At the 2011 iMedia Breakthrough Summit, Wade Allen, VP of Retail at Rockfish and Devora Rogers, Director of Product Strategy at IPG Lab, delivered this presentation on the "Brave New
Despite rapid advances in information technology, social connectivity, and digital communications, the retail shopping experience has evolved little for the past fifty years. But today, converging macro trends in pricing, technology and mobile are poised to radically reinvent shopping. Meanwhile, new insights into shopper behavior enables brands and retailers to influence purchase in powerful ways. Retail as we know it, will never be the same.
3. Retail Evolution Supplier power Distribution Retailer power Negotiation Shopper power Information Shopping transformation Retail 1.0 Retail 2.0 Retail 3.0
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5. Can Evolution of Retail Tech Ease Shopper Barriers? Number reporting the barriers Across all categories, shoppers get stuck in the purchase process based on three ‘barrier nodes’ at or above SHS norms Information Confidence Validation
8. Retail: Now and in the future “ THE FIRST Law of Technology says we invariably overestimate the short-term impact of new technologies while underestimating their longer-term effects.” John Naughton
22. The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. -Mark Weiser, 1991 “The Computer for the 21st Century” Scientific American Powerless Printed Coil Technology
For years, manufacturers and suppliers controlled the distribution mechanisms, and thus, held the power. They dictated which stores could carry and sell their products—if they liked the way you advertised and displayed their goods, you might get the product. Then came along the WalMarts, BestBuys and Home Depots and suddenly, the power was in the hands of the retailer—their ability to negotiate large scale deals because of their massive size, gave them the power. Then came along the web/social media/mobile technology and suddenly, the power shifted to the shopper. Shoppers today have more information available to them than ever before, and they are demanding not only better prices, but want to be more informed, want transparent communication with brands, and even a role in the design and production process. This shift is happening at the same time prices are dropping for in-store technology, and enabling brands and retailers to interact with shoppers on a one to one basis like never before. For brands and retailers seizing on the opportunity, the potential is great. Typical client driven questions: With all the online information shoppers can access, is retail dying? Where is mobile in relation to other media? How powerful is social media on purchase? With growth of search, what is up with traditional media? Print is dead, right? Is it true 70% of retail purchase decisions are driven at shelf?
Meanwhile, most research indicates brands and retailers are consistently failing shoppers. What shoppers actually want by and large is the ability to understand the value and information to make a smarter choice. Just by adding screens and LED displays, we’re not necessarily meeting the challenge.
Could we use the new technology in store to raise shopper confidence and help close the loop? Information: Do I have what I need to evaluate options? Confidence: Do I have enough resources to make a good choice? Validation: Do others think I made a good choice?
Online research, reviews and product information via mobile device are among the most influential touch points
2010 holiday season saw huge leaps in mobile usage indicating shoppers increased comfort with mobile apps and platforms. Mobile is the perfect retail platform: Personalized, on demand, location aware. As retailers integrate stock and availability into mobile platforms, opportunities to serve customers without a traditional workforce grows. Mobile will increasingly redefine our shopping experiences. http://www.ebayinc.com/mobilecommerce http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101206005219/en/Smartphones-Bargain-Hunting-Consumers-Changing-Customer-Retailer-Relationship-Accenture *Scanby, *Gartner http://blog.unibulmerchantservices.com/paypals-holiday-mobile-payments-spike-by-300-percent/ http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/8281.html There are many ways bar codes can give shoppers a distinct advantage this holiday shopping season: • Shoppers find a popular item at their local store, but notice the price is too high. By scanning a bar code at the store, they will be sent a list of online retailers that are selling the same product at a lower price. They can use this information as leverage in the store to price-match. • Sometimes shoppers want the “hot product,” the one that is nearly impossible to find. Scanning a bar code will send the shopper a list of retailers selling that product with inventory in the area. This feature is ideal for those last-minute shoppers who do not want to use the same excuse as last year. • Books and DVDs are always popular gifts, but what are people saying about the latest releases? Simply scan a bar code and see instantly whether "The Expendables" or "Eat, Pray, Love" is the better stocking-stuffer this year. • For shoppers who love to brag about an amazing deal or sale they found, scanning a bar code will enable them to share it with friends on Facebook or email in a snap. As we near Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Amazon is launching a new way to comparison shop on the go. Called Price Check, the free iPhone app allows users can scan the barcode of a product, take a picture of an item or say the product’s name to access product listings on Amazon.com’s marketplace. If the product is listed on Amazon, customers can then purchase the item with one click. The beauty of the app is that you can use several ways to search for an item when you are in a store. Using Amazon’s barcode scanner, which was recently added to the company’s primary iPhone app, you can simply scan the barcode and the app will match an item and provide pricing from Amazon.com and other online merchants. You can also use the app to snap a photo of the item and match the picture to books, DVDs, CDs and video games (Amazon says it will be adding more categories to this soon). You can also speak or type the product’s name into the app. The app by default will display prices sorted from lowest to highest and will also show if the item is available for free shipping. Amazon says that Price Check includes prices on “millions of products” and also includes access to customer reviews; sharing via Twitter, Facebook, text message or e-mail link; and immediate purchasing using 1-Click ordering and Amazon Prime.
