Retail Robots No Dummies--but Can They Sell?

He’s sophisticated-looking and well-spoken. She’s a glamorous brunette. Put them in a room together, and you can see the electricity at work.

But the only one they are supposed to seduce is the American consumer. The two are androids--computerized mannequins designed to look, gesture and “talk” like real people--and the plan is to use them to grab attention and provide information at stores, museums, conference halls and trade shows.

Recently, several firms have gotten into the business of supplying computerized mannequins and other types of portable robots for retail displays and educational exhibits, and chains such as Nordstrom and Dayton-Hudson have tried them. But for all of the entrepreneurs’ optimism, it’s still a tough sell to retailers. Many would-be buyers aren’t sure what animated mannequins do or what purpose they serve.

One retailer who recently witnessed an android demonstration found the concept promising but “a little spooky.”

“Inside a store, you’d rather have a warm body, a live person, rather than a robot,” said the retailer, who asked not to be identified.

Still, android entrepreneurs take heart from the success of similar creations. Theme parks for years have operated sophisticated, permanently installed android displays costing hundreds of thousands or more to capture the imagination of children and other visitors. One leading example: the replica of Abe Lincoln at Disneyland.

Shopping malls, for their part, have long used simple mechanical Santa Clauses and miniature characters to greet and entertain customers at Christmastime. What the new breed of android makers is trying to do is “fill that wide, wide gap between something that uses just a single limb . . . and something that costs $200,000 to $400,000,” said Richard Gilbert, general manager of Steren Robotics, a San Diego firm that has made computerized mannequins.

The quality, cost and capabilities of the middle-market androids vary widely. Gilbert’s firm sells mannequins for retail displays priced at $3,100 that move their heads, torsos and arms, but offer no audio. Like other manufacturers, the firm also makes more expensive customized robots.

Newly formed Mannetron Productions of Glendale is marketing a more advanced off-the-shelf system for $26,000, whose basic components are a male mannequin, a female mannequin and the personal computer that runs them.

Flip a switch, and the Mannetron mannequins can shift their eyes and nod their heads. Their lips move in sync with audio recordings that blare over a speaker. On top of all that is a video option that allows the mannequins to turn toward a television screen and banter news anchorperson-style with “correspondents.”

Sally Industries of Jacksonville, Fla., a leading maker of animated characters for theme parks, recently has focused more attention on robots for stores and malls.

Howard W. Kelley, the company’s president, said retailing robots account for a small but growing share--perhaps 15% to 20%--of the estimated $15 million to $20 million spent worldwide every year on displays featuring robot characters. He believes that demand will be strongest for robots that entertain customers as retailers increasingly look for innovative ways to bring in business.

Among Sally’s creations is a singing Maurice Chevalier robot made for a shopping center in northern England.

Other manufacturers are stressing the virtues of ordinary-looking electronic dummies. At trade shows, they are less threatening than some real-life salespeople, said Dru Alan Jeanis, a part-owner of Mannetron Productions.

Visitors, he said, know that a mannequin “isn’t going to twist their arm and say, ‘sign on the dotted line.’ ”

In stores, talking mannequins could recite descriptions of products and perhaps hand out free samples of grocery items. It would, enthusiasts say, cut down on labor costs and attract more attention from customers at the same time.

“If you had them say, ‘Look at these tomatoes, they’re wonderful, they’re organically grown,’ that would certainly catch a customer’s eye,” said Sandy Gooch, founder and marketing director for the Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Markets chain.

For her part, though, Gooch said she isn’t ready to put robots in her produce sections. “We’re a people business,” she explained.

Instead, Gooch’s chain is considering buying a robotic mannequin for window displays to help create a special mood for its stores.

Industry executives concede that a number of technological, social and economic factors limit how far retailing robots can go.

For starters, don’t expect to see an army of of mobile robots wandering around stores any time soon. Robots that walk--or, more accurately, roll--are hard to power and control. Worse yet, they tend to frighten young children and pose legal liability issues.

Other advanced robot features, such as refined arm movements, are available, but only at great cost.

“The minute you get into sophisticated stuff that doesn’t look herky-jerky, the price gets out of sight,” said David Schweninger, president of Sequoia Creative, a maker of theme park attractions that sells android characters for up to $85,000.

Many industry officials believe that the cheaper androids retailers will use won’t impress consumers who are accustomed to the quality of theme park robots. Even among people who initially are intrigued by the retail robots, the novelty could wear off quickly.

Among the skeptics about the prospects for computerized mannequins is Gerald J. Greenwood, executive director of the Western Assn. of Visual Merchandising. “For 15 years people have been trying to get it off the ground,” he said.

“Most of the mannequin companies would like to have something like this as a gimmick, but I’ve never seen a successful one,” he added.