We make it easy for you to keep up to date with what's happening in the world of retail. Check out what we are reading this month and why.
Twitter tests Shops feature
Joining other social platforms in adding shopping features, Twitter has introduced Twitter Shops, which lets sellers choose up to 50 products to showcase on the social media app
Connect e-commerce with in-store shopping
We still have our fingers-crossed that we are going to checkout this concept in Poland, where retailer Eobuwie has a shoe store…but it doesn’t have any shoes in it. All shoes are all in the back, and shoppers select them from tablets in a comfy showroom, then their choices are with them within a minute, thanks to a high-tech stocking and racking system. It’s just one example of how e-comm behaviors are being adapted in brick-and-mortar stores.
At your peril. Solving a problem no customer has.
So often I have spoken to retailers who want to replace see-through cooler doors with opaque digital alternatives that are activated by the presence of shoppers to provide product information, prices and special deals. Sometimes we just need space to make a decision, not more noise. Well, consumers have taken to social media to voice their complaints about the new doors and it’s a tickle.
Amazon’s big miss
Robin Lewis has nailed it in this article that The DNA of Amazon is convenience, value and speed. And no competitor has yet to come close to Amazon’s execution of those three operating pillars, which truly delight consumers. However in the physical world, product alone is not enough. Where is the compelling “in-store experience”?
Fake Vending Machine Opens Door To Kind Snacks' 'Secret Farmer's Market' – the power of experience
Kind Snacks in the US lured consumers into a “secret” farmer’s market in New York via a fake vending machine to promote the value of nutritious foods and its evolving health-and-wellness positioning. Those customers who discovered the machine was transported into a pop-up market and bag free fruits and vegetables.
Robots have landed in grocery store aisles—here’s how they’re helping retailers “remain competitive”
Following on from the robot powering restaurant efficiency in the Australia, grocers continue to evaluate how robots can improve operations, from inventory scanning to last-mile delivery. Countdown are already trialling robots on the shop floor but read about other innovations in the grocery space.
When shoppers buy in, they may buy more.
The new Timberland store in London and others are using precious store space to support causes instead of showcasing products – aligning to purpose is a significant megatrend and it will pay off.
Retailers using their power to make change
This is an interesting read where a group of major retailers in the US have threatened to boycott a major trade event if it was moved to Utah. What we love about this retailer activism is really mobilising their believes, values and influence to contribute to a greater good of protection of US national monument designation. It’s fundamental to the “great outdoors” and incredible to see retailers standing by their beliefs in a different way.
The new retail experience “Native Retail”
Minoan Experience, a native retail startup, allows people staying at Airbnb locations to scan codes on pieces of furniture and other items in their dwellings and order them for delivery to their homes. “The best product experiences don’t happen on screens or shelves but instead happen ‘in the wild,’” said Minoan Experience cofounder Marc Hostovsky. “In real moments where you’d actually use the product to assess whether you like something or not.” Priceless.
Address the needs of remote works – a new retail channel worth buckets
The first thing I purchased when we moved to WFM was a super duper office chair to ensure I was having a great office experience. Office supply giant is launching the Work From Home (WFH) Style Squad, a group of designers, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals who will share design advice, product picks, and tips for remote workers to refresh their home office space using new products and services available at Staples. Recognising this as a long term trend every Staples Connect store offers tech services, print & marketing services, TSA pre-checkand professional services —including marketing, legal and tax and finance — offered by selected partners.
How ‘buy now, pay later’ marketing is shaking up the finance sector
Sometimes you see marketing and ads which make no sense whatsoever. Some sectors are handcuffed by regulations that makes it hard to be super-creative. Klarna has demonstrated clearly you build connections by challenging the status quo.
Is Elon Musk the engine of the Tesla brand?
Whether Elon is your hero or infuriates you, Tesla was the fastest growing brand of 2021. This article goes into the three key components that are driving Tesla’s brand value and the lessons we can all learn.
A global partnership to help sportswomen stay in the game
This is one of the smartest partnerships of 2022. If you don’t know about period and incontinence underwear you are way behind the eight ball. Disposable femcare products are polluting our environment and are being replaced byt long-term reusable and sustainable alternatives. Modibodi is an international leader in this space and just partnered with Puma for a game-changer.
NFT art now sold from New York vending machine
One for the megaverse nerds and crypto curios, eliminating all the barriers that currently exist with getting your hands onto an NFT, get it from a bending machine. The twist. Who knows what you will get!
JEEZ LOUISE…. Roblox sex parties, virtual yoga and Metamates
My kids had to help me out with the naughty part of this article (I really went too far with what I was expecting), but I finally got it. The metaverse certainly opens tons of options.