Image what Retail will be like in 2020. The Innovation group Frog Design did just this and envisioned a concept scenario called ThingBook where every visible thing (think product) is cataloged and connected as a data point to the web. Users, with the help of mobile and image recognition systems, are than able to instantly research information about these items such as clothes they see others wearing in the streets and pay for them through mobile systems. This will enable people to shop and buy from anywhere, creating a world retail experience.
Adidas and Intel recently unveiled a massive touchscreen wall that allows shoe retailers to house a large inventory without taking up so much floorspace. When a shopper approaches it, the wall determines whether the person is male or female, and makes initial footwear recommendations. From there, shoppers can browse 3-D images of products, as many as 8,000, rendered on the wall. Aside from general specs on each shoe, the adiVerse wall hosts a wealth of marketing tools -- like behind-the-scenes looks at a shoe's design, videos of the shoe in action and user reviews from social networking sites. When the shopper has made a final decision, he or she can try on the shoe, check its pricing, options and size availability, and add it to a shopping cart. Then an employee wielding a tablet will come over to help confirm and finish the transaction.
Augmented reality enables digital information to appear on top of the physical world when viewed through the camera of a mobile device. Creating a hybrid browsing experience anywhere. Layar is one such mobile app that recently added the ability to purchase information and content directly within the app. The information-rich layers help users better navigate new locations, potentially opening the door for a future where users can preview and buy any product they see.
http://www.psfk.com/2010/11/mobile-platform-goldrun-allows-airwalk-to-execute-the-worlds-first-invisible-pop-up-store.html Venice Beach and Washington Square Park, they were instructed to take a photo and receive an exclusive promo code for purchase. To reserve one of the 300 pairs, users downloaded an app to their iPhone, went a specified location and then snapped a photo of the shoes that appeared on their screen. Collecting the virtual item with their phone qualifies a user to queue-up and pre-order the shoes.
Mercedes-Benz rolled out a company wide iPad sales program to all 355 dealerships across the globe in October of last year. The program's purpose is to streamline the closing of the deal by eliminating the potentially deal-killing walk away from the reality-distorting, shiny new car and into the intimidating sales office. Salespersons can also run credit checks and pull the latest incentives with the iPads, as well as take in returning lease vehicles.
L’Oreal in the UK is convincing Shoppers to try on make-up with in-store touch screen kiosks. Equipped with a camera to capture the shopper’s face and a scanner to identify which products to virtually apply on screen, the station can adjust, undo, and compare before and after photographs.
In July of last year, following a successful pilot program, the German manufacturer Audi outfitted each Service Centre in the UK with helmet cams and two-way radios. This allows customers to monitor the work being done on their vehicle from the mechanic’s point-of-view to maximize transparency of the process and instill a greater sense of confidence in the diagnosis and quality of work.
Digital and Mobile coupons offer opportunities for retailers to reward and incentives shoppers. Products like ShopText and Rockfish’s CouponFactory are integrating their technology to create a holistic couponing platform. These services enable retailers to reach customers in their respective channels whether that be print-at-home, text based, load-to-loyalty card, Mobile App, or in-store Kiosk.
Group clout allows groups people decide which products are to be produced. Made.com connects customers directly to designers and asks them to vote on which pieces are produced and added to the site’s retail store. After an order is placed, customers can keep track of the entire manufacturing process up until it is delivered to their door.
Live video chat Remote customer support Viewer-driven content On-Demand Video Modify content on screen based on usage/interest Can connect with social networking sites SMS Integration Broadcast Live Video
Levis has integrated Facebook functionality into their website, allowing users to “like” specific products and share their shopping decisions within their social network. The site can also be customized to show only those selections that have been “liked” by your peer group.
Services like Shop Social.ly and Swipely link with shoppers credit cards to enable them to easily share their recent purchases within their social networks, either automatically or through an opt-in service. As these services develop, they function as group recommendation engines for particular products. Brands might eventually be able to access this data and offer special promotions to particular users and their friends.