On the blog of Gensler architects Barry Bourbon always gives us, at the end of the year, a retrospective of what trends appeared the past year. This month he again pointed out 10 trends that got shape this year and will influence next year. I think with all points he hit the nail on it’s head but there are 3 that caught my attention because they aren’t talked about that much but seems to be just as significant.
Turning the pop-up into experience design: For years, pop-up shops have signaled fun if not fleeting introductions to new brands and new products, but my number one observation from 2012 is that pop-ups are here to stay. I don’t mean that we’ll see even more of the here-today-gone-tomorrow temporary shops (though I don’t think that trend is over), but rather I believe the experience that pop-up shops have provided is a major impetus for traditional retailers’ push to reengage their own customers. It’s about finding unexpected elements within retail – a health care advisor inside a grocery store or a tea shop inside a furniture store – that create value, convenience and unique experiences. Shoppers want to be wowed, and that’s a trend that’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Elevated brand image overseas: As Western brands increasingly migrate to new international markets, it’s exciting to see prototypes adapt to global consumers’ tastes for innovative, boundary-pushing design. If it weren’t for the logo, would you have guessed that this is a Starbucks? I think this is another trend that has a long future; in fact, I think retailers’ willingness to test new ideas in new markets will raise the bar for design and branding back at home in the U.S., too. One to watch.
In an extremely mature retail environment like Japan, retail is less generic and often very niche, specialized or single subject focused. An example of this single subject focused retail is lifestyle or gender orientated stores. One of the most recent cases is from Japanese mobile carrier DoCoMo who has just opened a new communications concept called The Shelf. It is a relaxing environment for young women where technology is being presented as part of people’s everyday lives rather than a (beautiful designed) technology orientated phone store.
Located in the backstreets of Omotesando (Tokyo, Japan) The Shelf has two floors to explore and test the communication technology, books, magazines and make-up. The first floor features four areas surrounding the themes of Travel, Work, Beauty, and Fashion. All the different services and products are curetted by a popular role model who represents one of the themes. They have collaborated in creating a space that shows how the smart phone integrates into everyday’s life for young women. The second floor is the café and lounge to sit down, enjoy tea, read a magazine and check out some make up.
The Shelf is a fascinating idea That is based around understanding lifestyle and need instead of features and models.
The opportunity, as Dana Cho and Beau Trincia from IDEO shared in their presentation, is for brands to make it possible to connect individuals. Wether it is with people who like the same product, the maker or just friends.
Now we entered the omni channel world in retail it is impossible to ignore the digital trends. Olof Schybergson of the design firm Fjord named 5 key trends that have to be watched in 2013 and what to do. The last one is even solitarily dedicated to retail.
1. DAWN OF THE “PERSONAL ECOSYSTEM”
Connected objects start to take their place–right by your side.
2. K.I.S.S. (KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID)
Simplicity has a long track record of success and disruption. How good old-fashioned K.I.S.S. principles are making a comeback.
3. ACCESS WILL SUPPLANT OWNERSHIP
What does it mean to own something in the digital age? As the focus shifts from ownership to access.
4. I BELONG TO ME
How to survive if you find yourself on the personal data battlefield.
5. A PERSONAL SHOPPER FOR EVERYBODY
The coming revolution in retail
Personalization is nothing new in the digital world, but in the world of retail, users often find that comparatively few services actually meet their needs. This is likely to change in 2013, as the online and offline retail environments merge, creating a more holistic and immersive customer experience.
A statistic to strike fear into the heart of any retailer: Almost half of U.S. smartphone users have used their devices in-store, and more than half of those have gone on to abandon their in-store purchase. For smartphone users, the distinction between online and in-store shopping has all but disappeared.
The key to retail success lies in creating experiences that make customers feel better. A shopping experience that feels smarter or easier can be more valuable for many customers than simply getting the best deal. Key factors that ensure success are increasingly going to be based on recognition, recommendation, follow-through, and support. Services like Intuit GoPayment and PayPal Here (both of which Fjord helped to design) are already revolutionizing commerce for small retailers by simplifying payment, and the next natural step is to offer digital customer relationship management for these small merchants.
Shop staff will increasingly be equipped with tablets or smartphones to deliver improved individual service, and opt-in location-based services will help customers find precisely what they’re looking for, when they’re looking to buy, and will enable them to pay on the spot without queuing. Virtual shops, in other words, will also take hold in the physical world.
