Shopper Culture

The Memorial Day Emotional Rollercoaster

When you think of “Memorial Day,” what comes to mind first?

A) The unofficial start of Summer

B) BBQs and beer

C) Honoring the 45+ million who have served in our military during war time

D) A very welcome long weekend

E) Best time of the year to buy a refrigerator

 

Like most Americans, you probably had a difficult time deciding on just one “reason for the season.” Since its inception, Memorial Day has nearly always been a “tug-of-war between solemn remembrance and summertime fun." The holiday lies at the apex of tradition and seasonality. It subconsciously ushers in summer food cravings and outdoor activities. And at the same time it’s also a sacred time to recognize and pay our respects to those that have served in our military. These distinct forms of thought provide challenges for both consumers and brands.

Taking Back Control of the Omnichannel Purchase

We’ve moved beyond the age of eCommerce as being a separate entity from brick-and-mortar retail. Increasingly, the two are becoming one and the same, influencing decisions across channels and even individual retailers. Shoppers no longer think of eCommerce and in-store as separate experiences or merely transaction points, and as marketers, neither can we.

We can see this in recent statistics concerning Click-and-Collect (or buy online, pick up in store) shopper behavior, which shows that after making selections online, 69% of shoppers will purchase additional items in store when picking up their online purchase.

Or consider mobile search in store, which we’ve seen develop as a standard shopping behavior over the past several years. As Bloomberg reported this past holiday season, 49% of shoppers will first turn to Amazon.com for a product search. From our research, we know these searches often happen in conjunction with an in-store experience when shoppers are in the aisle.

It might seem challenging to start meeting shoppers everywhere at every touch point with relevant content to move them to transaction. However, there are two fundamental steps brands are taking to ensure they’re guiding today’s eShopper in just the right moments.

1. Enhanced Content

Amazon started incorporating a more advanced version of its “A+” manufacturer content this year, which includes enhanced content like engaging videos, beautiful imagery, and other immersive content that allows product pages to feel like native brand experiences.

Growing Up Alpha: A Look Into Parennial Upbringing

In a world where there’s no shortage of information or opinions, Gen Alpha stands to reap an entirely different upbringing compared to generations before them thanks to a growing segment of “Parennials” (16 million Millennial women are now mothers, aged 24—37, with 10,000 more children being born each year). Whether trying to compensate for their own upbringing or simply taking advantage of the volume(s) of information available, Parennials are caught in a self-inflicted conundrum: radically balancing the old with the new.

Knowing the pitfalls and mistakes of their own upbringing (hello, helicopter parents and labels of entitlement), Parennials are trying to buck previous conventions. The result? Straddling the line between a host of new decisions: under- vs. over stimulation. Outdoor playtime adventures and tech-focused software tools/classes. Confidence and humility. Grit and vulnerability.

The list goes on.

What if the Most Unbelievable Experience Was Reality?

Virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality… Technologies are being multiplied with one common promise: to help us live enhanced experiences.

Virtual experiences can be highly beneficial in many ways. For example, they can help cultivate untapped imaginary territories, provide immersive learning experiences, or simply provide a new dimension of entertainment. These experiences are dependent, however, on fictional devices that are limited by time and space. The technological equipment and materials needed to provide a virtual experience are physical obstacles in the way of total immersion. And the cost of such deployments as well as ensuring these technologies are accessible to a wider audience can further complicate matters. Due to this, some brands and retailers are shifting their strategies by proposing exclusive experiences of real… reality! Below are a few experiences.

A New Marketing Strategy: Kidification

For some time now, brands and companies have focused their strategies on reaching younger audiences including Millennials and, most recently, Gen Z. While everyone seems to be targeting Millennials, many of them have grown up. The Millennial family and kids are now in the spotlight, and brands are looking for ways to win not only with the parents but also with the kids. As a result, there have been a lot of kidification strategies in the marketplace; the ones below are just a few examples we’ve observed.

Online Kids: Fun for Kids, Safe for Parents
Kids are online in a whole new way nowadays. This became very apparent with the December launch of a new offer from Facebook: Messenger Kids. The concept is like the original: a real-time chat with the possibility to send photos, videos, and emoticons. The only significant difference: parents are creators of their kids’ accounts and have to approve their contacts. This initiative is reminiscent of the launch of YouTube Kids in 2016, which offered a simplified interface with an international-content aggregation dedicated to the little ones—but with a message focused on security to reassure parents.

Indeed, there is a paradigm shift: products do not have to be designed for kids, but rather can be adapted from an adult version, anchored in habits to a simplified and secured version. This acknowledgement of the kids desires, and their parents, desire for security is the key to success for such a target expansion strategy.

