Will Mondelez’s Shoppable Ads Create Huge E-Commerce Sales? | Adweek

This is a very interesting test for the viability of e-commerce for items that are more regularly regarded as the ‘bread and butter’ for instore selection. There are lots of questions to ask and I try to keep an open mind, but personally I can’t see the value of this type of product having a big impact in e-commerce. The question is likely to be whether even a trickle of additional revenue is possible, and then make an assessment of the ROI.

Will Mondelez’s Shoppable Ads Create Huge E-Commerce Sales? | Adweek.

Mini Is the New Supersized | Adweek

This has  been a trend that has been brewing behind the scenes for a while, driven by the need to increase profits, but, perhaps cynically, there hasn’t been a good enough reason to broadcast it up till now. To say that these brands are trying to help you consume junk foods responsibly is perhaps stretching it a little a bit, but there will be those that will no doubt take this in a more positive light

Mini Is the New Supersized | Adweek.

The choice of less

It’s basic behavioural science, and this article sums up our reaction to excessive choice rather well. Especially in the shopper environment we see the success of the likes of Aldi and the demise of retailers which are more about maximising their listing fees than providing a service to the shopper.

Why I choose to have less choice | Tim Lott | Comment is free | The Guardian.

The-Changing-Face-of-Retail-May-2015

 

‎Adapting to Smaller Formats and Embracing E-commerce

This is a nice summary by IRI of the changes occurring to retail. Most of the content is familiar to those following the trends. It does have similar implications for the UK, but with the current economic climate, the ease of e-commerce will drive many small businesses into providing a wide assortment of products directly to their customers. Depending on the products it may be local, regional or countrywide. Given the British tradition of local shops, I am sure that we’ll see many people embracing this idea in its new digital form

 

www.iriworldwide.com/IRI/media/IRI-Clients/IRI-The-Changing-Face-of-Retail-May-2015_1.pdf.

On average, you’re out of business

Excellent article after we’ve seen Sainbury’s results today following Tesco’s dismal performance over the last months. More evidence that the one size fits all model is pushing up the daisies. A win for the shopper who is now clearly in the driving seat determining when, where and how they shop.

Steve Dennis

Walk through most shopping malls today and much of what you’ll encounter looks pretty similar. Average products for average people. Undifferentiated sale banners screaming at us from storefront windows. Copy cat promotional signs atop virtually identical racks. A sea of sameness.

Go online and not much is different. Navigation and shopping carts across most websites feel quite familiar. Take the logo off the site and you’d be hard-pressed to identify the brand. In our quest to improve conversion and cart abandonment rates we most often choose what we know works–the “best in breed.”

Our physical and virtual mailboxes are chock-a-block with one-size-fits-all marketing messages employing tried and true, but mostly tired, techniques. And much of it touts discount, not relevance.

When we’re afraid to take risks, when we seek efficient rather than remarkable, when we mostly mimic known best practices, our tendency is to regress toward the mean. And slowly but…

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Are retailers investing in the wrong tools for future success? | Retail Dive

An excellent piece outlining the details of Forrester Research’s study Future of Shopping!

 

Are retailers investing in the wrong tools for future success? | Retail Dive.

Forrester Research : Marketing : Forrester’s Mulpuru On The Future Of Shopping; Only Six Sectors Will Thrive

It’s a bloodbath out there in retailing, and for many a slow and steady death is on the horizon, contends Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru in a new study on the future of shopping.

Using labor statistics and census data dating back 40 years, Mulpuru proves that retailers have wasted time and money concerning themselves with the changing behaviors of young consumers — which distracts them from possibilities for improved sales. The history of technology innovation suggests that changes affect all age cohorts, and added to that, older shoppers have more money to spend, while the younger cohort has only shrunk in spending power and size over the past four decades.

In the research, Mulpuru outlines the future retail world, where hyped distractions like location technologies, digital wallets, and same-day delivery services are just that — hype. She focuses on real near-term opportunities like mobile tools, marketplaces, and dynamic pricing that will help retailers address cost savings and get shoppers to buy more and on longer-term innovations that promise to transform retail, such as remote customer service, 3D printing, and biometrics.

She contends that only six retail sectors have a chance to thrive and survive in this future state: the Web, restaurants, education, healthcare, manufacturers, and luxury. The rest will struggle, and without a fundamental structural improvement in their economics compared with competitors, they will ultimately shutter.

Forrester Research : Marketing : Forrester’s Mulpuru On The Future Of Shopping; Only Six Sectors Will Thrive.