Suggestions for the shopping services of 2013:
• Design commerce services that make use of smartphone sensors and contextual data–camera, gyroscope, time of day, and location.
• Design innovative and simple solutions for small merchants. This is a big group of merchants, yet they are not digitally savvy at all. Inventory management, customer relationships, loyalty solutions, digital storefronts–these can be life-changing services for small retailers.
• Re-imagine the boring things and make them engaging. As PayPal and Square have shown, even something as painful as paying can be pretty cool.
There is a new shopping experience that’s powered by robots and your smartphone. Founded by a former Amazon exec this shop has the potential to revolutionize the way we buy clothes! In the store customers can scan QR codes on jeans they like and robots will send their specific size to a designated dressing room.
The store carrying the name Hointer, located in the University District of Seattle, is still in beta mode and focuses on high-end jeans for male for now. But the company plans on selling all men’s apparel with various price ranges and eventually expands into the women and teen clothing worlds as well.
Main reason the focus is still men based is the simple fact that shopping is an arduous chore for most guys. They’d rather be efficient with their shopping, and Hointer gives them that with a tech twist. These shoppers are like hunters — that’s where the name “Hointer” comes from.
Why this concept is a glimps in the future? The design of the store requires less floorspace and fewer salespeople, which in turn allows Hointer to offer low prices and carry more stock. And the app allows Hointer to track everything in the store in real-time and lets customers rate clothing. Brands can then access that data via Hointer’s portal to see which apparel people tend to try on and not.
Now it is already so successful Hointer plans to open more stores in Bellevue, San Francisco and possibly abroad in Tokyo and Shanghai.
If you are interested in Retail innovations. Check out the slideshare of Ebeltoft Group they gave during the World Retail Congress 2012.
In this slideshow presentation they point out nine key innovation themes and show examples of retailers that excel in this theme either through format innovation or business innovation.
On the 5th and 6th September 2012 – The Marketing Store celebrated 25 years in retail and brand marketing by opening ‘Everything Must Go?’ a pop-up shop on Shoreditch High Street, aimed giving visitors an exclusive look into the future of retail. The exhibits and seminars appear to addressed a number of themes and raised some interesting points and ideas
The death of RRPIn the next 25 years it is possible we will see the death of fixed pricingThe merging of shops, shopping and shoppers‘Everything will be for sale everywhere and by anyone thanks to technology.’ Personalised, time-sensitive and location-based shopping discounts are expected to become a common strategy used by retailers to encourage on-the-go impulse shopping.A move from high street to ‘try street’The high street will become the ‘try street’. As routine and habitual shopping is taken care of by online, then other shopping will likely be driven by an emotional, social and adventurous recreation. The retailer will become entertainer, curator, expert, event organiser.The rise of metailIn 25 years’ time retailers will be masters of the technologies and data that will help them cater to every consumer’s unique desires and preferences – delivering the true reality of metail.
As I reported earlier the Dutch public libraries are having a hard time as a result of the cost cuts by the government. To keep on being relevant they have to show the Dutch government that people still want to be member.
To achieve this the organization comes up with some pretty unconventional solutions. They already introduced libraries at high traffic locations like Schiphol airport and the railway station in Haarlem and recently announced to collaborate with retail partners like IKEA and Mc Donald’s.
The last one hosts since this week a pop up library that is opened two days a week till 27th of October in the city of Arnhem. The pop up library is targeted to teenagers and reward them with a free hamburger if they want to become member. Further more is this initiative a chance for the library to show the teenagers that they are more than books. If this initiative will help the library survive the 21st century I can’t say. But it is always nice to see unconventional solutions especially from conservative institutes like the library
The Tweet shop in Soho is a pop-up shop where you will be able to pay for a packet of Special Cracker Crisps by tweeting a message about the snack.
The shop is staffed by a number of Special K shop assistants in red dresses who will check each customer’s tweet before giving them a pack of crisps.
The Tweet Shop marks the first venture into the retail space through a dedicated physical space for Kellogg’s, the owner of the Special K brand.
Sarah Case, brand manager for Special K, said the decision to swap real money for “social currency” in the campaign was made because “the value of positive endorsements on social media sites is beyond compare”.
The Tweet Shop is lined with hundreds of packs of crisps, a “try before you buy” snack area and a community notice board that showcases the social media reaction.
Slice created the campaign that launches today (25 September) and will run until Friday.
