DDi - April/May 2011 - (Page 44)

44 | Show Coverage Conference sessions Keynote: Lessons From the Recession More than 500 attendees gathered for GloblShop’s sold-out opening keynote, presented by Envirosell CEO Paco Underhill, who discussed today’s changing battleﬁeld of retail and consumer shopping trends, and its subsequent affect Paco Underhill on retail stores. “For those serving the retail and design communities, this has been a very interesting time,” Underhill said. “The world of consumption and selling will change more in the next ﬁve years than it has in the past decades.” The recession left all consumers on a budget— no matter their placement on the economic ladder—meaning shoppers are taking more time to do pre-shopping research and have the ability to opt for more convenient and, oftentimes cheaper, purchasing methods. Today’s retailers, according to Underhill, must now change their strategy and learn how to navigate these changes and new technologies—such as mobile shopper applications and price comparisons—to distinguish their brand and make the consumer shopping experience not only a functional and efﬁcient process, but an integrated model that is able to serve a global market. “Connectivity has joined Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, probably somewhere between sex and shelter,” Underhill joked. “We’ve reached the apogee of the ‘big box,’ and we can’t grow the store any bigger or get more money out of people’s pockets with our current model.” He stressed that need for retailers to recognize that we cannot go back to what retail used to be—a straightforward buy-and-sell model. Instead, “a marriage of research and design is needed. It’s time to stop being afraid of conceptual design and get involved in engaging your customers,” he said. —STACY STRACZYSNKI materials and design innovation that will shape store design through 2012. “There is deﬁnitely some real interest in how to connect to consumers with new technology to create a more engaging experience,” said Labbe, as she exempliﬁed avatar and stylist applications that help consumers pre-shop online. “There’s a real value for customers to experience something that saves them time and takes a lot of the guess work away. Both online tools and in-store technology combine to enhance the shopper experience via customization.” In addition to technology innovations, the key concepts that inﬂuence design as a whole are shifting, as well. “There is a huge interest in all-over color, which is something we really haven’t seen for the last four or ﬁve years, Renee Labbe as mix-and-match had been the rule.” Black and white is a mainstay but now seen in contrast and color blocking. Other top hues are cream-based whites, bold blues, pop-out neons and show-stopping reds, especially in automotives and technology. Metallics are still “in” but are now less pure, with a bit of a murky, matte ﬁnish. Four major themes in play today are Analogue (an understated, chic and unpretentious presentation that is also functional), Soul (authentic and hand-crafted styles that bring people meaning and refer to nature through pattern and color choice), Manifesto (where glamour meets pop/80s ﬂair in a bold statement) and Rebel (an industrial and edgy aesthetic that causes a stir). “We are really looking at ourselves in retail and trying to change things up a bit,” Labbe said. —STACY STRACZYSNKI Shopper Marketing: A Revolution in Need of an Objective “Not another shopper marketing speech.” This was how Crosby Renwick, managing director, strategy and research for CBX Strategic Branding, started off his presentation to GlobalShop attendees. Citing research from Hub Magazine, Renwick stated that more than half of retail and manufacturer respondents said “the biggest impediment to successful shopper marketing initiatives is insufﬁcient understanding across all departments of what exactly it is.” Because of this gray cloud of ambiguity that hovers above its very essence, shopper marketing has been unable to effect the revolutionary change it could, Renwick said. “The retailer owns the ballpark, and the venCrosby Renwick dor has to remember that the ballpark always comes ﬁrst,” he said. “The only common objective is making money. It’s a constant tug of war, but no one wants the other side to win.” Renwick broke down ﬁve objectives that will make shopper marketing a true revolution: Enlist top-down partnerships. Example: The Nestle US president moved his entire family to Fayetteville, Ark., in order to better partner with Walmart. Develop mutual long-term themes (beyond just making money). If you plan it once and do it for ﬁve years in a row, the cost to implement comes down year after year. (This is hard to do when you are in the war of making money week after week.) Develop exclusive brands. Rather than focusing on private label, there is an exclusive-brand movement occurring. These limited-edition “capsule brands” (i.e. Target’s Converse One Star or Kohl’s Simply Vera) give the retailer a destination, the manufacturer a new audience, and the consumer a better price. “It’s a win-win-win,” Renwick said. Find a partner. Develop mutual objectives with other manufacturers. Programs that spread the risk are ideal (example: Mars and PepsiCo doing a joint promotion with 7-Eleven). Technology—You can own it. “Technology is your ticket to the CEO spot,” Renwick emphasized. Thanks to GPS, retailers can now talk to the consumer while they are at the shelf. “With 80 percent of all cell phones now enabled with GPS, that’s a pretty exciting development for shopper marketing,” he said. —ALISON EMBREY MEDINA Keynote: Mega Trends for Design & Visual Merchandising 2012 GlobalShop’s concluding keynote presentation, “Mega Trends for Design & Visual Merchandising 2012,” was given by Renee Labbe, senior vice president of global trends, Stylesight. The Canadianborn speaker discussed two points of interest: macro-trends and the ideas that will permeate into the future, as well as the driving inﬂuences in Reimagining the Retail Store: The Shopper’s Experience What’s the most important thing a retailer can do to ensure success? Listen to its customers. According to a presentation by Bryan Gailey, vice president and retail design director for Arc Worldwide, and Dr. Alan Treadgold, director of retail strategy for Leo Burnett Group, the state of | April/May 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2011

Ddi - April/may 2011
Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Greentailing
Editor's Choice
Design Snapshot
Channel Focus: Footwear
Multichannel Retail Section
Digital Engagement
Shopping for Kicks
Mobile Retailing
Right Light
Product Spotlight
Global Shop
Booth Winners
Speaker Sessions
Trends
Products
EuroShop Products
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Think Tank

DDi - April/May 2011