View By SegmentThe Lookout
Scanning the horizon for opportunities & challenges created by new uses of technology in retail. What's your take?
New rules for retail generate some unintended consequences
The Futures Company teamed up with Kantar Retail to present eight
new rules for retail in a recent white paper. We think they do a nice job of
providing a broader social and economic backdrop for interpreting current shopper/retailer
interactions. more
Victoria's Secret launches game for iPad
Victoria's Secret has rolled out a new gaming feature on their
iPad app. It caught our eye because it’s a powerful example of how apps are
evolving into multi-faceted shopper engagement tools. more
Costco ditches self-checkout option
Costco is bucking the self-service trend by removing self-checkouts from their stores. Long ago they decided their employees were important to their success, so leveraging this asset makes sense -- but the self-checkout trend will probably continue to expand with others. more
Meijer's toy contest is about more than toys
Michagan-based Meijer’s “Next Great Toymaker” contest is a
great example of how retailers can do three things at the same time: create opportunities
for local businesses, bring exciting and different products to their customers,
and generate additional sales. more
Swirl delivers shoppers in-store, location-based offers
The field of apps aimed at creating
greater shopper engagement in the store is growing increasingly crowded. Swirl,
a fashion deal-finder app that debuted last year, is adding the capability to
deliver “content and offers” when the shopper nears a product’s location inside
the store. more
Reality check on digital + shoppers + retailers
Did you see Digiday’s “Alarming stats about retail”? The numbers are scary, but not surprising given how people live these days. We see two themes
that warrant highlighting because they’re real and immediate threats to
retailers. more
Yerdle's twist on the sharing economy
The new sharing
platform Yerdle sees itself as a gateway to retail sales. “Yerdle isn’t aiming
to be a Craigslist or Freecycle clone. It’s trying to create a whole new model
of sharing – one that resembles a traditional retail experience,” writes Ariel Swartz in
a recent FastCo.exist blog. moreAdjusting to shoppers' showrooming needs
We like this 360pi infographic on showrooming because it
clearly presents the reasons WHY shoppers do it and where showrooming is having
the most impact. It's precisely the information brick & mortar retailers
need to respond. more
Marketing evolves in the digital age
This
Economist article lays out the challenges and opportunities facing marketing as the discipline moves more deeply into the world of the connected consumer. Though it focuses heavily on the CMO experience, it also calls out paradigm-shifting changes that everyone interested in marketing’s evolution
needs to pay attention to. moreAmazon's customer- and vendor-centric approach
Here’s
a great read for anyone who’s interested in the detailed features and benefits
of selling through Amazon. By the time you finish it, you may think “the earth’s
most consumer-centric company” is also the most vendor-centric. more
Will pop-ups continue as part of the retail landscape?
We expect the “half-life” of many products and retail concepts to
shorten as people continue to rebalance their online and
in-store shopping habits. Pop-up stores are one way to navigate the increasingly risky
environment. moreRethinking store design
As connected customers
rebalance how they shop to tap into the benefits of ecommerce, retailers need
to rethink the store. This southern China supermarket design is – literally –
an outside the box solution. more
Amazon and grocery delivery
The main reason Amazon’s same-day grocery
delivery hasn’t moved faster is the relatively low value per pound makes
it expensive to perform a function shoppers have typically taken care of. But that’s not stopping Amazon; they seem
primed to make a move soon. moreMcommerce: Are tablets mobile devices or not?
"Tablets shouldn’t be
lumped together with smartphones as mobile devices" seems to be a growing sentiment. What do you think? moreHealth services: A growing presence in food and drug retail
Here’s a great overview of how food and drug retailers are
putting more resources and digital touchpoints into health services to differentiate themselves, draw
traffic, drive sales, and create loyalty. moreTroop ID: Vets and soldiers decide who sees their personal data
Troop ID was created to make it easier for service members
to identify themselves to retailers and manufacturers who want to offer them
discounts – but the way it puts the shopper in control of their own data is
what really interests us. more
New approaches to sourcing and applying retail technology
A lot can be learned from the smart way John Lewis took
control of evaluating new shopper-facing technology in 2012. Fiona Briggs
describes how the retailer invited 30 British technology companies to put forth
solutions to just three business challenges in this NACSonline article. more
Content marketing: more than just compelling content
Need to deliver or direct content
marketing? Here’s an interesting explanation of why successful content
marketing involves more than just compelling content. more
Google Glasses sharpen the focus on privacy
We think Google Glass is going to dramatically expand the
scope of concern around privacy issues. Most wearable devices
today (like FitBit) are designed for self-monitoring, but Google Glass looks
outward, accessing and gathering data about the people the wearer "sees." moreTarget 2013: Building a better in-store shopping experience
Last week we looked at Walmart's Annual Report, this week we look at Target's. Target states that 2013 is all about “building on our momentum” by, among other things, introducing new ways to shop driven by an accelerated investment in digital technologies and a thoughtful integration of the digital and in-store shopping experience. moreEcoATM: Another way to attract supermarket customers
The intensifying
competition for traditional grocery products is driving retailers to find new
ways to create value for customers. Kiosks that recycle phones and small devices is one
possibility. moreNeed states, category leakage, and new growth platforms
Can focusing on on shopper
need states reduce category leakage? We think it’s a big idea – big enough, in fact, to create opportunities for new growth platforms that will drive top-line growth. moreWhy it's important to keep improving omnichannel capabilities
Don't take comfort from reports that ecommerce makes up only 5% of the
country’s retail sales. The internet’s
growing influence on purchasing should inspire retailers to bring
technology inside the store and redouble their efforts to integrate it into shopper marketing programs. more
Next generation Walmart & the future of shopping
If you want a front
row seat for the future of shopping, we think you don’t have to look any further
than Walmart’s annual report. more
Minimizing some pain points of online shopping
Here’s a service that
saves time and reduces frustration for online shoppers seeking deals: PoachIt puts
price-monitoring on auto pilot and delivers instantly usable online promo codes. more
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