The following is a guest contributed post from Larry Light, a global brand revitalization expert, is the Chief Executive Officer of Arcature (www.arcature.com), a marketing consulting company that has advised a variety of marketers in packaged goods, technology, retail, hospitality, automotive, corporate and business-to-business, as well as not-for-profit organizations.

The business news is full of bleak outlooks or bankruptcies for a number of big retail stores, with iconic Toys ‘R’ Us one of the latest casualties.

The crumbling of several brick-and-mortar giants continues during the rise of e-commerce, led by Amazon. Some of those still in business are attempting to improve their online capabilities as a way to compete better in the changing landscape. Walmart, for example, plans to open fewer stores so it can focus on e-commerce while enhancing existing stores. Target has been building out its digital offerings, with same- and next-day delivery services being tested.

Such online upgrading illustrates a shifting business model for some long-time retail titans. But Larry Light, a global brand revitalization expert, says to know where they’re going, they can’t forget where they came from. Their survival, he says, will likely depend on how they blend their retail brand strengths with new online know-how.

“Retail giants are feeling the ‘Amazon effect,’ ” says Light (www.arcature.com), co-author with Joan Kiddon of The Paradox Planet – Creating Brand Experiences for The Age of I. “Struggling retailers are focusing on catching up in the online space and giving up on investing in sociability and sensory aspects of creating a special in-store experience.

“The challenge is how to provide the best combination of both online and retail. This is the big opportunity space that traditional retailers seem to be ignoring.”

Light suggest three ways that retailers can adapt and survive in the e-commerce era:

• Re-establish the emotional store connection. One reason people consistently shopped at a brand retail store, Light notes, was the way they felt connected with the brand and the store experience. “Connecting with customers’ emotions is the way to find success in the age of online shopping,” Light says. “No matter how much we appreciate the ease and speed of online shopping, we crave the joy of seeing and touching the product. A computer cannot match that human experience.” So increase the emotional rewards, Light says, by enhancing the shopping environment, making it more relevant and distinctive.
• Translate data to identify shopper behaviors. According to a Forbes article, retailers need to analyze a wide variety of metrics to better understand their customers and what impacts their purchasing decisions.  “There are many variables to the in-person shopping experience,” Light says. “Detecting these variables and how they impact customers can bring solutions on how to optimize the shopping space.”
• Don’t have an identity crisis. A brand has a distinguishing character, and Light says it’s vital to avoid losing it in the midst of change. “IKEA, Walmart and other retailers are struggling to catch up with online venues, focusing on creating a brand experience that has less to do with the legacy retail environment and more to do with virtual environments,” Light says. “You walk in a Sears and see an abandoned brand.”

“A brand is more than the promise of features and functions,” Light says. “It’s a special feeling for the customer. The retail experience and online enhancements can make it more powerful.”

The post Op-Ed: 3 Ways Retail Stores Can Survive In The Age Of Amazon & E-Commerce appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The offering, we’re told, measures lift in retail visits resulting from TV, mobile and desktop advertising.

With this solution, marketers and their agencies will be able to understand the holistic impact of their advertising on driving visitation to physical locations such as retailers, automotive dealerships, dining establishments and more.

In addition, media sellers will be able to prove the value of their inventory and its ability to drive consumers to visit brick-and-mortar locations.

The new joint offering is built on comScore and PlaceIQ’s history of providing marketers with accurate insight into the efficacy of advertising. Ad exposure data from comScore is matched to location data from PlaceIQ to measure the overall and individual impact of campaign components such as TV networks, digital publishers, dayparts and placements. comScore can further integrate viewability measurement to account only for digital impressions that have an opportunity to be seen, as is the standard in TV. This viewable lift data provides marketers with an apples-to-apples comparison of lift across platforms and the ability to optimize spend accordingly.

“Auto dealerships, restaurants, travel providers and retailers all have the challenge of connecting the dots between ad exposures and in-store foot traffic,” said Steve Ahlberg, senior vice president, advertising products for comScore. “Today’s launch gives marketers access to the neutral, third-party data they need to make those connections, and to ultimately optimize their marketing mix. comScore is excited to partner with PlaceIQ, a premier provider of advanced location data and analytics, to launch this product, which is available to our clients today.”

The post First Look: comScore, PlaceIQ Take Deep Dive on Impact of TV, Mobile and Desktop Advertising on Retail Store Visits appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Two hundred marketing decision-makers in retail organizations participated in the study, showcasing what the company calls a continued increased investment in mobile marketing and, often, the challenge to quickly adapt to changing consumer demand.

And what did we learn?

The vast majority of retailers surveyed said they are increasing their investments in mobile (92 percent) or social media (89 percent) advertising this year, while simultaneously indicating they experience challenges in executing or successfully tracking ROI on these efforts. As consumers continue their adaption of mobile into every facet of the shopping journey, marketers are challenged to adapt strategies to better fit the mobile-minded consumer.

