design:retail - April/May 2015 - (Page 36)

shopper insights 036 The Store IS Media IRA L. GLESER PRESIDENT AMPLIFY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS ira@amplifymc.com E ARLIER THIS YEAR, I attended a food retail executive conference and had the pleasure of hearing Doug Stephens, author of "The Retail Revival: Re-Imagining Business for the New Age of Consumerism," share his insights during a morning keynote session. Stephens suggested that all of the connectivity consumers are enjoying today thanks to technology and their devices means that "the store is everywhere...media IS the store." I found that to be really profound. But, what he proposed next was even better: if the store is in the palm of my hand, what is the purpose of the bricks-and-mortar space? Consider this: physical stores are still unique in that they provide an immersive, emotional connection to a brand, and the opportunity for retailers is to start thinking of their stores as delivering fulﬁlling, personalized experiences to shoppers. Stores need to become better forms of media, providing information and entertainment in an engaging way. In other words, "the store IS media." Those words-"the store IS media"-were top of mind for me as I attended my ﬁrst GlobalShop in Las Vegas last month. In her keynote presentation, Nadia Shouraboura, CEO and founder of Hointer, talked about her personal journey to embrace the "emotional experience of shopping," and the role of technology (eﬃcient, innovative, invisible technology) enabling this "beautiful experience" to occur in her store, a denim shop in Seattle. And now Hointer helps retailers build amazing shopping experiences centered on one thing: bringing APRIL/MAY 2015 DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM magic to the in-store experience by merging the best of the physical and digital universe. My next stop was to spend time in "The Path to Purchase: Destination Bricks and Mortar" Centerpiece Exhibit on the show ﬂoor. The companies featured in this space were extremely energized about what they had to offer a new shopping experience that leverages digital technology to elevate the physical act of shopping to innovative, exciting new levels. As a marketer, you can't help but get invigorated by the possibilities to bring your brand to life at-retail in ways never thought possible even just a few years ago. I was quite impressed by the array of solutions packed into this exhibit, most centered around unique, creative ways to engage shoppers and their smartphones. My last stop was probably the most impactful for me-a lunch session featuring a panel of shoppers who had experienced the wonderment of the exhibit earlier in the day. We all know that perception is reality, and this diverse group of shoppers had lots to say about the technology and solutions they had experienced that morning. One focus group participant summed it up best when she said, "I want to date technology, not get married. I want technology to be simple to use, and helpful to me when I'm shopping." The moderators wrapped up the session by asking the group what they thought was the one thing that retailers could do to improve the shopping experience, and the resounding response was: provide good customer service and informed salespeople. I hope that message was heard by all of the attendees at GlobalShop. While it is easy to get excited about all the bright, shiny new toys that digital technology is making possible in the physical store space, I would suggest that another important role of this new technology is not to replace your salespeople, but to help them be more informed and confident, which will enable them to provide a satisfying, fulﬁlling shopping experience that will keep customers coming back for more. IRA L. GLESER IS PRESIDENT OF ATLANTA-BASED AMPLIFY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (AMPLIFYMC.COM), WHICH HELPS BRANDS AND ORGANIZATIONS CONNECT MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH CLIENTS, CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS. http://www.AMPLIFYMC.COM http://www.DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - April/May 2015

Editor’s Note
Show Talk
On Trend
We Love This!
Designer Picks
Clicks & Mortar
How’d They Do That?
Postcard
Have You Heard?
Mingle
Shopper Insights
Shopping with Paco
The Lost Archives of Gene Moore
40 Under 40
The Art of the Mannequin
GlobalShop Review
The Maker Movement
Products
Backstory

design:retail - April/May 2015