retail Archives - Page 4 of 25

How E-Retailer MeUndies Hosted A Successful Facebook Live Event On Black Friday

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
For this Black Friday, online underwear retailer MeUndies tried something different as it hosted a live sales event on Facebook, which attracted 13,300 viewers and scored a conversion rate of 25%, 13 times the average rate that MeUndies usually get on Facebook.

To promote the hour-long live event, MeUndies first sent out invites to its 314,000 Facebook Page followers and then ran a Facebook event ad targeting customers who opened MeUndies emails but hadn’t made a purchase in over a year. The event went live on the afternoon of Nov. 25, complete with a DJ and dance contests. Throughout the hour, MeUndies unlocked increasingly larger discounts as more viewers tuned in to get them to check out the Black Friday sales on its website.

What Brands Should Do
This event serves as a great example of how brands can leverage live video to reach a growing segment of the online audience. In particular, this MeUndies live event is illustrative of how brands can use live streaming as a direct sales channel to pitch to a captivated audience in real time and drive conversion. It also shows the importance of careful planning and pre-event promotions so as to drum up customer interests and maximize the event impact. As more and more brands and publishers rush into live video to capitalize on the growing consumer attention, brand marketers should start exploring live-streaming platforms to engage with online customers in real time.

Source: AdExchanger

Lead image courtesy of MeUndies’ Facebook

Oreo Launches Pop-up Ecommerce Site To Attract Holiday Gift Shoppers

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
Oreo is dipping its toe into ecommerce as the popular cookie brand opens its first branded ecommerce site (gifts.oreo.com) to sell holiday-themed Oreo cookies directly to the gift shoppers. Unlike other ecommerce site, however, this Oreo Gifts site offers an interesting feature where the gift buyer can simply put in the email address or mobile number of the recipient without filling out the address. The recipient will receive a notification via text or email with instruction on how to claim their gifts.

Why Brands Should Care
Oreo is not the only popular snack brand to venture into ecommerce in time for the holiday season. Earlier this month, Cheetos launched an online shop that sells branded holiday gifts ranging from clothing to perfume. Oreo’s parent company Mondelez International says the site is part of a global e-commerce strategy, which it is expecting to grow by at least $1 billion in revenue by 2020. As more and more consumers opting for the convenience of online shopping, traditional CPG brands should take a cue from Mondelez and start exploring ecommerce opportunities to reclaim some of the diminishing distribution channels and build a lasting customer relationship.

Source: PR Newswire

Lead image courtesy of Oreo Gifts

Amazon Trials Checkout-Free Physical Retail Experience

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon has started testing an innovative take on brick-and-mortar retail with a grocery store dubbed Amazon Go in Seattle that has no cashier or checkout line. Instead, the 1,800-square-foot store is blanketed with motion-capturing cameras and sensors, which allows it to leverage a powerful combination of computer vision and deep machine learning to keep track of the goods on and off the shelves, recognize each visitor, and create a virtual shopping cart on their phone. Once they are done shopping, they can just walk out of the store, confirm their purchases on their phones via automated receipts, and pay with their Amazon accounts. The store is only open to Amazon employees at the moment, but the company says it will be open to the public in early 2017.

What Retailers Should Do
This launch marks a crucial step in Amazon’s ambitious expansion into physical retail after the ecommerce giant tested the water with a few branded bookstores in select cities. More importantly, it unveils Amazon’s inspired vision for the future of retail as it proposes a frictionless, mobile powered shopping experience that eliminates one of the worst parts of grocery shopping – waiting in line for checkout.

While Amazon’s approach may seem a bit radical to some, there is no denying that smartphones are bringing a myriad of new possibilities into creating better in-store experiences. Walgreens, for example, has launched two initiatives aimed at delivering a more personalized shopping experience via its branded mobile app. Other retailers may not have the resources to attempt what Amazon is testing, but they need to take a cue and start leveraging mobile technologies to modernize their retail experiences.

For more information on how retailers can effectively reach connected consumers by taking a mobile-powered, omnichannel approach, check out the Boundless Retail section in our Outlook 2016.

