Rewrite Retail Blog

Retail Apocalypse or Retail Re-imagined?

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 15:35:53 GMT

Retail Apocalypse or Retail Re-imagined?
Fasten your seat belts, as we are sitting on the cusp of yet another wave of transformational change. New technologies and expectations are emerging and an evolving consumer is looking for a fully personalised shopping experience.

These lofty expectations are setting fire to another, potentially bigger, wave of innovation.

This has been an un-precendented few years in retail. With over 2000 doors closing in the UK in 2019 and over 9000 in the US. Online, changing consumer shopping habits and high rent and rates have been cited as major causes for the troubled high street....but what does it mean to the future of the store?

What it means is that retail is evolving, and retail brands need to, if they have not already, re-imagine and rewrite their retail strategy, to one where the consumer is in the driving seat. The future will belong to those that prioritise the consumer, and the experience in-store and online and everywhere in between.

Re-think the role of the store.

No longer can you evaluate a store based on its ROI in isolation.

You need to consider it in relation to your wider business strategy. Does it have value as a logistic hub, how does it fit into your omni channel strategy? how does it fit in your customer experience journey? and what is its value as "media"?

Stores are one of the most powerful Ad campaigns a brand can have. Driving significant brand awareness, bringing brand values to life with real authenticity. Consider the store as a media spend....what would it be worth in acquisition and retention terms?

Many brands are doing exactly that, and as such expect to see more spectacular retail from the big brands as they brand build with vibrant, social experiential flagship stores. More pop ups and a more creative approach to in-store retailing which is vibrant, social, and authentic, where experience is everything.

Don't think of it as a "store": Apple the king of retail innovation doesn't. The giant tech brand doesn’t want its customers or employees to think of its locations as merely “stores” – and has stopped using the word. It’s the experience that’s being pushed, and that experience is “Apple”.

Leverage customer data.

It's the most valuable asset a consumer business has. Today’s shoppers prioritise exceptional customer experience. They are willing to provide their data, but they expect a great experience in return. For brands this means delivering on the promise of personalisation, expert service, always-in stock and seamless cross-channel shopping. Using data to drive personalisation has been seen as part of the online play book, but now it's being harnessed in stores, with many brands now doing this brilliantly in the physical store.

Nike - House of Innovation store in New York, integrates the Nike+ membership app.

The app uses geofencing technology to automatically detect when the member enters a store and updates their app with essential features to use in-store: recommended products, exclusive experiences and self check out in store.

Fabletics - Allows customers to link to their online membership profiles during their in-store visit, allowing personalised product recommendations, the ability to request different sizes and colours, check an item’s availability, or even get styling tips without having to leave the fitting room.

Tech Innovation.

Technology has been used in store in the last few years to make things faster and more efficient and it will continue to be used to remove barriers and pain points in the customer journey. But now it is really starting to explode in many new ways, enabling interactive experiences, theatre, and elevating the customer experience in more meaningful and exciting ways, such as immersive product experiences, augmented and extended reality, biometrics, and robotics.

The Gap - To avoid going through the hassles of finding clothes that fit perfectly, Gap have created the “DressingRoom” app that allows users to try out a dress on a virtual mirror, cutting down on the time and effort of going into a fitting room. With the availability of this app, shoppers are able to try an outfit and pick the one that best fits their sizes and tastes

Alibaba's fashion AI concept store allows shoppers to check in with a QR code or via facial recognition. W hen the customer then picks up a product they automatically appear in a smart mirror. The mirror subsequently suggests outfits to complete the look either based on the customer’s previous purchases or the store’s latest products

The use of robots in the supply chain is quite common but now many brands are using them in store: Pepper, Loews, Walmart to name but a few.

Finally, the human touch ....

The social aspect of shopping should not be under-estimated. Shopping is a social experience, and whilst online shopping has gone social, nothing can re-create wandering through a store with friends. No amount of technology can ever replace human touch and interaction. An algorithm could choose the perfect dress, but it won’t be able to listen to a customer share her excitement about how the dress looks on and about the special event she is shopping for. Retailers are capitalising on this by empowering their employees to create vibrant and social spaces, and a real sense of local authentic community.

Rapha the cycle brand have brilliantly created their whole proposition in this way.

Their clubhouses have created loyal, social communities, with organised and sponsored unique rides and events.

Shopping at IKEA is different than shopping at other furniture stores, the Swedish brand create a unique experience for its customers. " Come for the food, stay for the sofas" . " Instore once in a lifetime sleep over events".

If ever there has been an exciting time to work in retail, the time is now, and we are just getting started. If there was one silver bullet, it's put the customer at the heart of everything.

Outside of that the ways in which retail fortunes will be won and lost are still very much being

re-written.

But be warned this shift to consumer-focused retailing is as exciting as it is competitive.

Business Transformation - Top tips

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 23:39:48 GMT

Business transformations rarely fail due to the system implementations. More often than not they fail because of the lack of business readiness...lack of buy in, lack of training, not understand the need, stuck in the change curve in denial, and lack of control. Having led three major business transformations, I have the learnings and the scars!

The biggest tips I can give you are...............

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Many transformation programmes hire great programme leaders, strong project managers and set up PMOs. What often gets overlooked is a professional communication expert, who specialises in transformation change.

Tip one: Hire a seasoned comms expert - However don't isolate them in the programme they must work with your internal comms team and HR teams. This is a business transformation programme. It must be owned by the business. The communication strategy should be agreed and signed off at the start of the programme, let the expert guide you, as each phase requires a different style and tempo of comms.

Tip Two: Early engagement - It is critical to get the whole organisation to buy into the change. This means understanding "Why", "What" and most importantly "What does it mean for me".

Recognise that different people, different teams will engage with the messaging in different ways and at different speeds. Engagement is not just at the start it must maintain momentum throughout the programme and after the end state has been realised.

Use people across the business to be ambassadors for change for their areas, and expect push back and negativity. Most people dislike or fear change and find it hard to embrace. This is normal, and it should inform the communications strategy.

Tip Three: Stakeholder management - A critical part of communication is managing all stakeholders. It is imperative that the key stakeholders buy in and understand how the change fits into the overall business strategy.

As with most things in business it's often the corridor, water cooler chats that are the most influential. Recognise that each stakeholder is different and find the best way to communicate and influence. No one likes surprises so frequent and transparent communication is required.

Control is critical

Without control, scope will creep, dependencies will get missed, risks will not be identified or understood, costs will escalate, and the business will not realise the benefits originally identified.

Tip Four: Strong Governance - One must put in place strong governance at the beginning of a programme. This should involve the key stakeholders and the decision makers. Hold them accountable on progress and importantly benefits realisation once the project has landed. The governance model can be varied by business, but it must provide regular transparency on progress, time, risks and costs.

Tip Five: Training . Training readiness should start at the beginning of a change programme, not left to the end as is sometimes the case. Process review and requirements gathering at the start of a programme should inform both the testing and training plan. Identify subject matter experts to help develop the training plan. If possible create a pilot so training is as real as it can be. Team members must know what to expect and what will be expected of them as and when new elements go live. Identify floor walkers for post go live, to help with the new ways of working. As with everything, learn feedback and continuous improvement.

Once a phase of a programme or a project has gone live, plan for a warranty period to support the business not just IT. Ensure there are regular health checks in place.

One final tip. Change always takes longer than you think. Plan for contingencies and then plan for a contingency for the contingency.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.