“Marketers should not underestimate the influence mobile marketing has on purchases made in all channels—in-store, online and on mobile devices,” said Marissa Tarleton, chief marketing officer for RetailMeNot, Inc. “Equally as important is the ability to attribute sales back to mobile marketing efforts. Because 90 percent of retail sales still occur in-store, mobile is the key to understanding digital attribution from online to offline.”

To review the study and its findings in full, click here.

The post RetailMeNot Reveals Retailers’ Hits and Misses in Mobile Marketing appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

In partnership with BrandGarage, this study highlights the “overwhelming emphasis retail executives are placing on automated platforms” to improve customer communication.

All told, 87% of the 100 retailers surveyed planning an increase in the use of AI to service their customers moving forward.

In 2016, 82% of customers stopped doing business with a company after a bad experience, according to the Internet Trends 2017 Report by Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins. At the same time, customer service costs are rising dramatically. As a result, retailers are increasingly turning to customer service and engagement automation technologies that leverage AI, including chat on Facebook Messenger and voice through voice assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa, to unlock new revenue, reduce costs and boost customer loyalty, satisfaction and lifetime value.

This study explores the increased value retailers are placing on AI to alleviate points of friction and improve margins and revenue through their customer service and engagement.

To learn more, check out the report online here.

The post Most Retailers to Ramp Up Use of AI in Customer Engagement appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The conference runs May 31 through June 2 at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

The annual conference features content and programming facilitated by RetailNext clients, acclaimed retail industry experts and a full roster of strategic partners representing a 360-degree view of today’s complex omnichannel retail enterprises.

“RetailNext is excited and proud to again host retail thought leaders across a variety of disciplines at its annual Executive Forum,” said Bridget Johns, head of marketing and customer experience at RetailNext. “Shoppers continue to dictate change to the retail industry, and the Executive Forum allows a dynamic, multi-directional exchange of ideas between RetailNext’s customers, partners and its employees to inspire and empower retailers to deliver the shopping experiences necessary to meet the values and the ever-rising needs of their customers.”

The event will unite some 200 retail professionals from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia.

To keep tabs on the event, click here.

The post Retail Industry Thought Leaders Gather Today at RetailNext Executive Forum appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

As a marketplace where mobile accounts for over $9 billion a quarter in GMV in 2016, eBay will work with Button to scale and integrate partnerships across today’s growing mobile landscape, a provided statement reads.

We’re told that eBay will be launching across a host of Button Publishers including Huffington Post, loyalty publishers such as Ibotta, and others over the next couple of months.

“Mobile commerce is a significant growth driver for us, and partnering with Button will enable more mobile app partners to quickly integrate shopping on eBay into their apps,” stated John Toskey, Director, Global eBay Partner Network. “Button has developed an elegant, high performing solution that solves challenges for both advertisers and publishers, and we are excited to be partnering with their innovative mobile network.”

The post Mobile Payments Leader Pushes the Right ‘Button’ for Retailers appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The following is a guest contributed post from Andreas Hassellöf, founder of Ombori.

Less than a month into his Presidency, Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he was serious about his plan to boost American jobs and American businesses by initiating a global trade war. He pulled the United States out of the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership within days of taking office, sending a clear message to major trading partners including Japan, Canada and Australia that he was not interested in bipartisan free trade. He’s been talking about imposing tariffs of up to 45% on goods imported from China, and up to 35% on Mexican goods. Analysts worry that India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and South Korea will be next, and earlier this week he reaffirmed his commitment to “tweak” NAFTA, which he describes as a “disaster”.

Trump’s logic is obvious: by imposing import tariffs imports, he hopes to force American businesses to manufacture in America, and to persuade American consumers to buy American-made goods. However, it almost certainly won’t work exactly as intended.

On the one hand, it’s great news for American businesses, especially retailers. They’ll face less competition from cut-price vendors around the world who are selling directly to American consumers. Currently, customers can easily purchase items from India, China, Hong Kong, or Japan, completely bypassing American distributors. Applying a significant tariff wouldn’t stop customers doing that, but it would put the prices on a more even footing. Imported goods may still work out cheaper, but American companies could offer faster delivery and cheaper shipping, potentially a deciding factor for consumers who are used to the “I want it now” economy.

It’s also a powerful incentive for American manufacturers. Instead of going to low-price factories overseas, they’ll build factories in America and employ American workers. Even though American goods will still be more expensive than Chinese-made goods, those import tariffs will allow them to compete on prices.

So, more business for American vendors and manufacturers, more jobs for Americans. So far, so good – for America, at least. But let’s look at the flip side of that.

