Integra Interactive announced that after a nine-month test of its myMEDIA BurnBar™ in its Oklahoma City store, Mardel Christian Stores has expanded the use of the media-on-demand kiosks to 11 store locations and their ecommerce site www.mardel.com. It will be rolled out to the remaining 25 store locations by the end of the first quarter.

Mardel Christian Stores testing of burn systems dates to 2008 when it installed the isMOD burn system. In late 2010, Mardel installed myMEDIA BurnBar and began testing its use. In the spring of 2011 the decision was made to expand its use chain-wide. 

Mardel officials indicated to Integra Chief Innovation Officer David Amster that two of the key reasons for selecting Integra were its digital catalog that covered nearly all of the Christian music labels and its demonstrated commitment to excellent tech support. 

Mardel’s initial interest was in burning performance tracks. The test phase showed that despite stocking a very deep artist music catalog, almost 40% of the burn transactions have been for full albums and a la carte song playlists, which was more than anticipated.

During the test phase, minimal merchandising support, such as signage, was used. The myMEDIA BurnBar was deployed, and its use was primarily dependent on staff recommendations and customer service. Future deployments will have added merchandising and marketing support, to increase customer awareness of the technology. “Mardel and Integra are collaborating on the creation of in-store merchandising to promote the kiosks to its shoppers,” stated Amster. 

Jason Green, Mardel’s president, said, “We have been very pleased with the performance of and sales from the myMEDIA Burn Bar. Customer service is very important to us, and the myMEDIA Burn Bar greatly enhances our ability to provide our customers with the accompaniment tracks, albums, and a la carte CDs they need. The functionality of the system, technical support, and customer experience with the system have helped make this a great addition to our stores.”

Founded in 2001, Integra Interactive Inc. is a digital solutions group and the worldwide leader in sales of Christian digital media through kiosks with over 500 locations across the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, and England.