only we could take all the credit!!
Over two and half years ago we began what has become a passionate journey that has resulted in the IF Music kiosk. Our goal was to create something fun, fanciful and enticing that would allow people to buy and enjoy digital music away from the solitude of a home computer. We wanted music buying to be just as much of a pleasure and a social experience as it had been during the heyday of the record stores when they were the place to see and be seen, and to meet and hang out with your friends. We thought our many friends in the retail industry could benefit from the experience as well and wanted to make sure that along with the attraction of the music their customers could be informed and incentivized about their products and services all along the way.
We have spent over 30 months dedicated to making sure every aspect of the kiosk, the software, the operation, the look and feel of IF were as close to perfect as we could make them. We tested and tested with scores of people across the country and with retailers in dozens of varied businesses. In the end we were sure we knew all there was to know about the IF music kiosk and its potential to delight music lovers, to cause them to tell their friends about the kiosk and service and the fact that they loved promotions tied to the use of the kiosk and the places that housed it.
On a daily basis we are thrilled to find out that despite our best efforts we had only scratched the surface of the possibilities. The surprises began with the massive interest that the finest retailers showed in our product and service. They continued when we were approached by virtually all of the major music labels whose crystal balls pointed directly to the direction we were headed and who knew that our favorite retailers were indeed their customer’s favorite retailers. We never considered the concert and music tie in promotions that major soft drink companies suggested pro-actively. We thought they had reached a peak when some of the largest ticketing and entertainment companies approached us with incredible ideas about the potential of offering tickets for the benefit of both customers and retailers from every kiosk…all without us ever having approached them.
Just when it seemed that we had been informed of every brilliant use that can be found for a magnetic and simple to use kiosk that attracts everyone old and young we have been shocked once again…this time by something that recalls the phrase “everything old is new again”…the coupon. It turns out that coupon’s are a very hot commodity. The current economy has certainly focused people’s minds on value and top retailers from Macy’s to the best in fast food chains have all discovered the amazing power of this simple instrument to drive and enhance revenue. So powerful in fact that value conscience consumers have taken to buying their favorite retailers coupons in addition to hunting them down in the mail or clipping from the paper. As of today there are over 30,000 listings for coupons for sale on eBay and the number has been growing monthly for several years now.
And so coupons join the ever expanding list of benefits that IF Music customers and retailers benefit from. These can be the “virtual” coupon that we envisioned all along…the promotion, the bonus item, the offer, the advertisement etc. that our kiosk displays at your command and can be tied instantly to a music purchase. They can be “new age” coupons displayed as a text message and transmitted from the kiosk to a user’s cell phone. Or they can be of the printed variety that can be saved and redeemed by the consumer…printed wirelessly and instantly via the same mechanism that allows your customers to buy tickets or that turns any location into a box office “will call” for every event in town!
Who knows what’s next? There are lots of clever people we have the privilege to hear from every day. The one thing they all have in common is their excitement about the IF kiosk and the potential for it to attract and serve people for a wide variety of exciting applications. From the very beginning we echoed Kevin Costner’s catch phrase “If we build it they will come.” We are delighted that this was more true than we ever imagined and in ways we are only beginning to fully understand. Our tremendous thanks to everyone who is enjoying the journey and especially to those that continue to find new ways or offer new ideas to enhance all of our futures!
Over two and half years ago we began what has become a passionate journey that has resulted in the IF Music kiosk. Our goal was to create something fun, fanciful and enticing that would allow people to buy and enjoy digital music away from the solitude of a home computer. We wanted music buying to be just as much of a pleasure and a social experience as it had been during the heyday of the record stores when they were the place to see and be seen, and to meet and hang out with your friends. We thought our many friends in the retail industry could benefit from the experience as well and wanted to make sure that along with the attraction of the music their customers could be informed and incentivized about their products and services all along the way.
We have spent over 30 months dedicated to making sure every aspect of the kiosk, the software, the operation, the look and feel of IF were as close to perfect as we could make them. We tested and tested with scores of people across the country and with retailers in dozens of varied businesses. In the end we were sure we knew all there was to know about the IF music kiosk and its potential to delight music lovers, to cause them to tell their friends about the kiosk and service and the fact that they loved promotions tied to the use of the kiosk and the places that housed it.
On a daily basis we are thrilled to find out that despite our best efforts we had only scratched the surface of the possibilities. The surprises began with the massive interest that the finest retailers showed in our product and service. They continued when we were approached by virtually all of the major music labels whose crystal balls pointed directly to the direction we were headed and who knew that our favorite retailers were indeed their customer’s favorite retailers. We never considered the concert and music tie in promotions that major soft drink companies suggested pro-actively. We thought they had reached a peak when some of the largest ticketing and entertainment companies approached us with incredible ideas about the potential of offering tickets for the benefit of both customers and retailers from every kiosk…all without us ever having approached them.
Just when it seemed that we had been informed of every brilliant use that can be found for a magnetic and simple to use kiosk that attracts everyone old and young we have been shocked once again…this time by something that recalls the phrase “everything old is new again”…the coupon. It turns out that coupon’s are a very hot commodity. The current economy has certainly focused people’s minds on value and top retailers from Macy’s to the best in fast food chains have all discovered the amazing power of this simple instrument to drive and enhance revenue. So powerful in fact that value conscience consumers have taken to buying their favorite retailers coupons in addition to hunting them down in the mail or clipping from the paper. As of today there are over 30,000 listings for coupons for sale on eBay and the number has been growing monthly for several years now.
And so coupons join the ever expanding list of benefits that IF Music customers and retailers benefit from. These can be the “virtual” coupon that we envisioned all along…the promotion, the bonus item, the offer, the advertisement etc. that our kiosk displays at your command and can be tied instantly to a music purchase. They can be “new age” coupons displayed as a text message and transmitted from the kiosk to a user’s cell phone. Or they can be of the printed variety that can be saved and redeemed by the consumer…printed wirelessly and instantly via the same mechanism that allows your customers to buy tickets or that turns any location into a box office “will call” for every event in town!
Who knows what’s next? There are lots of clever people we have the privilege to hear from every day. The one thing they all have in common is their excitement about the IF kiosk and the potential for it to attract and serve people for a wide variety of exciting applications. From the very beginning we echoed Kevin Costner’s catch phrase “If we build it they will come.” We are delighted that this was more true than we ever imagined and in ways we are only beginning to fully understand. Our tremendous thanks to everyone who is enjoying the journey and especially to those that continue to find new ways or offer new ideas to enhance all of our futures!
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