Fashion, News Updates

The Multiple Benefits of Retail Pop Ups

Written by swdadminDecember 17, 2014

Pop up store AustraliaOver the past ten years the Pop Up Store concept has developed from a niche concept into a widely used marketing tool for a multitude of businesses with a multitude of purposes.
As a marketing research tool the pop up is very useful for main stream businesses to test and explore new products and ideas. Also functioning as a method for existing businesses to grow their brand awareness and increase sales.
Amazon recently launched a pop up in Sacramento at the end of October 2014 for the holiday season. Primarily this is functioning as a marketing tool to allow customers to interact with their products, however it is also most likely a test bed as a distribution channel.

As most retail sales during the Christmas and Holiday season still come from bricks and mortar stores there is an obvious benefit for Amazon and other online retailers to find cost effective ways to tap into this engaged customer and profitable channel during this season.
Pop ups by nature are low risk and low cost as temporary, short term retail spaces. In addition to testing, research, brand awareness and sales, pop ups are also be used for product launches, sample sales and for experimental and experiential marketing. A recent study carried out by Pop Up Republic discovered that 61% of the shoppers surveyed go to pop up shops to find seasonal products.

 

Around 39% were looking for unique products and services and 36% wanted to support local enterprises.
A recent campaign by Coach focused on raising awareness of the brands’ new clothing range to their Australian customers. A number of Pop-Ups were set up in central locations in high profile shopping centres in Melbourne and Sydney during spring 2014.

As part of this campaign, the Gesaky Mirror was utilized as both an experiential shopping experience and also as a data capture tool for the brand. This type of cross purpose functionality is what makes the Pop Up such an attractive tool for retailers.

For more articles exploring multi-channel marketing in retail click here or go to our infographic here exploring a recent report into expectations of a multi channel customer.

 

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News Updates

Visual Customer Service

Written by swdadminSeptember 15, 2014

VisualCustomerServiceD2-01 guest sept 14

 

In an age where the 24/7 sensory overload of information is enough to induce a seizure, it is becoming increasingly difficult for advertising companies to catch a targeted audiences’ attention long enough to get their message across.

 

Using visuals doesn’t exactly mean displaying a slew of Buy One Get One Free signs on billboards. In fact, quite the opposite.

With the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+, social media has a huge influence on the daily life of many targeted customers, clientele, and other businesses. Learning how to creatively channel a message for your company that is both true to face, and eye grabbing to customers is tricky and takes a lot of trial and error to perfect. You have to figure out what works best for your company.

Guest Post with thanks to Ivan Serrano

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News Updates

Influences of Social Media

Written by swdadminJune 4, 2014
Social media word meld
Social media and customer centred

The influence of social media has had a huge impact in almost every aspect of modern life.  Consumers are now expecting more instantaneous responses and consistent interactions from each and every touchpoint, and, if this isn’t forthcoming they are more likely to pen their dissatisfaction to an audience.

The power of this is apparent throughout every consumer facing sector.  In particular company-directed marketing is competing for attention with peer recommendations through social networks and user reviews, research has shown that for the average consumer, peer recommendations carry ten times more weight than recommendations from salespeople.

The ability to actively engage on these platforms throughout all available channels is becoming ever more vital.  Retailers are now increasing their spending to facilitate and influence peer connections around their brands through paid ads and branded pages on social-media platforms.

By bridging the gap between in store interactions and social media platforms, the GESAKY™ technology enables the retail customer to become brand advocates.

The GESAKY™ Mirror can also work as a display platform for intelligent advertising.  Targeted advertising can highlight products relevant to what customers are actually browsing for, which is a more effective method of influencing customers.

 

For more information on how the GESAKY Mirror can work for your business, get in touch by emailing sales@gesaky.com.

 

 

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News Updates

Survey of Shoppers

Written by swdadminApril 24, 2014

Ipsos – Retail Performance recently surveyed shoppers as to what irks them with some interesting responses.  From queuing to moody assistants and some really quite unusual pet peeves.  Understanding and addressing these irks is vital for retailers to improve their interactions with their customer.

