Archive for 'Consumer Trends'
Here Come the “Smarties”
Posted on 01. Sep, 2010 by Jon Bird.
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 [...]
A Convenient Truth
Posted on 20. Apr, 2010 by Jon Bird.
In an age where you can purchase just about anything at any time with a mouse click and have it delivered to your door, how are physical retailers retaliating? Some US merchants think they may have found the answer with the drive-through store. Wal-Mart, Kmart and Meijer are all testing the new format in the [...]
Merci Indeed
Posted on 17. Feb, 2010 by Jon Bird.
Think “charity store” and you conjure up a small, overstocked, slightly dusty shop full of clothes and knick knacks of sometimes questionable taste, staffed by well-meaning volunteers with blue-rinse hairdos. Yes, sometimes you can pick up something really special, but you’ve got to search through a lot of haystacks to find that bright, shiny needle.
So [...]
Conversations with Customers
Posted on 15. Feb, 2010 by Jon Bird.
“The future”, as William Gibson once said, “is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed.” So when I say that the future belongs to retailers who can successfully engage in one-on-one “conversations with customers”, you can already see the trend happening, but it’s not as widespread as it could be.
One retailer who is ahead of [...]
Interactive Technology and Retail Environments
Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by Martin Osborne.
Chain store retailers are gradually realising how Interactive Technologies can increase sales. Following are examples of this potential;
Proximity Marketing
Stores can install a Bluetooth device that sends an SMS to potential passing trade within range and with Bluetooth enabled mobile phones. This can attract attention to a store, advertise a current promotion or simply add to [...]
Licking the Windows
Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by Jon Bird.
They call it “leche-vitrine”, or literally “licking the windows”. The phrase is highly appropriate for the huge number of exquisite and tantalising patisseries, confiseries and chocolatiers in Paris. While on a recent trip to the French capital, one shop in particular had my tongue hanging out – La Cure Gourmande (translates roughly as the “cure” [...]
“Retail is for Suckers”
Posted on 26. Jan, 2010 by Jon Bird.
Fans of the legendary US sitcom Seinfeld might remember the episode called “The Glasses”, where Kramer encourages George to visit a particular optometrist and mention his name in order to get 30% off. “Retail is for suckers”, says Kramer. Unfortunately for merchants wanting to protect their margins, there aren’t that many “suckers” left.
Yes, consumers have [...]
The G-Star Brand Experience
Posted on 10. Jan, 2010 by Martin Osborne.
I bought my first pair of G-Star Elwood jeans in 1997 and I still wear them around the house occasionally. I remain surprised at the quality of their product, built like fashion architecture. I’ve since made many G-Star purchases and quality has been one of the reasons for my brand loyalty, the G-Star Brand Experience [...]
The Hermès Brand Experience
Posted on 08. Jan, 2010 by Martin Osborne.
The Hermès brand, with its equestrian origin has greatly evolved since 1837 to become a statement of luxury. This prompted me to research the evolution of this iconic brand, from bridle to Pop-up Bar, in search of the essence of this unique brand experience.
Hermès first excited me in the early 1990’s when I had the [...]
Brand Experience
Posted on 07. Jan, 2010 by Martin Osborne.
Brand represents the intellectual and emotional associations that people make with something. An experience is the interaction between people and their environment, anything our senses perceive. Experience co-exists with brand in our thoughts and feelings. Successfully co-ordinated Brand Experience can prompt and accelerate a target groups compulsion to take action and intensify and strengthen their [...]





