personalisation | SunMatrix Ramble

The Adaptive Storefront: BLE Retail Display

Shop windows, billboards, bus stops, and car showrooms do not have to be passive experiences. In the video below, a prototype interactive digital display adapts to whoever stands in front of it.

The display identifies shoppers using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and reacts to personal data stored on the shopper’s mobile device, such as shopping habits and preferences. Shoppers can swipe through personalised content, place items in a virtual shopping cart, and purchase straight from the display.

When glass turns into a shoppable interface

This “adaptive storefront” concept takes a familiar retail surface and makes it behave like a storefront UI. Here, “adaptive storefront” means the window can recognise a nearby device via BLE and change what it shows based on data available on that device. Not a poster. Not a looped video. A live interface that changes per person and lets you complete an action while you are still in that high-intent moment of attention.

How the prototype behaves in front of a shopper

Detect. BLE proximity is used to recognise that a specific shopper is present.
Adapt. The display adjusts what it shows based on data available on the shopper’s phone.
Let the shopper drive. Swiping changes what is on screen, rather than forcing a fixed sequence.
Close the loop. Items can be added to a cart and purchased directly from the display.

In physical retail environments, the storefront is the first high-attention interface a brand controls before a shopper reaches the shelf.

Why it lands

Because the display can recognise a nearby device and accept input on the surface, it compresses discovery, consideration, and purchase into one interaction. The value is not the novelty of a “smart window”. It is the reduction of steps between interest and action, while the shopper’s intent is still fresh. The real question is whether you can do that with clear permission and control, not silent personalisation.

Extractable takeaway: A surface becomes valuable when it combines context with immediate action. Personalisation only earns its keep when it removes friction and helps a shopper decide faster, not when it merely looks clever.

What it is really trying to unlock for brands

Behind the demo is a clear ambition. Turn high-footfall surfaces into conversion surfaces. If the experience is permissioned and useful, it can bridge the gap between physical browsing and digital checkout without forcing a shopper to open an app, search, and start over.

That also hints at a measurement upgrade. A storefront that can be interacted with can be instrumented. What people swipe. What they ignore. What they add. Where they drop. That is a very different feedback loop than counting impressions.

Practical takeaways for adaptive storefronts

Start with one job-to-be-done. For example, “help me shortlist”, “show me what is in stock”, or “let me buy in two taps”.
Make control obvious. If swiping is the interaction, design the UI so people understand it in one second.
Keep data minimal and on-device. Use only what is needed to improve relevance, and avoid making the experience feel intrusive.
Design for the environment. Glare, distance, dwell time, and group behaviour change everything compared to mobile UX.
Plan the opt-in moment. The experience works best when the shopper understands why the screen adapts and what they get in return.

A few fast answers before you act

What is an “adaptive storefront” in plain terms?

It is a storefront display that changes what it shows based on who is standing in front of it, and lets the shopper interact and buy directly on the surface.

Why use BLE for this type of experience?

BLE enables low-power proximity detection, so a display can recognise a nearby device and trigger the right experience without requiring scanning a code each time.

What data is needed to personalise the display?

Only enough to improve relevance. For example, stated preferences, browsing history, or saved items, ideally kept on the shopper’s phone and shared with clear permission.

What makes this feel useful instead of creepy?

Permission, transparency, and value. The shopper should understand what is happening, control it, and get something meaningfully better than a generic screen.

What should you measure in a pilot?

Opt-in rate, interaction rate, add-to-cart rate, conversion rate, and whether the experience reduces time-to-decision without increasing drop-off.

Coca-Cola Mini Me: 3D-Printed Mini Figurines

After Volkswagen, Coca-Cola is the next brand to tap the 3D printing trend.

For the launch of its new mini bottles in Israel, Coca-Cola with their agency Gefem Team came up with a campaign that allowed anyone to create 3D mini figurines of themselves. To get one in real life, users had to work a bit.

So first users created the minis using a mobile app. Then they had to keep them happy by feeding it and taking care of its needs.

There was even a virtual supermarket within the app that you could visit to buy your groceries for your mini self.

Those who successfully participated were then invited to the 3D printing lab inside Coca-Cola’s factory in Israel, where they received the mini versions of themselves.

Why this is more than a 3D-printing stunt

The 3D print is the reward, not the whole experience. The real engine is the progression loop, meaning a sequence of small repeat actions that earn a bigger payoff. This is smart campaign design because it makes the physical output feel earned, not handed out. The real question is whether your campaign creates a loop people will return to before you ask them to share anything.