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News Updates, Smart Technology

The Empowered Customer

Written by swdadminMarch 20, 2014
Female browsing her mobile while out shopping
Shopping through multiple channels

The Empowered Customer, what exactly does that mean and what are some of the implications for retailers?

Consumers are now seeking out help and advice from peers when shopping, they have learned expectations and attitudes that have been shaped by experiences across numerous sectors and changing platforms over recent years.  Certain technological developments in recent years, in particular the increased use of mobile devices is giving customers access to information instantaneously.

This instant access, combined with influencers in the form of Social Media and peer recommendations has enabled and empowered customers even more than before.  Research has shown that for the average consumer, peer recommendations carry ten times more weight than recommendations from salespeople.

This change in approach is now allowing customers to decide which brand or retailer they will go to and trust.  The challenge, or indeed opportunity now facing retailers is in nurturing this trusting customer and developing the relationship through engagement and in turn understanding their needs and wants.

With in-store interaction, retailers must find ways of engaging and interacting with customers in-store which can allow them to anticipate and understand customer behaviours and preferences.

Gesaky provides a solution that supports and enhances the customer service delivery in-store, click here to view an example of a multi-channel empowered customer journey and how the Gesaky solution can engage with your empowered customer.  The Gesaky solution, an agnostic technology, also provides retailers with valuable in-store customer analytics.

More articles below:

 

Video by IPSOS explores what irks shoppers the most.

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News Updates

RYU Omni Channel Strategy

Written by swdadminMarch 3, 2014

RYU LOGORespect Your Universe, outline elements of their strategic direction in the Wall Street Journal on 28th February 2014.

Respect Your Universe, Inc. is a performance apparel brand designed for both athletes and active adults.  The article touches upon the role that the Gesaky Mirror will play in RYU’s Omni-Channel retail strategy going forward.  To read the article in full please click here.

Crafted from organic and/or earth-friendly materials, RYU apparel enhances movement, is extremely comfortable and healthy for the environment. Founded in 2008, RYU has incorporated the lessons learned from mixed martial arts into beautiful everyday performance wear. For more information, visit www.ryu.com

 

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News Updates, Uncategorized

Shortlisted for The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2014

Written by swdadminFebruary 19, 2014

Shortlisted LargeThe Gesaky Interactive Mirror has been shortlisted for the Irish Times Innovation Awards 2014.

Featured recently in the Irish Times, you can read journalist Barry McCall’s interview below with Alan Kearney, Managing Director of Gesaky.

 

Imagine walking up to a mirror in a shop carrying an item of clothing and having the mirror recognise what you are holding and displaying further information about it in terms of alternative sizes and colours as well as offering advice on the accessories to match it which the shop has in stock.

It may sound a wee bit far-fetched but that’s precisely what the Gesaky Mirror does.

According to Gesaky founder and inventor of the mirror Alan Kearney, the initial idea for the product came about as a result of both experience and necessity.

“I have three daughters so I know a little bit about shopping,” he says.

“I’m also an engineer and my background is in utilising wireless technology to make buildings more energy efficient. When the downturn in the building sector came in 2008 I looked around at some other ideas and came up with the mirror in 2010.”

With support from the Enterprise Ireland high potential start-up programme he set about developing the technology and in April 2013 Gesaky was selected by Intel’s research and development team to work with their next generation i7 processor chip and was showcased at Intel’s Global solutions Summit in the Convention Centre, Dublin.

Early adopters
The mirror itself was launched in the US in July of 2013 and is already in use by a number of retailers.

“In the US people are early adopters of new technology so we brought it over there first and it has taken off,” says Kearney.

“We also have an agreement in place with RYU, Respect Your Universe, a US sportswear brand which is currently rolling out stores through the US, Europe and Asiaover the next 18 months. The Gesaky Mirror is central to their store roll out and brand strategy.”