 

The Checkout: Holiday Edition

This year’s Holiday Checkout issue helps brands and retailers connect with consumers at the right time, on the right channels, and with the right message. We delve into three main topics: differences between men and women, mobile behaviors among general consumers, and habits of digitally-savvy Hispanics. By examining what consumers are thinking, feeling, and doing across the customer journey during the holiday season, we reveal low-hanging fruit on ways to improve audience targeting and engagement.

This issue brings to life the differing value equations that men and women have around quality, cost savings, time savings and experience. Additionally, we explore the exponential growth of mobile phone usage—115% year-over-year—during the holiday shopping season. When seeking information on what to buy, time-crunched consumers are going to their phones and have high expectations for their experience on digital interfaces. Hispanics, specifically, are bona fide digital deal finders, especially when it comes to offers delivered via their mobile phones, email, and social media. Find out more by downloading The Checkout: Holiday Edition.

Experience the Brand Through All Your Senses

Some premium brands are facing increased competition from low-end brands that win consumers with attractive discounts or added-value promotions. More often than not, consumers fail to recognize the difference between one brand and another, and choosing to buy the lowest-priced option seems to be the smartest way to shop.

For example, Glenlivet is taking a new approach to increase the perception of value, both on-premise and off-premise, by letting shoppers experience the brand through all their senses. The brand is rolling out new aroma stations that serve to educate consumers about the properties of the brand’s product lineup, and the attributes that elevate the Glenlivet experience.

Glenlivet leverages aroma sprays to engage with patrons and prospects; tasting the brand’s whiskeys complements the experience to bring together the senses of smell and taste. The unique set-up of the pop-up store brings sight, hearing and touch into play for a complete sensorial experience for the shopper. 

Contributed by: Alfonso Marquez, Integer Dallas

Image Source: Matters of Interest

Trick or Eat!

While costumes, crafts and movies get the spotlight during Halloween, we all know it's also a time for indulgence–especially when it comes to food. Candy and treats, both savory and sweet, are on shoppers minds and this year you can experience a few tricks when looking for your treats.

Browsing for festive ideas on Pinterest? There's more in store this year. Pinterest created an interactive Haunted House that let consumers explore Pinterest ideas while they explored the house. Providing the same inspiring content with a new experience allowed Pinterest to be a fun destination for consumers looking to get into the spirit.

And if consumers are looking for a real life experiences, several restaurant chains are rewarding shoppers for getting into the Halloween spirit. Shoppers sporting a costume can get a free donut at Krispy Kreme, a $3 burrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos from Chipotle, a free Whopper from Burger King (If dressed as a clown), or free Bojangles' Bo-Berry Biscuits (if you're under 12). Too busy getting your costume ready? Dunkin' is holding a costume contest via Instagram for people to share their best brand-inspired outfits and a chance to be featured on a billboard in Times Square, a cash prize and a year's supply of coffee. And that's just a few stops if shoppers are looking to trick or eat there way around town.

Perks and experiences continue to help brands stand out to consumers and shoppers during Halloween. But with so many options, what will brands have to do next to truly make a mark during Halloween?

Image Source: @hauntedhouse

Stranger Things in Our Shopping Carts

With the premier of Stranger Things season 2 happening today, everyone seems to have Eggos and the "Upside Down" on their minds (and in their carts). Like Manolo Blahnik in Sex and The City, Reese's Pieces in E.T. and many more–brand placement in entertainment can be unforgettable and highly impactful on shopping habits. 

For this spooky series, fans are going all out and looking to fill their carts with things to make viewing more fun. Pinterest content is helping them whip up themed treats for their viewing parties while Target is showcasing all the supplies they'd need on Instagram. And this season, Stranger Things is incorporating more brands like 3 Musketeers, Radio Shack and Cheetos.

Will fans and shoppers continue to embrace brands in the series or is there a limit to the love they'll give product placement? I guess we'll have to see how this season unravels.

Happy Binging!

Image Source: Target Instagram

Contextual Retailing—Where Inspiration Meets Relevancy

Contextual retail–which blends inspiration with relevancy—is flourishing due to new tech tools providing more immersive, seamless and connected shopping experiences. Smart brands and retailers are trading linear modes of ‘mission shopping’ for contextualized inspiration by deploying an increasingly advanced range of both physical and digital multi-sensory tools to emulate consumer experiences pre-purchase.

Similarly, using in-context inspiration and a more immersive approach to retailing to drive sales, retailers are transcending the traditional shopping experience by turning their showrooms into domestic settings.

The latest and most extravagant example comes from British department store John Lewis, which has established a pop-up apartment in its London Oxford Street flagship, inviting visitors to sleep over or host 10-person dinner parties, free of charge.

