CASE STUDY: GURU SPORTS

Samsung Displays and Galaxy Tablets Help Revolutionize the Bike Fitting Experience

OVERVIEW

Customer NeedGuru Sports makes a computerized fitting system used by bike retailers to help riders select the right bike and accessories. In developing the next-generation Guru Fit System, it needed a high-quality, reliable display so that riders could visualize their posture, movement, and performance. Additionally, Guru sought a complementary tablet so that sales associates could better engage with customers during a fitting.

Samsung SolutionGuru Sports selected Samsung’s ME Series commercial display and Galaxy Tab 3 10.1” as the customer and operator interfaces for the new Guru Fit System. The slim LED edge-lit ME Series connects to an HD camera to display the rider’s image cycling through simulated courses. The Samsung Galaxy Tab enables the sales associate to change biking conditions during the fitting and recommend bikes and accessories based on the rider’s experience.

ResultsThe new Guru Fit System with the Samsung ME Series commercial display and Galaxy Tab has made the fitting experience more accessible, engaging and efficient. Over 80% of the bike retailers who have deployed the new Guru Fit System have reported an increase in sales and close rates. The Samsung display also doubles as a digital signage display when a fitting is not in progress, opening new marketing opportunities for Guru Sports and retailers.

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THE CUSTOMERGuru Sports

Guru Sports is part of Cycling Sports Group Inc., a global leader in bicycles with famous brands like Schwinn, Mongoose, Cannondale, Caloi, GT, and Sugoi. The brand portfolio caters to a wide range of young and adult riders including casual strollers, city commuters, professional racers, and off-road enthusiasts.

Guru Sports’ mission is to improve the way customers select bikes and accessories through cutting-edge computing, software, electronics and bio-metric technologies.

Guru Sports developed the Guru Fit System, a computerized stationary bicycle that simulates riding experiences over road and mountain trails to help riders select the right bike and riding positions based on a variety of factors including height, weight, road conditions and riding styles.

Selecting the right bike is a daunting challenge for most buyers. Casual riders are often intimidated by racks of bikes that all seem to look alike. Active riders have to select from hundreds of expensive bikes with customized shifters, derailleurs, saddles, frames, and pedals. Meanwhile, storeowners stock their racks with hundreds of bikes hoping to have the right one on hand for the next customer who walks in the door. From both sides of the counter, it’s an expensive guessing game.

“If someone is really into bikes, it’s not uncommon for them to walk into a shop and spend $12,000 on a high-end bicycle,” says Morten Kristiansen, General Manager at Guru Sports. “You can spend a lot less than that too, but the challenge is still the same – taking the guesswork out of finding the right bike.”

Guru Sports sought to reduce the complexity of choosing the right bike by developing the Fit System based on a rider’s unique body type, riding style, and cycling terrain. The original system consisted of a bike simulator and PC software to measure riding performance.

However, in designing the next-generation Fit System, Guru Sports recognized the need to provide real-time visual feedback to the rider through a large-screen display. The sales associate also needed to be mobile – not stuck behind a PC – in order to engage and interact with the rider.

The new Guru Fit System is built around a state-of-the-art simulation bike that provides a real-world biking experience to recreate the feel of different bike models, terrains, and accessories. The rider would sit facing the display unit that shows their image and bio-mechanic data in real-time with a motion-capture camera. Completing the system, a tablet would enable the sales associate to adjust the simulation parameters.

The fitting session takes about 15-20 minutes through different road and environmental settings shown on the display. During the fitting, the sales associate can change the bike brand/type and adjust the positions of the bike, handlebars and pedals with the tablet. The system creates a custom report that riders can use to guide their decisions.

THE CUSTOMER NEEDTaking the Guesswork Out of Finding and Selling a Bike

Guru Fit System Helps Riders Select the Right Bike

In developing the new Guru Fit System, the company carefully evaluated many display and tablet options and ultimately chose the 40-inch Samsung ME Series LED commercial display and 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 3.

“We consider Guru Fit to be a premium brand,” says Christopher Kautz, Director of Technology & Product Development at Guru Sports. “So we chose to work only with companies that manufacture top-notch equipment and obviously Samsung is a marquee name in the electronics industry.” Guru Sports also wanted to achieve brand consistency between the display and tablet, and Samsung is the only vendor with industry-leading display and tablet lines.