Source: VentureBeat

Lead image is a screen capture from Amazon’s YouTube Video

Blippar Transforms London’s Covent Garden Into An AR-Enhanced Shopping Destination

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
London-based augmented reality startup Blippar has transformed the city’s popular shopping destination Covent Garden into the site for an AR-enhanced physical retail experience. Partnered with over 140 stores and restaurants in Covent Garden, Blippar created an interactive map of Covent Garden that shoppers can use to navigate the shopping district to unlock various discounts and rewards from retailers, see the tags on select items in-store, and receive contextual fashion and beauty tips from Hearst Magazine’s fashion editors.

In addition to an interactive shopping experience, Blippar will be also hosting AR-powered special holiday events to draw in shoppers. Planned events include a digital hunt to find eight hidden reindeer for a daily prize, an AR Christmas tree and Santa experience that unlocks exclusive rewards, and Blippable stickers on restaurant and shop windows that reveal special offers.

What Brands Should Do
This initiative is a great showcase of the immense potential that AR technologies can transform brick-and-mortar retail. In a similar manner, French department store chain Galeries Lafayette is using mobile-powered AR to create a unique in-store narrative to lure in holiday shoppers. With more and more consumers now shopping with their smartphones, brick-and-mortar retailers need to start exploring ways to use augmented reality to create a next-level shopping experience. Beyond retail, AR can be a great way for customers to envision your products in their lives and to launch interactive digital experiences from signage or product packaging.

The Lab has extensive experience working with retail, beauty, and CPG clients to create and implement digitally-enhanced experiences for their stores. Our recent work with NYX Cosmetics incorporated the brand’s social assets into its in-store experience and offered an innovative take on sampling with a digital beauty bar. Please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) if you’d like to learn more about how to develop a mobile-driven retail strategy that bridges the gap between physical and digital shopping experience.

Source: PSFK

Lead image courtesy of promotional images from Blippar

By The Numbers: Mobile Commerce Made Up 1/3 Of Black Friday Online Sales

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
Mobile shopping continues to rise in prominence as reports on this year’s Black Friday sales start to roll in. According to a report from Adobe, this past Black Friday set a new record in online sales with $3.34 billion, a 21.6% growth year-over-year. Mobile shopping accounted for $1.2 billion, about one third of the total online volume, a 33% y-o-y increase. Major retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target reported that mobile traffic and sales were on the rise, with Target saying that 60% of its Thanksgiving sales were done on mobile devices.

While the total sales number from brick-and-mortar retail still dwarfs that of ecommerce, data from multiple reports suggest that it is in decline. Analytics firm RetailNext says net sales at brick-and-mortar stores fell 5.0% over the Black Friday weekend, while the number of transactions fell 7.9%. According to retail research firm ShopperTrak, physical store visits fell 1% during Thanksgiving and Black Friday when compared with one year ago.

What Brands Should Do
As ecommerce, especially mobile commerce, continues to grow and erode physical retail, brands and retailers can no longer simply rely on traditional distribution and sales channels to effectively reach a migrating consumer base. As the numbers show, retailers and brands operating physical stores will need to learn to properly utilize tools in mobile, email and social promotions to boost sales and update their retail strategies with a mobile-powered, omnichannel approach.

The Lab has extensive experience working with retail and CPG clients to develop and implement digitally-enhanced retail experiences. The recently-opened NYX Cosmetics store at Union Square is a proud showcase of our team’s work in crafting a digitally enhanced, innovative retail experience. If you’d like to learn more about how your brand can develop an omnichannel retail strategy and mobile-driven retail solutions, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

Sources: TechCrunch & Reuters

Nike’s New Soho Store Showcases The Power Of Experience-Driven Retail

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
Nike’s new flagship retail store opened its door in the Soho neighborhood in New York City last week. The Lab team recently paid the store a visit to check out the unique in-store experience that Nike has crafted for this retail location. Below are some pictures that we took to help illustrate the installments that Nike created in this five-story store to draw in shoppers.

On the second floor, there is a treadmill in front of a wall jumbotrons simulating different outdoor runs to test out that pair of running shoes you just picked out.

new-nyc-nike-flagship-store-2 — The third floor features a customization shoe bar where shoppers can personalize a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

new-nyc-nike-flagship-store-3 — Soccer fans get some love on the fourth floor where there is an enclosed mini soccer field took up a corner.

new-nyc-nike-flagship-store-4 — The top floor features a mini basketball court where Nike is currently inviting basketball fans to test their aims and, occasionally, play against a pro basketball player.

new-nyc-nike-flagship-store-5-1 — Throughout the store there are large touchscreens embedded on the wall that can help shoppers browse the Nike collections, locate select items in stores, or purchase them online.