Extractable takeaway: Gate a physical prize behind repeat micro-actions and it stops feeling like a giveaway. It becomes a trophy with a simple story: “I earned this.”

Personal creation. You do not receive a generic giveaway. You create “you”.
Ongoing engagement. Feeding and caring builds repeated interactions over time.
Escalation to the physical world. The factory lab visit turns digital participation into a memorable moment.

The virtual care loop makes the prize feel earned

The app mechanic is intentionally effortful. You have to keep the mini happy. You have to manage its needs. Even the virtual supermarket reinforces routine and “ownership”.

That matters because it shifts the figurine from a freebie into a trophy. Something you earned by participating.

In consumer brands that run digital-to-physical activations, effortful repeat interaction is often what turns novelty into recall.

Why the factory lab invitation is a smart finale

Bringing people into a Coca-Cola factory adds legitimacy and drama. It also creates a content moment. A physical place, a “lab”, and a 3D print reveal that people can photograph and share.

Access as a reward. The invitation itself feels exclusive.
Proof of innovation. The brand demonstrates capability in a tangible way.
Memory value. The experience becomes a story, not just a product launch.

What to take from this if you build digital-to-physical campaigns

Make the reward personal. Personal outputs are more meaningful and more shareable.
Use a progression loop. Repeated small actions can outperform a single big interaction.
Finish with a real-world moment. Physical experiences create stronger recall than purely digital stunts.
Let the brand environment play a role. A factory lab gives credibility and theatre without feeling fake.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Coca-Cola “Mini Me”?

It is a campaign in Israel where users created a virtual mini-self in a mobile app, cared for it over time, and then received a 3D-printed figurine version after qualifying.

How did users qualify to get a real figurine?

They created the mini using the app and kept it happy by feeding it and taking care of its needs, including buying items in a virtual supermarket.

Where did the 3D printing happen?

Qualified participants were invited to a 3D printing lab inside Coca-Cola’s factory in Israel, where they received their mini figurines.

Why include a virtual care mechanic?

It creates repeat engagement and makes the physical reward feel earned rather than given away.

What is the transferable lesson for campaign design?

If you combine personal creation with a progression loop and a physical payoff, you can turn a product launch into a longer-lasting experience.

Coca-Cola: Personal Road

Coca-Cola has an ongoing global campaign that allows consumers to personalise bottles and cans…

The real question is how you extend a personalization promise beyond the package without turning it into a gimmick.

Building on the success of this campaign Coca-Cola Israel decided to take the idea further with personalised billboards.

A mobile app was developed where consumers could enter their name. Then using geo-fence technology, the Coca-Cola billboard displayed the name when it was approached. Geofencing here means the app detects when you enter a defined area around the billboard. The same trigger also sends a phone message, which is what makes the public moment feel personal and easy to share.

In global consumer brands running mass-personalization campaigns, this kind of simple, location-triggered reveal is a clean way to turn a name into a real-world moment.

Since its launch the app has reached 100,000 downloads and is currently ranked #1 in Israel’s app store.

Why this extension makes sense

It keeps the original “Share a Coke” promise intact, then amplifies it with one visible surprise that is immediately confirmed on the device you are already holding.

Extractable takeaway: If you want personalization to stick, pair one unmistakably personal output people can see with one immediate confirmation they can keep.

It keeps the personalization promise. The name is not only on the package. It shows up in the world around you.
Location makes it feel “for me”. The moment you approach the billboard, the experience becomes uniquely yours.
Mobile closes the loop. The phone notification confirms the moment and turns it into something you can share.

The reusable pattern

Start with a personalization mechanic people already understand. Then add a single “surprise and confirm” moment in the real world, powered by location and a simple mobile action.

Keep the input tiny. Ask for one thing, like a name, and make it obvious what happens next.
Make the output public and specific. Put the person’s name somewhere they cannot miss in the real world.
Confirm on mobile. Send a message at the same moment so the experience is memorable and shareable.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Coca-Cola “Personal Road”?

It is a Coca-Cola Israel extension of the personalised-name campaign that uses a mobile app and geofencing so a billboard displays your name as you approach, and your phone notifies you.

How does the billboard know when to show a name?

The app uses geo-fence technology to detect proximity, then triggers the personalised billboard moment when the user approaches.

Why pair the billboard moment with a smartphone message?

The message confirms what just happened and makes it easy for the consumer to capture and share the experience.

What is the key takeaway for location-based campaigns?

Make the rule simple and the payoff instant: one input from the consumer, one visible personalised output, and one mobile confirmation that seals the memory.