Presentation to the Board
1.15.2009
This is our winning presentation from PhizzPop
Minneapolis. The client was a fictional new big box
retailer that is looking to expand beyond 2 test
markets. We were asked to make a presentation to
the board of this company to show how technology
can help them meet their business goals.

How can technology help Indigo establish
itself in the U.S. market?
Given competition from some of the most successful companies
in the world, both online and offline.

We think you should start with a
business model innovation before
creating a technology solution.

Right now, shoppers are
forced to make
choices.

The instant gratification
of brick-and-mortar
Along with in-person expertise.
The convenience
of online
Along with social features.

The selection and
price of superstores
Great for buying specific items.
The experiential
nature of specialists
Great for buying “solutions”

The ideal retailer would o er....
• Huge selection and complete solutions.
• Expertise in every area and social features that help me find my own experts.
• A store that allows customers to decide whether cost, convenience or
expertise is most important for a given purchase.

This is obviously a steep climb
for a relative newcomer.
But what if we could build on what established brands
have done rather than duplicate their efforts?

Re-imagine Indigo as a “retailer of retailers.”
Provide a technology and customer-service platform that
combines best-in-class retailers into a virtual superstore.
Help them compete with the big boys without having to reduce
their margins or change what makes them great.

The core of this proposition is Indigo Live.
A web application built using Silverlight and Windows Live services
that helps consumers keep track of products they want, and the
WHAT WHERE and HOW of getting them

Dashboard View: Philip, Business Owner.
• Philip is a small business owner with a complex life.
• We see that reflected in his list - everything from everyday grocery
items to office technology needs.
• On the right we see that Indigo Live has searched Phillips social
networks for any relevant mentions by his friends. Some are explicit
posts or reviews, some are just offhanded mentions. Nevertheless
the help Philip make decisions.

• We said we wanted to be able to offer complete solutions, so here we see Philip
has created a “project” shopping list for his conference room remodel. The list
includes basic office supplies - items where he is focused mostly on price and
convenience, along with technology and furniture - things he wants some advice
and integration help with.
• Indigo Live has pulled all kinds of product recommendations, availability, reviews
and friend comments to help him decide.
• We also see that an employee of one of our partner retailers - in this case a
nearby Best Buy - has been notified of Philip’s interest and has identified himself
as an expert in AV solutions. Philip can now use any Windows Live method to
communicate with this expert including email and IM, or schedule a meeting with
him.
• Indigo Live can now plan the most efficient shopping trip and show it to Philip on
a map. Here we see he’ll stop at an Office Supply store for basics, an IKEA for
cheap office furniture, and meet with his Best Buy expert to get a first-person
look at AV equipment.

Purchasing Content: Sandra, Mom.
• Digital content is treated slightly differently. Sandra is a mom who is not as
tech-savvy as Philip, but uses basic online services. In this case she has
created an event - 8 friends coming for dinner and movie - using Microsoft
Live Events. Her shopping list includes food, wines and a movie.
• Once her friends RSVP via Live Events, Indigo live begins searching their
profiles to find a movie that might please everyone based on things like their
Netflix cue, Amazon wishlist, Facebook movies, etc. Once a movie is found,
the system shows Sandra all the different ways she can get it - rental,
purchase, PPV on her cable, on-demand from Netflix. It’s up to her to weigh
the cost/convenience benefits, as well as which formats she is most
comfortable with, in making her decision.

Mobile Application: Manuel, college student.
• Like many online services such as PageOnce and Evernote, Indigo Live includes
a mobile application that is synced to web application. This is perfect for
someone like Manuel who is very disorganized and doesn’t like to spend a lot
time thinking about what he needs.
• As long as Manuel keeps an updated list, the mobile app on his GPS-enabled
phone will notify him when something he needs is available nearby.
• And if he is at one of our partner retailers and a product catches his eye, a
quick snapshot of a MS Tag will add the product to his list and automatically
begin pulling data about it.
• Finally, since many of these specialty retailers are in shopping malls, we can
imagine setting up and Indigo kiosk that would read Manual’s data from his
phone and notify him about places he can buy or experience things on his list.

Launch
• There are tens of millions of LiveID users
already in the United States. We would
promote the service through Microsoft
with a combination of paid media on MSN
and co-branded announcements to users
of Live services.
• In-store and online via our retailer-
partners. We would also automatically
generate a LiveID account through any
retailer that uses email receipts.

Extensions
Mobile notifications could be
integrated with in-car platforms like
Ford’s Microsoft SYNC, allowing the
car to help direct shopping trips.

Extensions
Indigo can go beyond simply
directing traffic. For a fee similar to
overnight shipping, an Indigo
Concierge could hand-pick items
from each store and have them
ready to be picked up in front.

Extensions
Internet connected devices could
be given permission to modify the
shopping list - for example home
automation systems could detect
when new light bulbs are needed.
Smart refrigerators could add
grocery items, etc.

We believe in this solution.
• For consumers, it means not having to make an explicit choice between
convenience and expertise.
• For partners, it means giving great specialist retailers a platform for
competing with the giant superstores.
• For Indigo, it means offering real expertise in many verticals and a huge
physical footprint without a massive investment in either inventory or real
estate.
• Finally, the vast majority of this functionality is built on Microsoft Live
technologies that already exist.

THANK YOU.

Creative Commons Compliance.
Attribution for Photography used in this presentation:
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=377914105
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=2766323635
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=2898770164
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=247986496
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=447872968
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=316387372
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=1436365122
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=2308950026
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=3099108110
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=35554938
• http://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=41916187