What Retailers Should Do
By taking an experience-focused approach and constructed dedicated areas for different activities, Nike effectively created a retail destination for sports and fitness fans, encouraging them to to try out their products in an optimized environment or simply to hang out with fellow sports fans and sneakerheads. The addition of touchscreens adds a digital touchpoint to the brick-and-mortar experience, bridging the gap between physical and online retail while doubling as self-serve information stations.

Increasingly, we are seeing brick-and-mortar retailers prioritizing this kind of experience-driven approach in designing their retail stores. For example, Bandier, an upscale activewear boutique, left some space in its flagship store for hosting yoga classes and other events for its customers to attend, turning its store into a destination for like-minded fitness lovers. For retailers, these examples of experiential retail should serve as inspirations to figure out how to craft an engaging in-store experience that attracts shoppers.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience working with retail, beauty, and CPG clients to create and implement digitally-enhanced experiences for their stores. The recently-opened NYX Cosmetics store at Union Square is a proud showcase of our team’s work in crafting a digitally enhanced, innovative retail experience. If you’d like to learn more about how your brand can develop an updated retail strategy and implement digital-driven retail solutions to transform your in-store experience, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

Facebook Testing Multi-Click Shopping Ads In News Feed

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Facebook has reportedly started testing a new ad product in News Feed that let retailers feature multiple products in a multi-click format. Retailers including the Lowe’s and Michael Kors are already testing the new ads, which features a primary image or video supported by a row of product images underneath. A click on this type of ad opens an in-app page showcasing additional products whereas a second click redirects shoppers to the retailer’s website.

Facebook continues to diversify its News Feed ad products as the holiday season draws near. This new shopping ad comes just a few weeks after Facebook-owned Instagram debuted shoppable posts that allow brands to include product information and direct links in their photos. Last week, the social network introduced News Feed ads that can direct users to start a conversation with a Messenger chatbot.

What Retailers Should Do
With these direct-response ad products newly available on Facebook and Instagram, retailers will have more options to choose from as they leverage these more sophisticated interactive formats to drive sales or conversations. With worldwide mobile internet usage officially surpassing time spent on desktop, retailers wishing to reach the holiday shoppers need to take advantage of the in-app shopping ads available to effectively engage with them on mobile.

Source: AdWeek

French Department Store Deploys Augmented Reality For In-Store Experience

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
French department store chain Galeries Lafayette is using mobile-powered augmented reality to engage shoppers with a unique in-store experience. Working with startup Sky Boy, the retailer has launched an AR experience that turns its Paris flagship store into a winter wonderland. Shoppers can follow the story of a family of polar bears leaving home for Paris due to climate change by downloading a free mobile app or with tablets provided by Galeries Lafayette when they are at specific spots on the store’s second floor.

Sticking to the campaign’s arctic theme, Galeries Lafayette will be offering a number of handbags in ivory or pastel hues from brands such as Dior, Gucci, and Chloé as part of its holiday shopping guide.

What Brands Should Do
This holiday campaign serves as a cool example of how retailers can leverage emerging technologies to engage with shoppers with a good story. With more and more consumers choosing the convenience of online shopping over physical retail, brick-and-mortar retailers need to shape up and embrace digital technologies to attract customers to visit the stores.

Source: Luxury Daily

Lead image courtesy of Galeries Lafayette‘s Instagram

Walgreens Updates Mobile App To Improve In-Store Retail Experience

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Lab Team

What Happened
Walgreens has updated its branded mobile app to better leverage the beacons in stores to deliver a more personalized and rewarding shopping experience for customers. The drugstore chain’s updated app will now be able to send customers special deals and coupons based on their location within the bulk of its U.S. stores.

What Brands Should Do
In June Walgreens introduced two APIs, one of which enables third-party apps to access their digital coupons, signaling its intention to expand its support for digital coupons. Now with this beacon integration into its app, the drugstore chain is making coupons a lot more user-friendly and accessible. The location-based personalization will likely help Walgreens lock in shopper loyalty by providing them with a superior in-store experience. Other retailers need to take a cue and start leveraging mobile technologies to modernize their retail experiences.

For more information on how retailers can effectively reach connected consumers by taking a mobile-powered, omnichannel approach, check out the Boundless Retail section in our Outlook 2016.

Source: GeoMarketing

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