Written by Jeff Owen | Feb 1, 2016 5:00:00 AM
Kiosk offers hands-on, interactive approach to help customers discover, learn and select devices, apps, content, services and accessories to best meet their individual needs
Oxford, Miss. (January 27, 2016) – C Spire today unveiled its new mobile services retail presence in the University of Mississippi’s new $96.5 million basketball arena complex offering a scaled-down version of its next-generation premiere shopping experience. The kiosk is part of an 11,000 square foot ultra-fast WiFi Internet enabled concourse area in the facility known as the C Spire Speedzone. The area features iPads that provide students, fans and visitors with access to Ole Miss sports programs, live streaming of all Rebel Nation social media and charging ports for electronic devices. “Like all of our markets, Oxford and the Ole Miss campus are unique - so we designed our new retail presence around The Pavilion to help draw attention to all of the facility’s next-generation features,” said Ward Toler, market manager of consumer wireless sales for C Spire. “We looked at how students, fans and visitors use technology and designed this space to reflect that reality.” Toler said the retail space delivers an interactive shopping experience that mirrors how customers live, work and play and will help the company move closer to its goal of becoming known as one of the nation’s premiere retailers. No detail escaped the focus of the team responsible for bringing the kiosk and Speedzone space to life. Colors, layout, designs, devices and accessories all were scrutinized with the goal of appealing to a multi-generational cross section of consumers. The space reinforces the high-tech look and feel of the facility, Toler said.
Modular, Flexible Design Everything inside the kiosk is modular, scalable and designed for ultimate flexibility, according to Toler. The space highlights some of C Spire’s most popular consumer telecommunications and technology products, services, devices and accessories. “C Spire is customer inspired and we want students and visitors to feel that from the moment they walk into the Speedzone area,” Toler said. “Our new retail kiosk design makes it easy for consumers to learn more and fully immerse themselves in a personalized and relevant shopping experience.” What consumers won’t see in the space is the traditional retail “cash register” counter. Instead, that’s been replaced with a round “learning table” that encourages natural conversations with C Spire team members, who are equipped with tablets supported by a point-of-sale system that offers flexibility for helping consumers. Consumers also won’t see printed product information common in most retail space. That’s been replaced by digital signage, e-brochures and interactive video monitors, offering consumers the information they want and need literally at their fingertips while giving C Spire the flexibility of updating messaging faster and more efficiently.
Store Details Toler said the retail space is staffed by two new staff members, including an Ole Miss graduate, which is supplemented with additional staff from the company’s Oxford store during events with large crowds. Regular hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “We’re proud of our new retail presence in The Pavilion, but we’re even more excited about continuing to contribute to the continued development of the Ole Miss campus,” Toler said. The new retail space builds on C Spire’s significant capital and network investments in Oxford, on the Ole Miss campus and in Lafayette County, including availability of 4G LTE services that offers data speeds up to 10 times faster than previously available. Michael Thompson, UM senior associate athletics director, praised C Spire for its continuing support and commitment to Ole Miss and its athletics program. “C Spire is a tremendous corporate partner and we appreciate the key role the company plays in helping meet the communication and technology needs of students and staff on campus,” he said. “C Spire is helping us fulfill our mission to provide a high quality of life for everyone who lives and works in our campus community.” Ole Miss honored the company during halftime of the Rebels-Auburn game Wednesday for the company’s support of Rebel athletics and academic programs over the last 20 years and its commitment to continue to partner with the school in the next decade. “At C Spire, they’re not only passionately committed to the state of Mississippi, but also to higher education. We deeply appreciate their support and contributions,” Thompson said. For more information on C Spire’s retail operations, network expansion and overall community investment, visit
www.cspire.com.
About The Pavilion at Ole Miss The state-of-the-art, $96.5-million Pavilion at Ole Miss opened in January 2016 and is more than 225,000 total square feet. Home to the University of Mississippi basketball programs, the facility boasts a capacity of 9,500 and features a number of first-class amenities, including courtside and baseline seating for students, three premium club areas and more than 1,700 premium seats all within an intimate seating bowl. Other highlights include the largest center hung video display in college sports with approximately 2,400 square feet of LED and the C Spire Speedzone, an interactive concourse that also includes Steak ‘n Shake, Raising Cane’s, Rebel Locker Room by Lids and a ticket office. The south end of The Pavilion is a five-story parking garage with 800 spaces that services the entire campus community.
About C Spire C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class service and a superior, comprehensive suite of customer-inspired wireless communications, high-speed Internet access and a range of other telecommunications products and services to consumers and businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at
www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit
www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at
www.twitter.com/cspire.