Doctor Scholl's is in ... Store

Kenilworth, NJ -- To help consumers decide which of its 14 exclusive Dr. Scholl's orthopedic inserts are best for their feet, Schering-Plough Corp. tested and delivered an interactive kiosk that measures the level of pressure a person puts on his or her feet and answers with the correct, new insert. The dynamic display won the top prize in this year's Design of the Times Competition at September's In-Store Marketing Expo."This kiosk allows Dr. Scholl's to deliver customized comfort and fit without going to the doctor," says Jay Morgan, senior director of foot care R&D. "Many people don't know their arch type and therefore are unable to select the insole that is best for their specific foot." The 14 new insoles are only available in stores that carry the kiosk.The kiosk first launched in September 2006 in Meijer, Walgreens and Famous Footwear stores. Additional units were rolled out in Meijer stores in January, and the company hopes to enter other retailers in the near future. Relative in size to a small ATM kiosk, the display measures 36 inches wide by 70 inches tall by 32 inches deep and costs more than $1,000 to make."We designed the kiosk and technology to be very inviting," says Morgan. "The silver color helps us communicate our innovative, high-tech positioning, and the blue color ties back to the Dr. Scholl's branding. The graphics on the screen were designed to make the interactive process as intuitive as possible."Displays are generally placed in the stores' pharmacy waiting areas. Dr. Scholl's hired an installation company to deliver and assemble the 250-pound kiosks, which are expected to stay up for two years.Named the Custom Fit Orthotic Center, the interactive display invites consumers to remove their shoes, step on the mat and touch the screen to begin. The system's 2,000 pressure sensors identify the areas of the feet that the user puts the most pressure on, coloring those areas in red on the screen.By taking measurements both when standing still and when leaning forward on one foot to simulate walking, the system gets a better picture of the arch support needed. After displaying the recommended product on the screen, the user can take one straight from the unit to purchase. Various research methods were used to develop the most accurate system. Morgan says the company conducted many "rounds of qualitative research in addition to a clinical interactive study," which helped determine the kiosk's structure, language and functionality. Dr. Scholl's then asked five display suppliers to submit designs, selecting White Plains, NY-based Mechtronics Corp. to produce the display. Footprint Retail Services, Lisle, IL, managed the installation and logistics.The company also worked with human-factors experts to create the kiosk's shape, getting a better idea of the U.S. population's height and weight ranges and determining the best placement for the touchscreen and handrails. Because many people who require orthotics are either overweight or elderly, the display features a concave "belly hole" to accommodate larger customers as well as the handrails to assist with balance. Schering-Plough created a TV ad to support the kiosk and, according to the company, it tested in the top 1% of commercials ever presented to focus groups in S-P history.

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