Showrooming is not a fait accompli … or the death of bricks and mortar
The term "showrooming" is the new buzzword in the dictionary of retail. It refers to the act of consumers literally shopping on their smartphones while in the aisle of a retailer. Consumers using mobile devices to shop in aisle has been noted as particularly impacting consumer electronics retailers like Best Buy. In fact, it has been portrayed that bricks and mortar retailers have become "helpless has beens". But, Best Buy and others are fighting back. There are 5 ways that retailers can beat showrooming by changing the consumer experience.
A photo report from the field while searching for "balance" on safari
I've been writing this weekly blog for well over 260 consecutive weeks. That's over 5 years of staring at a blank screen trying to find a compelling headline and something to say. Do bloggers ever get a week off? Do they need one … YES!
After my around the world tour of retail, I had the opportunity to get back on another plane and go on safari in one of my favorite places on this planet – Africa! I can't begin to describe the utter joy to visit a lodge in the bush veldt which had absolutely NO INTERNET! Oh what a relief it is not to be "always on" and reachable by email or cell phone. And, what a perfect excuse not to write a blog for the week!
When you are in a client service business, the focus is rightfully on the clients. And, when you work with some the largest Fortune 500 companies, there never seems to quite enough time to work on your “own stuff”. The classic saying is that the “shoemaker’s kids are barefoot and have no shoes.” Well, 2012 became our year to get new look and a new name.
In retail we usually talk about feet, that is, square foot metrics of a retailer. And, you could say we have walked miles touring retail store fronts and sales floors worldwide. But not this week, the IMS Retail U “professor” found himself 5, 280 miles from his homeland. IMS Retail University had the opportunity and pleasure to facilitate several different workshops in Kiev, Ukraine.
Would you pay less if you purchased the gift list online?
The Twelve Days of Christmas is an old English Christmas carol that enumerates a list of increasingly grand gifts celebrated across a 12 day span for the Holiday. Each year, companies like PNC Wealth Management do a price index on what it would cost if you purchased the actual gifts mentioned in The Twelve Days of Christmas carol. The shift to the internet has been getting a lot of press this holiday season … but would you pay less for the 12 Day gift list online in 2011?
The rest of the story to “It shouldn’t have happened”
I haven’t missed weekly blog post in over 3 years. Would anyone really miss a Results Count blog this week before the US Labor Day weekend? I doubt it. Truth be told, I had severe case of writer’s block as I prepare for this special weekend. Since blogs are supposed to have a “personal flavor”, this week became an opportunity to share the rest of my story to a post almost a year ago entitled: "It should not have happened but did”.
Filtering choices is the key to balancing business & life
The full description of this blog site is: “Methods, insights and conversations that focus on results in business … and life.” The vast majority of our posts are focused on achieving results that count in business. It’s definitely time to shift gears and focus on the “business of life”. Is it possible to achieve work/life balance in today’s hectic world? Deciding what not to do might be just your most important decision.
If your email is overflowing … Alltop maybe your answer
Ok, you’ve made the commitment to stay current on your industry by subscribing to newsletters, blogs and smartbriefs. Now when your pour that first cup of coffee you cringe as you open email. It becomes daunting to even begin drudging through 50, 100 or more emails waiting in your inbox! How can you keep up to speed without suffering information overload? Alltop might just be the intelligence filter you are looking for.
Let’s face it … most men are clueless as to what women really want. So just in time for Valentine’s Day, Saatchi Wellness and Time Inc. have completed a survey on women’s preferences. The survey results make for an intriguing headline that is impossible to ignore. But believe it or not, this is also a case of some clever insights and actionable marketing.
I always ponder what to write for the last blog of the year. I could attempt to comment on the tough lessons learned in another tough year of retailing. Since this blog is about the realities of business and life, I opted instead to look ahead to the New Year, and focus on some profound insights worthy of reflection. Sometimes you just find something so good that you simply must share with others.
