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Here Come the “Smarties”

Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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At the height of the Global Financial Crisis, when the economic sky was crashing in, commentators like J. Walker Smith of the Yankelovich Monitor were predicting a fundamental shift in consumerism. “The recent experience of frugality has ushered in an enduring era of penny-pinching and thrift that will utterly define the character and mindset of [...]

Who Needs This Stuff?

Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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In 1975, a Californian advertising executive called Gary Dahl invented the Pet Rock. This was the perfect pet; you never needed to feed, water or clean up after it, because it was literally a lump of stone. Lovingly nestled in straw, then placed in a cardboard box with air-holes in it, and complete with a [...]

SOS (Save Our Shops)

Posted on 10. Aug, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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The Pixar animated classic “WALL-E”, set in 2105, paints a sobering, satirical picture of the future of retail. In a world trashed (literally) by rampant consumerism, the single remaining retailer (and company for that matter) is a megacorporation named “Buy N Large”. It’s an obvious dig at merchants like Walmart (the biggest company in the [...]

When “Sale” Gets Stale

Posted on 04. Aug, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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It used to be that the most powerful four-letter word in a retailer’s armoury was “Sale”. And while the tactic is definitely not dead, the abuse and overuse of the term “Sale” has certainly blunted its effect. Department stores are particular culprits, starting the traditional mid-year sales ever-earlier, running sale events longer, and peppering the [...]

Pop Up to the Extreme

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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Trendwatching.com first coined the term “Pop Up Retail” in January 2004. As the trend forecasting website noted at the time; “if new products can come and go, why can’t the stores that display them do the same?” Since then, “Pop Up” has become a phenomenon, with a myriad of retailers opening temporary retail spaces. The [...]

“Tweetailers” and Social Media Retailers

Posted on 20. Jul, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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There’s a mobile Korean Taco truck in Los Angeles called “Kogi”, which has based its business model on being one of the world’s first “tweetailers”. It’s a very simple recipe. Make great tacos, put your restaurant on the road, and then promote your next location via Twitter. When a tweet goes out, a crowd of [...]

Adding the “S” into Value

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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The shift to “value” has been the megatrend in retail for several years. As a retailer, if you’re not providing your own compelling version of value, you’re probably not in business. Gwen Morrison of international retail intelligence source “The Store”* told the Westfield World Retail Study Tour recently: “these days retailers are all competing for [...]

Who’s Breathing Down Walmart’s Neck?

Posted on 07. Jul, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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A quick quiz. What’s the second most valuable retail brand in the world today?
If you guessed “Walmart”, “Tesco” or “Carrefour” – or in fact any bricks-and-mortar retailer – you would be way off the pace. According to a report released last week by Kantar Retail* (http://www.brandz.com/output/retail.aspx/), the brand that grew the most in value last [...]

Are Your Customers Stealing Service?

Posted on 23. Jun, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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One of the hazards of retailing in the Internet age is that customers can get expert advice on products in your store and then once they’ve made their selection, go ahead and purchase at the best price online. It’s not only irritating, but debilitating. But what can you do about it?
Last year, Dixons, an electrical [...]

A Matter of Trust

Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by Jon Bird.

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Would you put your faith in someone you don’t really know to help you make a critical decision?
Millions of consumers do just that every day, via product reviews on websites, the opinions of influential commentators or bloggers, or the say-so of their Facebook “friends”. And, worryingly for retail marketers, many experts say that shoppers are [...]

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