Customers would have to get used to paying more for almost everything. Staples such as food and clothing would be hard hit, and electronics, mostly made in Asia, would see massive price rises. The next generation of iPhones could cost Americans an extra $100 or more. Even Wal-Mart is worried. Tariffs may mean more profits for American businesses, but unless that’s accompanied with pay increases for American workers, it also means a significant decline in their standard of living. They’ll be focusing more of their buying power on the necessities of life, leaving them less for non-essential purposes, and threatening whole market sectors, particularly small businesses.

It’s naive to think that other countries won’t retaliate if America imposes tariffs. Apple, General Motors, Qualcomm, Boeing and Intel between them do over $125bn in trade with China. For Apple and other tech giants, China represents over 50% of their revenue. Punitive taxes could hammer US exports, leading to stock crashes, up to 4 million job losses and a decline in GDP growth. As the Wall Street Journal notes, “[what] would make a trade war most catastrophic is not just that things like iPhones might be more expensive to buy and take longer to make; it’s that China might decide that it doesn’t want to buy any.” For American retailers who are starting to open up lucrative foreign markets, this could be a serious blow.

It’s arguable that America does not actually have the capacity to bring manufacturing back to the US. Assembling technology such as an iPad is a truly global endeavour, with parts sourced from around the world. Companies like Foxconn are successful because they operate on an almost inconceivably massive scale, with billions of dollars in government support. In Zhengzhou, known locally as “iPhone City”, where they make up to half a million iPhones a day, all the infrastructure, the raw materials, the components, and the suppliers are already in place.  America has none of that, and it would take years to build it. When Motorola tried to manufacture the Moto X in the US, it was, in their own words, a disaster. Local manufacturing would stifle innovation in the mobile world, as the US struggles simply to get factories set up. Ironically, manufacturing won’t necessarily mean more jobs: these factories are becoming increasingly automated, so most of the work will be done by robots anyway. Even more ironically, the only way America can afford to build this infrastructure is with the assistance of Chinese investors.

The knock-on effects go deeper, reverberating around the world. Manufacturers in Asia and Mexico aren’t going to shut up shop. They’ll be looking for new markets, and they’ll be dumping cheaper goods on Europe, upsetting existing trade relationships here. We’re all going to be affected.

So should we all panic? Not necessarily. If there’s one thing we know about Donald Trump, it’s that he’s an expert in the art of bluster. A single hostile tweet from @realdonaldtrump at 2am can send stock prices plummeting or currency markets into freefall. He knows it, and he’s not afraid to use that power to get what he wants. The mere threat of a trade war will be enough to get foreign leaders and American businesses to the negotiating table. As Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Davos, “nobody wins in a trade war.” Faced with an impetuous US President who is seemingly ready to unleash the economic equivalent of all-out nuclear war, any trade deal is better than none. A 5% import tariff may seem like a good option compared to the alternative.

Changes are inevitable. Business as usual is not an option. The next few months will show us all what to expect in coming years. Let’s make sure we’re ready.

The post Should Retailers Worry About A Trade War? appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

RETAILERS EMBRACING MOBILE DATA
Retailers have long tracked how many consumers enter and exit their stores and at what hours. However, today’s more sophisticated retailers are now monitoring how customers move and interact with merchandise within stores, influencing real estate decisions.

• Mobile data helps retailers improve the customer’s shopping experience, playing a role in store and product configuration as well as staffing decisions.
• Using a mobile app, retailers can personalize the experience, engaging directly with customers by suggesting new or similar items or sending the customer coupons or deal codes.
• Specialized data vendors such as UberMedia and Streetlight Data can provide data that shows consumer activity patterns and how customers interact with physical space.
• A more exact trade area can be established by plotting out all mobile interactions, which is highly beneficial for site selection.

INTERMODAL SOLUTIONS OVERCOMING E-COMMERCE CHALLENGES
Online sales have challenged industrial site selection teams by making new and sometimes contrary demands on real estate. Most merchants enjoyed lower operating costs in the early days of e-commerce by utilizing fulfillment centers outside of costly populated areas, but that model is quickly losing its luster.

• Many industrial suppliers are adapting to e-commerce changes and driving down costs by consolidating widely dispersed warehouses into hub-and-spoke networks, characterized by highly efficient facilities at the center that receive, store and ship commodities to customers.
• Large fulfillment centers are more likely to be drawn to intermodal hubs offering multiple modes of freight access including trucks, rail, and even air freight or a seaport, and savvy industrial users are showing a willingness to pay for premium locations.
• Site selection for these fulfillment centers should focus on functional optimization, identifying real estate strategies that improve operational efficiencies, output, productivity, employee amenities, and, ultimately, net operating income.
• Companies pursuing functional optimization in their space planning have significantly increased the quantities, densities and classifications of commodities they are allowed to store, exponentially increasing the building’s utility.

