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 [...]
Read Full Post »
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 [...]
Read Full Post »
In each of our blog posts we’ve been talking about what makes retailing exciting and retailers interesting to work with. We hope you’ve enjoyed our insights into consumer markets, technological trends, branding, fixture innovations, new retail formats, green building practices, distribution strategy, customer communications, and more. This week we want to let you know what [...]
Read Full Post »
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 [...]
Read Full Post »
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 [...]
Read Full Post »
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 [...]
Read Full Post »
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. [...]
Read Full Post »
Last November, the exteriors of Ralph Lauren’s flagship stores in New York and London became real-life canvases for dynamic video displays telling the brand story. Stunned observers on the ground watched as the building seemed to disintegrate, only to be reconstructed and open up to reveal a four-story-tall fashion show of Ralph-Lauren-clad models. The scene [...]
Read Full Post »
The new LEED rating system passed last November by the U.S. Green Building Council apparently is spurring retailers to adopt environmentally sound building practices. Although retail sales rose by 8.3% in 2010 compared to 2009, an extremely competitive retail environment still exists. Retailers, constantly looking for ways to enhance the shopping experience and increase customer [...]
Read Full Post »
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 [...]
Read Full Post »