VMSD - April 2013 - (Page 20)

NS NEX T STORE By Jim Crawford Five Tech Trends for 2013 Evaluating an explosion of tablets, designing integrated platforms and estimating ROI. 1. The Dearth (Not Death) of Innovation at Apple It’s no secret that Tim Cook had some huge shoes to fill as the new ceo of Apple and, while the money continues pouring in, there are some cracks in the seemingly impenetrable Apple wall of innovation dominance. My theory is informed heavily by watching “Lincoln” this year and recognizing just what a strong (i.e., arrogant) leader is required to keep a “team of rivals” in check. This hasn’t happened at Apple since Jobs’ death, and it shows in the lackluster innovation of the iPhone 5. (Another row of icons? Sweet!) What, exactly, would I actually want in a new iPad? A battery that lasts forever? A half-ounce lighter 20 APRIL 2013 | vmsd.com and thinner? The truth is that some of these products are about as good as they’re going to get, so subsequent innovation will be even harder. But don’t make the mistake of counting Apple out. It will likely find another niche to reinvent, just as it has with music, tablets, phones and publishing. WHAT TO DO: Stop worrying about what comes next and focus on the devices that are in the hands of your shoppers today. People wandering around Walt Disney World holding up iPads – first to snap pictures and then to share them on Facebook in real time – aren’t the outliers: they’re the norm. Retailers need to integrate shopper-owned tablets and smartphones into their store experiences. It’s 2013, and if you aren’t doing this, you’re already late to the party, so stop procrastinating. 2. Fragmentation of the Tablet/Smartphone Market Apple’s innovation slowdown has led to fragmentation of the tablet market, particularly at the low end. In some stores (OK, fair disclosure, it was a market in New Delhi), I’ve seen 7-in. Android tablets for under $20 – to say nothing of the more mainstream Samsungs, Kindles and Nooks that are all viable alternatives to an iPad at a far more attractive price. As the top of the category slows its feature-creep, the midtier and bottom explode with lower-cost alternatives. KA REN BOY HE N, CI NCI N NAT I LET’S BE HONEST: The year has started and the “buzz” in the tech world hasn’t been that exciting. The National Retail Federation annual event and Consumer Electronics Show came and went with all the attendant hullaballoo, but the ground-shaking announcements we’ve come to count on just didn’t materialize. Tech industry pundits will certainly disagree. They’ll point to gizmos and gadgets and shout loudly about the evolution of that tech panacea, “the cloud.” But the reality is that the evolution of technology is reaching a bit of a plateau this year. With that in mind, here is my list of the top five trends to watch this year, what they mean for retailers and how to take advantage of them. http://www.vmsd.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of VMSD - April 2013

VMSD - April 2013
Contents
From the Editor
Vmsd Editorial Advisory Board
The Goods
Design Detail
Next Store
Targeting the Cities
Body and Soul
The Domino Effect
Taste Test
Showroom
Ad Index
Checking Out

VMSD - April 2013