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.
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.
Listia, a startup that allows users to exchange free goods, is expanding its model today by taking its new Rewards Store out of beta testing.
On the Listia site, people can give away things that they don’t want or need anymore. When you give something away, you earn points on the site, which you can then redeem for the goods that offered by other users. Until now, however, what those points actually got you depended on what other users were posting, and all the goods were used (unless, for some reason, you decided to give away something brand new).
With the Rewards Store, users can redeem their points for new goods in categories like DVDs and movies, electronics, and home and garden. Listia says it’s adding a premium rewards category today, with items like round trip airfare to anywhere in the U.S., gas money for a year, a luxury trip to Hawaii, and a Fiat 500. The rewards are supposed to run the gamut from $20 to $16,000 in value.
The company says that “by creating a Rewards Store, we hope to incentivize more people to unlock all the idle value sitting in their closets and homes.” That doesn’t necessarily mean the current model isn’t working — there have supposedly been 5 million items traded to date, and the gross merchandise value of items on the site has grown 400 percent in the last six months. But it doesn’t hurt to give users an even clearer reason to give things away.
Because I haven’t published that much this month I will therefore give you a wrap-up of the most interesting things I already twittered with some explanation why I consider it interesting.
1. Sleep above the store at Maison Rika in Amsterdam
A guest room above a store? What is more engaging than being so close to the store the brand and its story.
2. Small businesses can sell their product at Target
3. The first ‘Start up store’ opened its doors in New York
Individualism and an uncertain employment market infuses the rise of a new mercantile class. Retail concepts that offer more niche products/services and takes the (new) small entrepreneurs serious will be winners.
5. Radio Shack recognize it roots and starts a community site
Acknowledge your heritage by giving your first fans a platform to meet and share knowledge is a wise marketing move for every brand. When this platform is all about creating, it’s spot on the current trends.
Now the environment and the crisis are dictating the way we think about consumption. New (commercial) initiatives around swapping are more relevant than ever.
I really love the list of 12 things to watch out for in 2012 by marketing agency Idea works shown in the last message. So I thought it would be nice to illustrate it by a slide show with examples.
Many are interpretations of what I think suits the point others are already being mentioned by Idea works.
For the the list and explanation of all points click here
The blog New Retail by marketing agency Idea works published its predictions for 2012. They see an overall trend that blurs and blends everything in retail. The psychical worlds with the digital, manufacturers are becoming retailers or vice versa and global players transform to local heroes. In a list they define 3 key trends and 12 things to watch.
Digitization
Globalization
Polarization
Amongst these three key trends, they picked out 12 things to watch out for in 2012.
Brand Retail and Design 