The ME Series commercial display features edge-lit backlight technology for a bright picture, even in high ambient lighting conditions like retail showrooms. The ME Series displays also provided Guru with a super slim profile to enable seamless integration into the base unit without taking up valuable space. And the new ME Series lineup incorporates Samsung’s Smart Signage Platform, an embedded system-on-chip

solution which eliminates the need for a separate media player.

The ME Series 40-inch display is built into the Fit System base unit with a 3D camera so riders can see themselves as they experience the simulated ride. Riders can also see real-time bike adjustments made by the sales associate as well as the bicycle models being used.

As the Fit System is often the centerpiece of a bike shop’s sales floor, when not in use for fitting, the Samsung display loops eye-catching promotional videos and product demonstrations. “Samsung displays have a reputation for reliability and quality, and that was critical because the displays are running 10-14 hours a day,” says Kautz.

The 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab connects via WiFi and provides the sales associate flexibility to control the Fit System software and make real-time adjustments to the simulation bike. The Android-based tablet is intuitive and easy to use, enabling the sales associate to move around freely and engage face-to-face with the rider.

QUICK PROFILE SAMSUNG ME40C SERIES COMMERCIAL DISPLAY

THE SAMSUNG SOLUTIONBright, Reliable Commercial Displays and Easy-To-Use Tablets

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GALAXY TAB 3 10.1”

OS: AndroidTM 4.2, Jelly BeanDISPLAY: 10.1” WXGA (1280 x 800) PROCESSOR: 16GHz, dual-coreMEMORY: 16GB with microSDTM card slot for expansion up to 64GBCONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802. 11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi® Direct, Bluetooth®

V4.0, USB 2.0CAMERA: 3MP rear-facing, 1.3MP front-facing

DISPLAY SIZE (DIAGONAL): 40” PANEL TECHNOLOGY: 60Hz LED Edge-Lit LCDRESOLUTION: Full HD 1920 x 1080BRIGHTNESS: 450nitsRESPONSE TIME: 8msSCREEN DEPTH: 1.2 inchesINTERNAL MEDIA PLAYER: Cortex-A9 1Ghz Dual Core, 1GB DDR3, 4GB FDM CONNECTIVITY: 3 HDMI Inputs, USB, Ethernet RJ45WEIGHT: 23.4lbs.FEATURES: Smart Signage Platform, MagicInfo Premium SENVIRONMENTAL: ENERGY STAR® compliantSTANDARD WARRANTY: 3 years (parts and labor) OTHER SIZES AVAILABLE IN SERIES: 32, 46, 55, 75 & 95”

Samsung Galaxy Tab Enables Mobility and Engagement

Learn more 1-866-SAM4BIZ | samsung.com/business | @SamsungBizUSA

© 2014 Samsung Electronics America, Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All products, logos and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Screen images simulated. This case study is for informational purposes only. Samsung makes no warranties, express or implied, in this case study.

Guru Fit System with the Samsung ME Series Display and Galaxy Tab

THE RESULTSMore Engagement, Better Fits and Increased Sales

With the Samsung ME Series commercial display and Galaxy tablet providing the customer and operator interfaces for the new Guru Fit System, the fitting experience has become more accessible, engaging and efficient.

Customers finish the fitting excited and ready to select bikes and accessories that match their unique needs - whether off-roading on a mountain or winding down a country road. For novice riders, it takes the intimidation out of buying a bike. For the advanced rider, it provides a customized fit that combines tens of thousands of bike and accessory options.

“The new Guru Fit System with the Samsung display and tablet is a game changer on the sales floor,” says Brendan Poh, owner of CycleCraft in Parsippany, New Jersey. “The Samsung display and tablet enables us to engage with the customer during the fitting and positions our staff as consultative advisors.”

Importantly, this enhanced experience is helping bike stores drive sales, with more than 80% of the retailers using the system reporting higher close rates.

“Our sales close and transaction amounts have definitely increased,” says Poh. In fact, stores are now designing their floor space around the Fit System. The Fit System database of more than 2,000 bicycles and accessories enables stores to remove the clutter from the showroom and the excess inventory from the warehouse.

“For storeowners, it is much easier to load a simulation of a particular model than to shuffle bikes across the store,” says Kristiansen. “By the time the customer sees the actual product, they’re already sold. We’re excited with the new opportunities opening up through the integration of Samsung technology into the Guru Fit System.”

“Samsung displays have a reputation for reliability and quality, and that was critical because the displays are running 10-14 hours a day.”

“The new Guru Fit System with the Samsung display and tablet is a game changer on the sales floor.”

- Christopher Kautz

GURU Sports

- Brendan Poh

CycleCraft