Brands, Retail, Technology, Robotics (and more) by David Roth
At STREAM Commerce in Miami I interviewed a number of the key speakers and participants as part of my “In Conversation with…” series. I am very grateful to everyone who graciously participated in the recordings and were so generous in sharing their insights. Over the next few days I will publish here the individual interviews as well as the consolidate live broadcast that we took pace each day.
Todays “In conversation… is with Eric Heller, Founder Marketplace Ignition and ACE
At STREAM Commerce in Miami I interviewed a number of the key speakers and participants as part of my “In Conversation with…” series. I am very grateful to everyone who graciously participated in the recordings and were were so generous in sharing their insights.
Todays “In conversation… is with Brian Shuster Founder & Chief Innovation Officer actv8me.
At STREAM Commerce in Miami I interviewed a number of the key speakers and participants as part of my “In Conversation with…” series. I am very grateful to everyone who graciously participated in the recordings and were were so generous in sharing their insights.
Todays “In conversation…” is with my good friends Jon Bird VMLY&R and Jon Stine MIT
Each week I will be posting my picture of the week. An eclectic selection from my pictures taken from around the world.
Here is this weeks….from Peru.
THE MOST INTERESTING STORE IN THE WORLD… At least that’s what Showfields founder and CEO Tal Nathanel is confident he is creating.
In a world where many retailers are closing physical space, this plucky entrepreneur has gutted an iconic building in New York’s trendy NoHo area and is creating a new four story brick-and-mortar retail concept intended to bringing digitally native and direct to consumer brands to a physical life. Its proposition for brands centres on configuring their space online via a six-step process, which will then be fitted out and staffed by Showfields. It costs a flat fee per month (no turnover related element to it.). All the tech comes as standard – including mobile POS, data sensors and visitor analytics.
It’s currently in its “soft launch” stage. Just one of its four floors are open but that has not stopped a number of digital brands opening their space already including “Quip” electronic toothbrushes which started life as a Kickstarter project. Their space at Showfields actively encourages you to try out the brushes for yourself. Difficult to do that on a web site.
Or “Gravity Blanket” the weighted blanket for sleep, stress and anxiety. Which I have to say I had heard a lot about but never really understood or seen the value in until Tal persuaded me to try it out for myself at Showfields. It really was good and worth the premium!
Quod Erat Demonstrandum (QED).
Sometimes you really do need that physical experience…And that is what Tal is banking on.
As he took me on a behind the scenes tour of the yet to be opened floors Showfields strengths become more apparent. Its official opening will serendipitously be on the same day that Gordon Selfridge opened his Iconic Selfridges department store in London’s Oxford Street, back in 1909. That redefined retailing in Europe. And Tal’s betting on doing the same around the globe.And serendipity is what underpins the customer promise. He discusses this with me and other topics in this video interview you can see here. http://bit.ly/2TbglGx
Go see Showfields for yourself. It’s on corner of Bond and Lafayette Streets in NoHo, New York.
The world’s most interesting store…It could well be…It deserves to be successful.
At STREAM Commerce in Miami I interviewed a number of the key speakers and participants as part of my “In Conversation with…” series. I am very grateful to everyone who graciously participated in the recordings and were were so generous in sharing their insights. Over the next few days I will publish here the individual interviews as well as the consolidate live broadcast that we took pace each day.
Todays “In conversation… is with Brian Moroz, Creative Strategist, Google
January 2018 JD.com, China’s second largest e-commerce company, launched its first offline fresh-food supermarket, called 7Fresh. I went to take a detailed look…
Located in Beijing near JD headquarters in Yizhuang district this is their response to China’s booming market for online fresh food shopping and this growing segment of the domestic retail market.
4,000-square metres of floor space. It’s a true manifestation of the merging of online and offline. It’s equipped with “smarts” and serves as both a physical store for consumers and fulfilment for on-line orders.
The retail component of the store itself is a mix between Wholefoods, Eataly and a traditional supermarket, it combines cooked and fresh-food offerings. In an eclectic selection of products, it includes fruits from New Zealand and beef from Australia, a live wet fish market and cooked-food stalls where you can pick up and either eat there or take away from traditional Chinese food, salads to Pizza.
Its “smart” components include carts which can help guide shoppers to the right aisles. The entire store is based on JD’s smart logistics system. It’s so smart that 7Fresh will know what you want better that you will. Getting smarter about you the more frequently you visit. The system also powers a delivery services so on line shoppers can get their groceries in about 30 minutes in a defined area around the store.
This store is impressive and a testament to how advanced China is in retailing today and especially the world lead it now has in the convergence of online and offline retailing. 7Fresh is a physical manifestation of seamless integration of online and offline shopping systems that will be the model for the future of retail globally.
The retail world should sit up and take note.
For key insights on JD.COM and the implications of 7Fresh to you as well as understanding JD.COM please get in contact with me. To learn more about JD.COM please watch my documentary film “Hidden Dragon. The Rise of an E-commerce Giant”
See inside the store click on the image below.
History of the Chinese New Year the Chinese New Year, known in China as spring festival, is the country’s most important holiday. The Chinese New Year is based on a calendar established about 4,700 years ago. Various legends explain the origin of the Chinese New Year. One describes how people dreaded the New Year because a fearsome beast named Nian annually terrorised the population and devoured children. Then one year a child appeared dressed in red. The beast, frightened by the colour, fled and never returned. That’s why the Chinese New Year traditionally features red lanterns and noisy firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. The Chinese New Year is based on a calendar that calculates time using both lunar and solar events. Time passes in 12-year cycles, with each year represented by an animal of the Chinese zodiac. Traditionally, people prepare special foods and hope for a future of good luck. They attend many family dinners, starting with a New Year’s Eve feast. Travel home for the family reunion produces a mass migration. The New Year period culminates in the lantern festival, a joyful celebration around the first new moon in the lunar New Year. To learn more about the Chinese New Year and how the holiday unlocks year-round brand and retailer opportunities, download this informative and visual BrandZ™ study.
Chinese Astrology Believers in Chinese astrology attribute a person’s personality characteristics to the profile of their birth year animal. It’s not that simple of course. According to the Chinese view of the world as being composed of opposites, the animals of the zodiac are divided equally: yin animals and yang. They are also linked with similar animals into categories called trines. In addition, each animal is connected to one of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The possible combination of animals and elements produces a 60-year cycle and a complicated system of astrology. People who are born in the Year of the Rooster are believed to have the following characteristics: They tend to be neat, meticulous, organized, self-assured, decisive, conservative, critical, perfectionists, alert and practical. They can also be critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, proud and opinionated. ROOSTER YIN, (FIRE)
While smartphone penetration has been soaring in China, in-store technology has been left behind, and remains a largely untapped retail resource. That’s going to change. Souped-up stores Some clothing retailers have built systems that allow shoppers to browse and order out-of-stock items from within the physical store. And cosmetics brands have pioneered ‘virtual mirror’ services that allow shoppers to experiment with new colors. But beyond that, the digital instore experience just hasn’t got going. In the Year of the Rooster, we’ll see greater collaboration between digital agencies and retailers. This will inject new life into stores, delivering the sense of theater and richness of experience that’s becoming so important in winning sales and loyalty. Enabling customers to interact with products on the shelf, understand their benefits or investigate the supply chain without having to switch to looking at their phone, will encourage footfall and improve the in-store experience. We know consumers are using their own screens to seek out reviews and information while they browse; in-store tech is the opportunity for brands and retailers to both streamline and liven up that process. In 2017, winning brands will use in-store technology to enhance the shopping experience – at scale.