If it ain’t broke, why fix it? That’s what shoppers around the US are asking after being inundated with ads in the frozen food aisle of their local Walgreens.
Along with a few other retailers, the national drugstore chain has begun installing digital screens where glass cooler doors once stood. The screens are supposed to display whatever’s in stock behind them, such as refrigerated beverages, frozen meals, or ice cream, while also offering key information like nutritional insights and pricing for those items. But there’s a slightly dystopian twist to this technology, and you can probably guess what it is: the screens also display ads.
Cooler Screens, the startup behind the in-store tech, says its screens use motion sensors and internal cameras to adjust their displays based on real-time stock and customer presence. But the company’s website isn’t shy when it comes to its penchant for bold, in-your-face advertising. Cooler Screens proudly acknowledges that its center- or full-screen ads “can’t be ignored,” which for many shoppers is more of an issue than a perk.
The ads, Cooler Screens claims, are meant to “impact” shoppers’ decision making during the “moment of truth,” when they’re just about to toss an item into their cart. Brands can elect to have their ads displayed based on the current time or weather; ice cream ads may be prioritized during the summer, while coffee and energy drink ads may be front-and-center in the morning. The stores that house the ads get a cut of the marketing revenue, making each display a beneficial deal for both parties.
The digital cooler screens at Walgreens made me watch an ad before it allowed me to know which door held the frozen pizzas
— Elwood Blues (@ElwoodBluesClue) December 31, 2021
Cooler Screens’ corporate benefits aside (since that’s who the ads are really for), some shoppers argue the screens’ other features have virtually no added utilitarian purpose. Shoppers can already see what’s in stock at a traditional grocery cooler by looking through the glass, and they can easily obtain an item’s nutritional information by taking the item out and looking at its packaging.
Cooler Screens says 90 percent of surveyed shoppers prefer its digital screens to a run-of-the-mill cooler door, but doesn’t say exactly how many people total it surveyed. Shoppers who have encountered the company’s newfangled cooler doors in the wild, however, have expressed frustration and confusion regarding the screens’ usability (or lack thereof). Many aren’t sure whether the screens respond to touch (they don’t) or whether the motion sensors are “watching” them and collecting facial recognition data. (Cooler Screens says the latter is not the case, but as we’ve recently learned, companies will say anything these days.)
Walgreens first began piloting the technology in 2018 and has since expanded to include more than 10,000 screens in its stores. Kroger, CVS, GetGo convenience stores and Chevron gas stations are also beginning to test Cooler Screens, meaning you may soon encounter one during your next soda run or grocery trip.
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