ATLANTA, GEORGIA, March 20, 2018 — Passengers traveling through Dallas Fort Worth’s Terminal D get a taste of the future of retail thanks to a major expansion and high-tech redesign of the terminal’s Duty Free Center shop. Occupying a space of more than two gate holding areas, or roughly one-fourth of the total floor space at Terminal D, the new Duty Free shop is more like a mini high-end mall than an airport store. High-tech additions, installed by Ford AV, are key for maintaining a luxury shopping experience. The most striking and obvious installs include three huge, curved NanoLumens® LED displays that allow advertisers to capture the attention of all who walk by.
According to Ford Project Manager Sean Kupiec, the Duty Free owners wanted to utilize the latest technologies to attract customers and create a space where people would enjoy walking and socializing in. No doubt incorporating large NanoLumens displays will excite passersby and advertisers alike.
“The new Duty Free shop at DFW’s Terminal D may be the only store like it in the world,” Kupiec said. “How many airports have a ‘promo pod’ where store owners can showcase a product inside of a 10.5-foot-tall wrap-around LED display? That’s an incredible advertising opportunity for brands, a sales driver for the store and a fun, unique shopping experience for customers.”
Indeed, the “promo pod” is a feature space surrounded by an 18 ft. x 10.5 ft., 4mm pixel pitch NanoLumens LED display. This creates a 180-degree video experience around a central pillar where product samples can be placed. Advertisers use the LED wrap to draw in travelers who can’t help but wonder what might garner such special attention.
In addition to the promo pod, two 12 ft. x 7 ft., 4mm pixel pitch NanoLumens curved displays adorn the top of a product kiosk along the main terminal walkway. Because of their size, location, high position and incredible clarity and brightness, they are unmissable by nearly every terminal guest. Kupiec says it was a priority in this project to reach the maximum number of visitors with each display. Thus, NanoLumens’ high-powered screens were the obvious option.
There is a lot of visual technology in this shop, but the most memorable have to be the NanoLumens displays,” he says. “There are video walls behind checkout counters and table-mounted iPads for waiting passengers to kill time, but nothing compares to displays so big you can walk inside them. There are also two brilliant back-to-back NanoLumens displays that can be seen from 100 feet away. Such unique, eye-catching technology brings more people in and makes them excited to experience the store rather than just shop in it.”
The NanoLumens displays’ main function is to present an unforgettable advertising medium that gives brands a much greater impact than a printed ad or standard gift shop kiosk. They operate 7 days a week providing the Duty Free shop with a steady advertising revenue stream.
“We’ve seen increased demand for NanoLumens displays as retailers recognize how a large screen really brings in more customers,” Kupiec added. “Particularly in large transit stations, these displays will likely become the go-to option very soon. They are just so versatile in terms of size, shape, resolution and curvature, not to mention they are easier to maintain and have longer warranties than multi-panel video walls. The choice is practically a no-brainer.”
In total, Ford installed three NanoLumens curved LED displays, two multi-panel LCD video walls, six standalone LCD displays and 50 table-mounted iPads. Most of these interactive iPads can be found in the shop’s chic seating area, which looks more like a luxury airport lounge than a terminal.
NanoLumens displays are quickly becoming a favorite among top airport authorities around the world with installations in JFK International Airport in New York, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Changi International Airport in Singapore.
A key factor driving the company’s channel success is the fact that the latest generation of its patented Nixel™ technology meets certain specific European Rail safety standards for heat release rate, smoke density, flame spread and toxicity. Regarding fire hazard performance for transportation environments, NanoLumens meets the following European Rail safety standards: EN45545-2 (ISO 5660-1) for Heat Release Rate, EN45545-2 (ISO 5659-2) for Smoke Density, EN45545-2 (ISO 5658-2) for Flame Spread, and EN45545 Annex C for Toxicity.