Kearney continues: “For the consumer it is an information device and for the retailer it is a cross-selling and upselling aid.

“It is effectively an additional sales assistant. When a customer interacts with the mirror the cross-selling element kicks in – the mirror provides the additional customer service support by matching products and giving stock and product information.

“This element also addresses busy times when there is more demand for customer service and not enough staff to support them. Research has shown that one in five consumers do not buy because they cannot get served in store.”

The mirror also earns its keep at less busy times as well.

According to Kearney: “During quiet times it operates as an advertising platform, allowing brands to showcase adverts, new stock or sale items. It also operates as a training platform for shop assistants so they can quickly understand outfit combinations and other sales training that can be remotely provided.”

The mirror’s possibilities also extend to e-commerce and product trialling.

“It can bring bricks and clicks retailing together,” says Kearney. “If a shop in a chain doesn’t have the accessory, such as shoes in stock at the time, the shopper can simply click on a touchscreen device attached to the mirror to order it online and have it delivered to their home the next day.

“Also, a retailer might want to just trial a new line in a few stores and the mirror can be used to judge customer reaction before launching it across the whole chain.

“Analytics are very important as well, as the mirror can tell the retailer when customers don’t buy as well as when they do.”

Looking ahead


Versions two, three, four and five of the mirror are already in development.

According to Kearney: “We are developing it into a fully functioning point of sale device so that customers can just walk up to it and use their phone to buy an item. We are also looking at integrating it with social media to allow people to ask their friends if they should go ahead with a purchase.”

It may not tell you how big a part of your anatomy looks in something but it certainly has the potential to make shopping a very different experience.

–  Text by Barry McCall, read the article here on The Irish Times website.

 

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News Updates

Listen to Your Customers.

Written by swdadminFebruary 7, 2014
Are you listening to the voice of your customer?
Your customer is your business, knowing you need to be customer centric and being truly customer centric is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses.
The infographic below explores changing customer interactions and habits of customer centric enterprises.
Listening to the Voice of the Customer

This infographics courtesy of the largest information design community – Visually.

 

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News Updates, Uncategorized

Multi Channel Marketing Strategies

Written by swdadminJanuary 2, 2014

Today’s marketeers must constantly adapt and adopt their customer engagements across numerous platforms and touch points within the ever evolving digital revolution.  A recent survey carried out by Forrester found that marketeers who have adopted multi-channel marketing practises are benefitting from a higher return on marketing investment.

95% of marketers either implement or have plans to implement multi-channel marketing.  The Forrester report also found that one of the largest obstacles for companies not implementing multi-channel marketing was due to a lack of knowledge and skills and or a dependence on external marketing service providers.

One of the key elements of a successful marketing strategy is in understanding customers and their expectations.  The biggest challenge in meeting those expectations is through service delivery, this process is becoming more and more complex as omni channel customers expect a consistent service delivery through whatever channel they interact with.  A summary of customer expectations can be viewed in our recent infographic here.  

Omni Channel ActionsThe Forrester survey also found the most effective methods employed to deliver a consistent multi channel experience is through integrated processes, intelligent use of technology and adoption of emerging technologies.

Of those found to be mature practitioners of multi -channel marketing, the key differentiator was in their approach.  They are more likely to be adopters of technology with the marketing department working in close partnership with IT while also collaborating more with sales on setting goals and implementing programs.  Non-integrated IT solutions are the norm, with email campaigns on one system, social media on another and in-store carried out by another team.  This can create technology silos which are then likely to be implemented by organisational silos where customer data is organised within individual channels, thus creating a disjointed complex and inconsistent customer experience across a business.

Organisations have the challenge of integrating processes which can be supported by new and emerging technologies. Agile organisations who embrace change management when approaching their processes are best positioned to deliver an effective customer omni-channel strategy.

 

Source:   The Multichannel Maturity Mandate, A Forrester Consulting Thought Leadership Paper Commissioned By Sitecore

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