Recognize this? You go shopping and the minute you show interest, a vendor appears by your side, asking if you need any help? Many customers experience this as annoying, a disturbance of their possibility to roam and look around freely. Skip van de Kandelaar and Thijs Jebson created a lucrative solution to increase your shopping experience. It’s called the Revealer.
The Revealer is an interactive product display with video content. “We came up with the Revealer to increase the shopping experience for the costumer. We started with the technical aspects behind the interaction. Then we tried to figure out what things in stores annoy us and other customers the most and we realized it’s mostly the importunate vendors. Also, there aren’t a lot of digital aspects in physical stores that help them fight the battle with e-commerce. In our opinion that’s because of the missing link between web shops and offline stores. The Revealer is that link, because it’s an online store with a physical appearance.”
Thijs and Skip have big plans for the Revealer. “The idea is to bring online stores to their targeted audience and to digitalize physical stores. As opposed to an old-fashioned shop, the Revealer is not bound to one location. It could appear in soccer clubs, gyms or any other place that the targeted audience often visits. People have less and less time to shop but do miss the physical experience of going to a shop when they buy online. By placing the Revealer in different settings, we offer them that experience.”
Mercator launch helped the two entrepreneurs set up a business plan. “To have an idea is one thing, but to start a business is something completely different. Everybody has ideas, but it’s not that easy to transform those ideas into a successful business. We had no experience with that process. That’s why we participated in the IMPROVE program. Mercator Launch helped us see the bigger picture and connect the dots.”
“Our advice to future entrepreneurs: stay positive and keep believing in yourself! Sometimes it’s hard to remain positive, because there will be setbacks. But if you keep believing in yourself and your idea, you will make it happen. If you have an idea, see whether there is a market for it and look for assistance. We found Mercator Launch and we couldn’t have done it without them. Also, be adaptive to customer requirements. As an entrepreneur you should be flexible to adjust your solution when needed.”
