, but undesirable, solution was to turn down the volume on the kiosk’s audio sys-tem. While solving the receptionist’s immediate issue, kiosk users were not able to clearly hear voice prompts, resulting in a less than optimal buying experience. 24 Hour Florist needed a
speaker that would allow the kiosk users to hear relevant marketing messages and instructional voice prompts for the purchasing system, but contain that audio in a specific area.
“I knew a product like that existed,” said Darren Vallaire, “so I did an Internet search and found SoundTube and the FP [Focused-
Point] Dome speaker.” The focused-point dome loudspeakers direct high-performance sound to a specific area. The kiosk speakers needed to have maximum sound quality to provide the user with clear verbal instructions and provide accurate sound reproduction for the impact of the promotional and marketing messages.
Speaker mounting and installation have varied by venue. Some locations have height limitations. The SoundTube FP Dome speaker selected requires a 13” clearance for optimal operation, so Vallaire is exploring new ways to flush mount them in ceilings for additional installation options. The 24 Hour Florist team currently custom fabricates all mounting mech-anisms to best serve the specific requirements of each venue.
“Kiosks are seeing good sales volume; both florists and venues love it,” says Vallaire. “We have a backlog of florists wanting to implement the kiosk, and we’re currently working with realtors and agents to secure venues for them.”
SoundTube Entertainment is consistently developing new technologies that enhance audio product performance. For more informa-tion, contact SoundTube at (800) 647-TUBE; (435) 647-9555 or [email protected]. CR
CustomRetailer • March 2010 39
Tips & Techniques:
Darren Vallaire
Getting the PointProblem Solving with the SoundTube Focused-Point Speaker
By Darren Vallaire
The focused-point dome loudspeakers direct high-performance sound to a specific area.
The 24 Hour Florist Kiosk speakers needed to have maximum sound quality to provide the user with clear verbal in-structions and provide accurate sound reproduction for the impact of the pro-motional and marketing messages.
CR0310_TipsTechniques 39 3/11/10 8:40:10 AM
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