Retail Store Owners: 3 Recommendations on How to Prosper in the Digital Marketplace

With Amazon and the rise of online shopping, retail stores are quickly going out of business. As a Northwestern student studying communication studies and Integrated Marketing Communications, I have found two articles that provides tips on how to prevent retail stores from going out of business.

In the first article “Retail Trends Taking Shape in 2018,” TomMcGee, a writer for Forbes, discusses the changes in retail stores are taking to market themselves and stay in business. He believes “that 2018 is coinciding with what feels like an entire new era of retail and retail real estate, though brick-and-mortar remains a proven formula.” One of the changes McGee mentions is that retail stores are now expanding beyond just traditional shopping; they’re incorporating entertainment and other activities to attract both shoppers and non-shoppers. He also focuses on technology and its impact on the retail world. By 2020, he believes that approximately 45% of retailers will incorporate artificial intelligence into their store to enhance the customer shopping experience.

Source: medium.com

The second article is “Top 14 Retail Trends of 2018 ThatWill Redefine the Industry” written by Michael K. Spencer for Medium. This article, as the title suggests, shares current trends in the retail industry. Spencer and McGee share similar thoughts on the usage of new technology and creating more than just a shopping experience in stores. Spencer goes more in-depth into the different technology functions, such as mobile payments, QR codes, and retail robots, that will ultimately help improve and create a memorable in-store customer service experience.

Based on these two articles and my experience as a Northwestern student and avid shopper, I have developed 3 action items you should consider when revamping your retail store.

Incorporate new technology
Brands are incorporating more advanced technology and should continue to do so to enhance customer service and satisfaction and gain their attention in our digital society. 

Think entertainment
Physical stores need to be more than just a place to buy to prevent closing. They should offer other sources of entertainment to keep customers in-stores.

Stay up-to-date
Brands need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology to update their stores as needed and not lag behind everyone else.

Retail stores must remember the three tips above to gain customers and prevent closure.

Grace Hong is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University majoring in communication studies, minoring in Chinese, and pursing the Integrated Marketing Communications certificate. You can get in touch with Grace via LinkedIn or Twitter.

3 Tips a Marketer Need to Know to leverage the mobile devices to increase sales

Mobile commerce is the trend that no retailers can afford to ignore.  Industry analysts predict that the mobile commerce will increase to 31% of total digital purchase and generate $109 billion of revenue in 2017. As an IMC graduate student in Medill School in Northwestern University, I have done research on how the m-commerce trend affect the fashion retailers, and two articles explaining the industry future integrating the mobile devices catches I attention.

Dylan Richard, co-founder and CTO of a mobile-only e-commerce company, discusses the different consumer purchasing behaviors on mobile platforms, with computers and in stores. Dylan points out that when consumers shopping on mobile devices, like all online shopping experience, they are driven by fear on whether they make the right choice. Unlike shopping with computers, however, they are looking for easier and quicker shopping experience when they shop on their mobile devices, as they tend to shift between different apps and activities fast on their phone or tablets. 

Source: www.ohlalapps.com/wp-content/uploads/header_shopping.jpg

The Guardian article emphasizes on the importance of social networks and apps in m-commerce. While the trend helps small luxury brand to be more cost efficient, it also requires brands to provide a seamless service from seeing a picture on social media app to purchase the product. 

As the previous two articles mentioned, while the m-commerce trend is a great opportunity for fashion retailers, the retailers need to understand the different consumer purchasing behaviors on mobile device and adjust the shopping experience accordingly to generate new revenue. Based on my experience in the IMC program, here are three actions I would recommend to all fashion retailers:

• Optimize your mobile sites: optimize the mobile shopping experience is not just about a larger button. The customers need to be able to find essential information/graphics they need in the small screens and make purchases within several touches.

• Link your site with your social media accounts: always provide the links of the product with the pictures you post on social media (or use hyperlink) so consumers can access your mobile site from their social media apps easily. If you are looking for a more creative way to do it, IKEA Russion innovatively use Instagram as a catalog to increase consumers’ engagement and lead them to their website. 

• Integrate the mobile device into your store: QR code, Geo-fencing etc. are all great way to enhance your consumers’ store shopping experience while leading them to your mobile apps or sites.  

   

Cindy Du is Master of a Master of Science Candidate in Integrated Marketing Communication at the Medill School in Northwestern University. Cindy has studied and worked in Boston for four year in communication and public relations. Cindy now dedicates in delivering actionable digital marketing strategies for fashion retail brands through data-driven methods. Connect Cindy via @Cindy_SiyingDu.

Fashion Marketers: Can Gamification Rescue your Retail Strategy?

Fashion marketers need to use more techniques to engage their consumers and increase shopping experience to compete with the rise of e-commerce.

As a graduate student in Integrated Marketing Communications at Medill, Northwestern University, I've found two articles about how gamification motivates sales that can help you win the battle.

In the article Retailers Must Reinvent Their Stores, reported by BOF team (The Business of Fashion) on January 27, 2015 points out the importance for retailers to reinvent their physical stores to better suit the behaviors and expectations of today's hyper-connected consumers. The article suggests physical stores to retain the advantage of personal interactions, further extend these interactions through new technology to offer deeper and tailored lifestyle suggestions and communal interaction. According to the BOF team, physical retail store has its nature to engage customers and can should learn from e-commerce to enhance services. 

The “mirror” lets the customer see how a current outfit looks in comparison to one she just tried on. 

source: http://bit.ly/1zmDuEd

In How To Solve YourBiggest Marketing Problems With Gamification by Steve Olenski (@steveolenski) and published in Forbes on March 5 2014, introduces how can gamification increase engagements. According to a survey conducted at the end of 2014 by Gartner,Inc, 70% of the Forbes Global 200 saying they are going to gamify. The influence is going to expand with the number of Millennials increase. Steve points out the reason why companies are adapting Gamification is because it can getting people engaged, coming back and feel involved, it can also turn average into the exciting.

Based on these 2 articles and my graduate learning at Medill IMC program, I have three actionable things I would recommend you as a fashion marketer to do:



1. Gamify to Increase Motivation － Use the Gamification techniques to leverage customers’ desire.

2. Start Personalize － Learn form e-commerce and provide each customer with personalized customer service.

3. Start Innovation － Physical retailers can implement interactive gamification devices, to make the static environment more dynamic and increase shopping experience.

Shopping in a physical retail store has its core advantage over e-commerce. It can provide authentic shopping experience and a real connection with the product and retailer. I believe, with the right gamification approach, retailers can successfully manage customers motivation and desire, and provide the experience and service that e-commerce cannot compete with.

Yanran Yan is an Integrated Marketing Communication graduate student at Medill, Northwestern University. She will be graduated in December 2015 and is particular interested in digital marketing for fashion industry. 

Contact her via LinkedIn, or Twitter @YanranY