New digitally tuned-in retail fixtures may help department stores regain some of the fashion authority they have given up to specialty stores and mass merchants. The Virtual Personal stylist, developed by nG Connect Program, takes away some of the frustration of fitting rooms and messy makeup counters by enabling customers to “try on” apparel and [...]
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Express’s launch of its new concept retail store in King of Prussia Mall outside Philadelphia will introduce to American mainstream customers the unique vision and off-the-wall style of Japanese design firm Wonderwall. A visit to the Wonderwall web site alone is worth the trip, but the new Express store is a true happening. Creative use [...]
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The poor economy, constantly rising healthcare costs, higher healthcare insurance premiums, and general healthcare industry upheaval are causing consumers to cut back on medical use. Some are forgoing expensive visits to traditional doctors’ offices to seek more affordable sources. “People just aren’t using healthcare like they have. Utilization is lower than we expected, and it’s [...]
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In-store web access In an effort to draw customer focus to the store as the primary means of merchandise distribution, some retailers are turning to in-store Internet-connected kiosks to engage customers, provide convenience, and increase shopping satisfaction. A digital misstep Best Buy was one of the pioneers of the customer-oriented Internet workstation in the early [...]
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Gone are the days of retail product-and-service assortments that reflect a single brand! New store brand synergy is juxtaposing complementary brands in retail environments that tempt new customers, provide time-saving convenience, and give shoppers a satisfying, novel customer experience. International, avant-garde retail brand convergence The U.K.’s avant-garde Monocle Magazine that features an inventive mix of [...]
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Are static retail fixtures limited in their ability meet consumer demands for newness and store excitement? International retailers are creating stores that change to meet customers’ moods, attitudes, and tastes. Flexibility is being achieved not only through the tried-and-true technique of fixtures on wheels, but by means of changing stage sets, revolving design walls, and [...]
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Posted in Innovation, Retail Strategy on Apr 15th, 2011
“Mobile retailing” no longer involves only smartphones. It’s hard to believe, but shoppers get more demanding year by year, forcing retailers to be ever more creative in their merchandise distribution methods and the customer experience they deliver. Several new examples of stores on wheels are offering unique ways of connecting with shoppers where they live. [...]
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The launch of the iPad only one year ago spurred demand for the computer tablet. There are more than 100 tablet devices from over 60 different manufacturers now being offered for public consumption. Retail innovation Quick to join the tablet wave, innovative retailers are employing various versions of the tablet phenomenon to enhance customer service. [...]
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As early as September of last year, several news sources, including Forbes, announced that Walmart was scouting locations for a new small retail format. Now it is official. On March 16, the company that made popularized the supercenter concept at 185,000 sq. ft., began construction on Walmart Express, a 14,400-square-foot store in Gentry, Arkansas, a [...]
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Consumers in the second decade of the 21st century have multiple ways of shopping: stores, online, or catalog. So what’s new? Today’s retail convergence is driven by consumers and emerging technologies more than ever before. A 2010 survey of U.S. consumers by Buzzback Market Research http://www.buzzback.com/ indicated that: • 88% of shoppers are more likely [...]
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