Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/439880
C o n s u m e r E l e c t ro n i c s D a i l y N e ws E ve n i n g E xt ra 2 3 Th u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 8 , 2 0 1 5 CEDN: Is this like any other product or service in the marketplace? TO: No. This unique patent-pending service provides the only platform where consumers may ask a question to and go directly to relevant video content. With Skipstone, consumers simply play their video, ask their question and get their answer! CEDN: How is Skipstone an improve- ment over what is currently available in the marketplace? TO: Skipstone provides an efficient, transparent and engaging way for con- sumers to get their questions answered directly from the source: the brand. Skipstone puts consumers and brands on the same playing field, creating a reward- ing, two-way communication experience. Skipstone creates a welcome sales bridge before and after the sale, first to educate consumers on offerings and then as a cus- tomer support tool to foster satisfaction and brand loyalty. CEDN: How do brands get started with Skipstone? TO: Using Skipstone is simple. Brands simply follow these steps: 1) Upload a product demonstration video. 2) Anticipate questions consumers may have. 3) Upload answer videos. 4) Map keywords and phrases of questions to answer content. 5) Promote and distrib- ute the video link provided by Skipstone. CEDN: What happens if a consumer has a question the brand didn't anticipate? TO: Skipstone offers the option to get answers directly from the brand by text, email or live-chat as supported by the brand. What better way for brands to make sure they satisfy consumer demands and instantly see new market desires than with this direct link to the consumer? CEDN: Are analytics available to brands? TO: Yes. Imagine a real-time focus group of actual shoppers sharing insight on exactly what interests them. Skipstone will categorize and rank consumer inter- est, show trends in market demands and Skipstone ( Cont'd. from p. 1) more. CEDN: Where can consumers access 'Skipstones'? TO: Wherever they the go to shop for products and services: the brand's web- site, websites that sell that brand and per- haps tablets at point of sale. As smart TVs become more common, we envision a future where people ask a question of commercials during their favorite pro- gramming. Of course, consumers will always find the latest Skipstones at www.goskipstone.com. As consumers find a Skipstone on one product and enjoy the experience, they will return to www.goskipstone.com to research new items of interest. CEDN: With all there is to see at the 2015 International CES ® , why should readers visit the Skipstone booth? TO: Visit Skipstone to experience the all-new product demo that we will unveil at the show. See the Skipstone revolution for yourself! Visit Skipstone at booth #75033 Sands Expo, Eureka Park. For more information, go to www.goskipstone.com or call 844-438-8648. percent of the U.S. market. CEDN: How is high-tech involved? JH: iBeacons! The next time you walk in a supermarket past the avocado display, your smartphone may spring to life and play a mouth-watering video featuring fresh avocados – all because it detected an iBeacon somewhere in the AFM avo- cado display. CEDN: How do iBeacons help AFM? JH: AFM is betting that this micro-loca- tion technology will take the brand's dig- ital and mobile efforts to the next level. The iBeacons will allow AFM to finally close the loop and make digital and offline/in-store efforts work together. The robust program of the Avocados from Mexico brand yields 1.6 billion media impressions. The iBeacons technology will increase the impact of that media buy to influence in-store behavior direct- ly with a much more intuitive and highly data-driven approach. No other brand within their category is yet innovating in such way. CEDN: What are iBeacons? JH: iBeacons are small battery operated BLE (BlueTooth Low Energy) transmit- ters that can be easily and conveniently hidden almost anywhere. When someone with a relatively new smartphone walks near the iBeacon, their smartphone will react. iBeacons are one of the newest and simplest forms of IOT, also known as the Mera Software ( Cont'd. from p. 1) Internet of Things. CEDN: Is Mera Software Services involved in other areas of IOT? JH: Yes. We have been developing IOT systems for nearly a decade, in areas such as industrial control, home automation, automotive and fleet telematics, smart metering, mesh networks, sensors and DCIM (data center infrastructure man- agement) – and we bring everything to Mobile and to the Cloud. In fact, most of the IOT solutions we bring to market are quite sophisticated. The iBeacon projects are rather easy and fun to implement. I can confidently say we are engineering gurus when it comes to designing and deploying complex IOT solutions. CEDN: What does AFM have to say about Mera's contributions to their 'Digital Guacamole' experience? JH: Let me pass along a wonderful note we received from Ivonne Kinser, Digital Strategist at AFM: "We are thrilled to have partnered with Mera Software Services to take our digital marketing strategy and efforts to the next level. As we aim to revolutionize the retail shopping experience of our product, Mera's well-skilled teams of software engineers and exceptionally hard-working staff and executives have made our journey toward digital inno- vation a true bliss!" Visit Mera Software at booth #71564. For more information, go to www.merasws.com. iBeacon is a regis- tered trademark of Apple. YL: There are more and more smart home products on the market. However, some of them are hard to use and some of them are overpriced. We have developed NEO Wi-Fi switches with one step easy setup and with affordable prices. People can enjoy an easy and smart life experi- ence at very low costs. CEDN: Where is your current product emphasis? YL: We have three smart home products lines: Wi-Fi switches, Bluetooth light solutions and a Wi-Fi module line that easily turns your existing home into a smart home by using your existing wall outlets and wall switches. CEDN: Tell our readers more about your Wi-Fi products. YL: Our Wi-Fi product line includes Wi- Fi switch, Wi-Fi switch with power meter and Wi-Fi light switch (wall switch). There are also color variations on these switches: blue/white and white for NEO Wi-Fi Switch, and green/white and white for NEO PRO (with power meter) Wi-Fi Switch. CEDN: Are you introducing any new Ankuoo ( Cont'd. from p. 1) products? YL: Yes. We are introducing our new light solutions with Bluetooth technology and a new Wi-Fi module line that turns your existing home into a smart home by using your existing wall outlets and wall switches. This would let people use much less money to experience a much smarter home. CEDN: What is your outlook in the smart home field? What is your compa- ny's plan? YL: 2014 was actually the first year of smart home products. 2015 is going to be the booming year. There will be three to five times more smart home products on the market than 2014. We see that the smart home has a bright future and we will continue to pro- vide our customers with state-of-art products that utilize but are not limited to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies. Our Wi-Fi switches, Bluetooth switch and light plug, Wi-Fi modules and multiple sensors will keep your home connected, from anywhere at any time. Visit Ankuoo Electronics Inc. at booth #70545. For more information, go to www.ankuoo.us, call 518-608-5518 or email info@ankuoo.us. homeowners are away. "Many of our customers have expe- rienced serious flood damage from burst pipes and leaks," said Kevin Meagher, Lowe's Vice President and General Manager, Smart Home. "The Smart Valve offers a new level of protection for their homes and gives them the peace of mind to know that if anything happens they will be alerted and damage can be minimized." Water damage and freezing account for 22 percent of all homeowner insurance claims, with the average cost exceeding $7,000, according to the 2014 Insurance Fact Book from the Insurance Information Institute. Insurance companies, like Liberty Mutual Insurance, are offering significant annual discounts to its cus- tomers who take the extra step in adopting Lowe's ( Cont'd. from p. 1) technologies that keep their home safe. The Smart Valve is available in Lowe's stores nationwide and online at www.lowes.com for $159 and joins more than 50 existing devices currently avail- able for Iris – including security sensors, smoke detectors, video, water leak detec- tors and more. Launched in 2012, Iris is Lowe's simple, affordable and scalable DIY smart home solution and offers the ulti- mate smart home experience with brand name products consumers already know and trust, including General Electric, Kwikset, Schlage, Whirlpool, Orbit Irrigation Products and PetSafe. Iris' open platform also supports dozens of other WiFi, Zigbee and Z-Wave- enabled devices. Visit Lowe's at booth #70632. For more information, go to www.lowes.com.