Spotify Takes Us Back In Time

Spotify recently launched a new feature called Your Time Capsule. What is it? A personalized playlist of thirty throwback jams. With an unrivaled algorithm, the music-streaming service pinpoints your favorite musical period and delivers curated picks evoking a nostalgic yearning for yesteryear. The accuracy is uncanny. Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, and No Doubt. Yup. That sums up my ‘90s awkward angst in a nutshell.

Aside from a fun trip down memory lane, there’s also a hidden marketing lesson.

While there’s obviously a fine line between invasive annoyance and useful engagement, we can’t underestimate the power of detailed personalization. Done correctly, it can be an added value that sparks a special affinity. The proof is in the numbers. Bombarding people with useless messages leads to consumer fatigue. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by Fox School of Business, social media advertising can boost short-term purchase by roughly 5%, but it also increases the likelihood that people will unfollow the company by 300% in the long term. Touché.

Don’t be that brand. Be the brand that does something useful. Be the brand that tunes in and makes people’s lives unexpectedly better.

Image Source: Spotify

Augmented Reality Surges Forward for Retailers

Apple and Google have both recently announced the launch of AR platforms that will enable developers to build AR apps, games and services for iOS and Android devices. Retailers are now realizing the potential to transform their brand operations by using this technology to deliver more relevant and engaging customer experiences, such as enabling store surfaces to become an environment for virtual storytelling. Even more, eye-tracking, facial recognition and artificial intelligence are being integrated into AR apps to enable even more personalized experiences.

“[Apple's ARKit] will change how we do business, how we live and how we do retailing.” – MICHAEL VALDSGAARD, LEADER OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, IKEA

The industry is excited and optimistic about this new space. Stylus reports that "in 2017, 40 million people in the US will have engaged with some form of AR at least monthly—up 30.2% compared to 2016. With these latest developments from Apple, Google and Facebook—as well as the continued popularity of Snapchat Lenses (where users interact for 20 seconds or more on average)—we expect the use of AR apps to become embedded in consumer smartphone behavior in the next 12 months." With this rate of adoption and innovation, we are sure to see some changes in the retail landscape.

Contributed by: Scott Hauman, Dallas Office

Image Source: Apple 

Rethink What Traditional Retail Could Be

Recently, the department store Nordstrom announced that it's preparing to roll out an innovative new line of stores without merchandise called Nordstrom Local. The small-format space is centered around personal shoppers and services. Is this a reinvention of retail or a complete rebirth of a brand’s commerce model?

Since the 1950s, traditional retail has been the foundation of consumer spending and still holds 90% of all volume, even as technology and human behaviors shift toward faster and more convenient methods of consuming.

Over the past decade, retailers have tried to adapt and stay ahead of trends to combat the shrinking traditional retail model by delivering alternative solutions, driven by human-centric behavior and the rise in technology, in order to satisfy consumer demand for quicker, more relevant and convenient commerce models.

The Everlasting Coupon

Coupons, call them 007 because they will never die. Coupons been around for decades. Just when you think shoppers won’t put in the effort or Everyday Low Prices (EDLP) will take over, coupons rise again.

Today coupons are still used by shoppers in full force, but they are becoming increasingly digital. Mobile apps like iBotta, Shopkick, and RetailMeNot are becoming popular because they allow shoppers to easily earn cash rebates through their mobile devices, making discounts more readily available and contextually relevant.

While the media of coupon delivery might be changing, one thing is for sure, saving money never goes out of style, and we expect that coupons will continue to adapt to the changing times. How will brands and retailers continue to define value for shoppers over the next ten years if price discounts are par for the course?

The Evolution of Suggestive Selling - Where Will We Go Next?

Over the past ten years, we have seen suggestive selling become par for the course. More brands and retailers embrace and look to influence that moment of choice by proactively engaging shoppers with information and experiences that not only help close the sale, but also set up repeat engagement.

However, brands and retailers are still exploring new and better ways to pre-sell to shoppers. They acknowledge that shoppers’ schedules are becoming more complex and their expectations are rising. Suggestive selling at the moment of choice must, therefore, not only be convenient, but also fast, fun, organic, and not intrusive. Hence, the rise of monthly subscription-box services and  suggestive selling based on mood.

Additionally, advancements in smart technology and the Internet of Things are bringing the suggestive-selling experience into our homes. As these technologies continue to develop and become more integrated in our homes, we can expect to see brands evolve from suggestive selling to predicted selling and pre-filled automated ordering.

Interested in learning more about how other shopping trends have evolved over the past 10 years? Download our white paper, ‘10 Years of Shopper Culture.’