MICRO-UNIT APARTMENTS APPEARING IN SECONDARY URBAN MARKETS
In an increasing number of cities, the migration of residential renters into urban neighborhoods has accelerated rent growth and pushed even entry-level lease rates for downtown housing beyond the means of many recent college graduates, service workers and young professionals. Transwestern Development Co. is tapping that underserved segment of renters.

• Indie Apartments in Austin, Texas, combines 138 apartments and a ground-floor restaurant onto a half-acre tract in the thriving East Sixth entertainment district, just east of downtown. The property consists primarily of fully furnished 350-square-foot studios and 520-square-foot, two-bedroom units.
• High-efficiency studios achieve the high rent per square foot that developers and investors require to meet their return on investment threshold while offering an affordable apartment with amenities and finishes otherwise found only in Class A, market-rate properties.
• Indie Apartments’ gross monthly rent is expected to be 20 percent below that of Class A efficiency apartments, making it a good choice for any for anyone in a life transition, from students to retirees and newly singles, as well as those who work downtown and business travelers.
• Because young renters show a preference for walking, biking, public transit and ridesharing over driving, micro-unit developments typically have reduced parking requirements, helping to control construction costs.

View the entire first quarter 2017 issue of Insights at http://twurls.com/insights1q17.

ABOUT TRANSWESTERN
Transwestern is a privately held real estate firm of collaborative entrepreneurs who deliver a higher level of personalized service – the Transwestern Experience. Specializing in Agency Leasing, Management, Tenant Advisory, Capital Markets, Research and Sustainability services, our fully integrated global enterprise adds value for investors, owners and occupiers of all commercial property types. We leverage market insights and operational expertise from members of the Transwestern family of companies specializing in development, real estate investment management and research. Based in Houston, Transwestern has 34 U.S. offices and assists clients through more than 180 offices in 37 countries as part of a strategic alliance with BNP Paribas Real Estate. Experience Extraordinary at transwestern.com and @Transwestern.

The post Retail Mobile Data, Intermodal Optimization and Micro-units to Play Bigger Role appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Steadily climbing consumer confidence and retail sales growth have U.S. retailers feeling optimistic ahead of this holiday season.

Respondents of BDO USA’s 11th annual Retail Compass Survey of CMOs predict a bullish 4.7 percent sales increase this holiday season, tied with the highest projection in the survey’s history.

“This is also more optimistic than the National Retail Federation’s expected 3.6 percent increase,” reads a report announcement provided to MMW.

Not only do retailers expect consumers to have greater flexibility in their spending for the 2016 holiday season, but nearly a quarter (23 percent) of CMOs themselves have increased marketing and advertising budgets this year.

“Conditions seem favorable heading into the holiday season this year,” said Natalie Kotlyar, National Leader of BDO’s Consumer Business practice. “But the pressure is on for retailers to identify the optimal mix of promotions and pricing across channels. It’s arguably the toughest decision retailers will make—and the most critical factor in their holiday season success.”

As for the nitty gritty, check out the full report here.

The post Optimism Behind The Marketing: Retail CMOs Anticipate ‘Cheerful Holiday Season’ appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

That appears to be the thinking of increasing numbers of U.S. consumers. Analysts are forecasting that shoppers will do as much as 50 percent of their shopping online.

“Now it’s as much a matter of convenience as it is price,” said Rodney R. Sides, the head of the U.S. retail and distribution practice for Deloitte Consulting LLP in New York.

The data tells the tale. Statistics from the National Retail Federation indicate that holiday sales could be $655.8 billion for the months of November and December, up by 3.6 percent from 2015. Notably, $117 billion of that will be in online and non-store purchases — that’s up about 10 percent from last year, according to business reporters at the Tampa Bay Times.

Savvy businesses who sell online are gearing up for the growth. Many retailers are offering free delivery along with in-store and curbside pickup options.

“We continue to move from brick-and-mortar toward click-and-order,” explained John A. Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas (yes, a great company name for the holidays). “That means that brick-and-mortar fulfillment facilities need seasonal workers.”

A growing number of companies who sell online, however, are leaving the seasonal workers to an outside fulfillment company. Companies like Red Stag Fulfillment, which handles warehousing and shipping for online sellers, already know what’s ahead.

Red Stag Fulfillment is offering tips for businesses who want to get up to speed now for the coming digital deluge.

One tip? Getting fulfillment help and commitments to meet customers demand.

“A shelf space shortage at your fulfillment center could leave your products sitting in pallets on the loading dock when they should be picked, packed, and shipped,” notes Red Stag. “Ask your fulfillment center for a dock-to-stock time guarantee to make sure not a single order is delayed because of warehouse stocking backlogs.”

Red Stag has many more tips for holiday fulfillment planning here

The post Happy Online Holiday! Red Stag Fulfillment Shares Tips As Businesses Gear Up for Digital Deluge appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.