As a retailer, in those last few weeks of the year, it’s hard to think about anything except the rush of customers, getting all your stock out on the floor and making sure that all of the planning comes together with great execution. I would explain to friends that for me, this was the World [...]
Posts by :
-
customer experience
Augmented Reality: Beyond the Gimmick
Mikael Karlsson, mobile marketing manager for Volvo, shocked the audience at the 2012 Apps World conference when he described augmented reality as an overhyped marketing gimmick. Commenting that it could be “a great installation within retail stores” but is currently just a technically limited pipe dream. AR is a heavily discussed topic at the moment. [...]
What Are the Best Retailers Really Selling?
Retailing was founded on a very simple principle: to acquire and make available for people that which they could not easily or affordably obtain on their own. Thus, buying wholesale and selling retail was – and is today – a service to the community. Whether the true need of the consumer was convenience or access to [...]
Checking in at Burberry’s New Flagship Store
While some online retailers try hard to mimic the in-store shopping experience, Burberry is headed in the opposite direction. The 156-year-old brand has opened one of the most futuristic stores in the world on Regent Street in London, and going inside is like walking into a fully online experience. Music, an emotional experience, a place [...]
As We Adapt Online, We Must Innovate In-Store
The infiltration of the mobile phone into our everyday lives has had a profound effect on the future of shopping. And while retailers are right to focus on how to leverage mobile technologies to boosts sales online, they would do well to remember the vital nature of the in-store experience. Plenty of players are reaping [...]
These Retailers Remind Us That In-Store Experiences Still Matter
Las Vegas hotel-casino operators figured out a long time ago that shopping can transcend the transaction. They developed multisensory shopping centers to be their own attractions, with light shows, faux Euro street scenes, statues that come to life, and fashion shows. The point wasn’t the retail; it was to entice non-gamblers onto the property. Today, [...]
How Neiman Marcus Puts a Face to a Brand
Today’s tech-savvy, information-hungry and experience-driven consumer has added a new term to the retailing lexicon: showrooming. The practice of visiting a store to evaluate a product then searching online for the lowest price angered some retail partners, and understandably so. But in order to cater to the mobile mindset of the evolving consumer we need [...]
When Investing in Technology, Keep the Customer in Mind
With smartphones in the hands of so many consumers, retailing is on the cusp more change in the next three years than it’s seen in the last 30. And while mobile shopping certainly has caught the interest of retailers, some are not sure yet how to use it to actually make shopping a better experience. [...]
The Rest of the Best Buy Story and Why It Matters
There’s been no shortage of news about Best Buy, and much of it looks bad. Predictably, most of the media coverage is focused on layoffs and store closings; and much of the blame is on showrooming. But Best Buy is taking steps that show it’s prepared to compete in a rapidly changing retail environment — [...]