Checking Out Retail

RIS News releases report on cloud, Lexmark expert featured

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 17:56:00 +0000

Tim Rowland, VP and GM of Global Industry Retail at Lexmark, provides a look at the cloud and why it’s the best view around for enterprise retailers.

Last month, Retail Info Systems (RIS) News released a Retail IQ report on the cloud: Leveraging the Cloud at the Speed of Retail. It details how smart retailers are implementing cloud solutions to improve information processes, enhance flexibility and reduce operating costs.

Tim Rowland, vice president and general manager of Global Industry Retail at Lexmark, was featured in the report to share his expertise on bringing retailers up to speed with “next-generation cloud computing” technologies to enhance business processes across an organization.

Rowland said, “Cloud has become so prevalent that it is enabling all areas of retail operations, and creating a new way of doing business.”

He continues on to say, “[with the cloud,] innovative retailers also take full advantage of the platform’s connected technologies. The two areas that stand out are instant enterprise-wide communication and collaboration, followed by real-time visibility and control of retail operations. Many areas of a retailer’s business can be improved with more agile applications, including human resources, accounting and finance, security, operations, managing fleets of hardware, merchandising and signage. Cloud is also an “always-current” solution.”

To read the rest of Tim Rowland’s interview and download the full report, visit RIS News.

In-Store Pickup: Bridging the Gap between Bricks and Clicks

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 19:03:00 +0000

As e-commerce sales continue to increase, retailers are looking for strategies that keep them at the forefront of sales, both online and off. One way some of the biggest names in retail are bridging the gap between bricks and clicks is by offering in-store pickup for online purchases.

Over the last year, buying online and picking up in-store has grown 30%, according to Forrester's Technographics research. Shoppers can conveniently research and buy the product they need, and then again at their convenience, stop by the store to pick up their purchases. In-store pick up provides same-day availability without the hefty shipping costs and is the online-shopping equivalent to brick and mortar's instant gratification.

Retailers adopting in-store pick up as a path to purchase are finding bigger basket sizes and higher conversion rates among their shoppers, and both consumers and retailers are avoiding those pesky shipping rates.

Shoppers across demographics are picking up digital technologies and demanding an easier experience when it comes to shopping. Brick-and-mortar retailers are responding to these demands by creating a more fluid multichannel experience. In-store pick up is a part of that strategy. It keeps shoppers coming into the store, but also empowers them to shop how and when they want to.

For more information, please visit The Start of Something Big: In-Store Pick-Up from RIS News.

Top 10 Loyalty Programs in Retail

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 12 May 2014 16:11:00 +0000

Millennials, 18- to 33-year olds, are about to hit their peak earning years. Already, they are responsible for $600 billion of each year's spending and that number keeps growing.

Retailers are discovering ways to tap into the Millennial mindset and shopping behaviors. Why? To capitalize on the coming years by creating loyalty shoppers out of today's most noncommittal generation.

Millennials are finicky. They want quality for less and a rewarding experience that's easy and seamless. They also want to talk about that experience on a handful of social platforms. So, along with omnichannel strategies and fresh marketing programs to target Millennials, retailers are figuring out how to cater to both the shopper and their network. One approach that has been quite successful? Using the classic loyalty program to compel Millennials to be, well, loyal.

In a report released by PunchTab, 1,000 Millennials ranked the top 10 fashion and accessory loyalty programs that provided some telling statistics about their shopping habits.

Some key findings about Millennials and loyalty programs:

96% say user-generated content by their peers affects their buying decisions
74% of women and 52% of men are members of at least one loyalty program
Only 29% will answer polls or surveys without an incentive to do so
51% want exclusive access to events and products as a part of the loyalty program

Top 10 fashion and accessories loyalty programs for Millennial women:

Victoria's Secret
Kohl's
Target
American Eagle
Gap / Old Navy / Banana Republic
DSW
Sears / Kmart
Express
Dick's Sporting Goods
Macy's / Marshall Field's

Top 10 fashion and accessories loyalty programs for Millennial men:

Kohl's
Dick's Sporting Goods
Target
Macy's / Marshall Field's
Republic / Piperlime / Athletica
Sears / Kmart
American Eagle
Sports Authority
Express
Nike

For more information about the report, please visit RISNews.

Inspire 2014: How Lexmark is addressing the information challenge in retail

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 21:27:00 +0000

Inspire 2014 is happening right now. What's an Inspire? It's Perceptive Software's annual conference that brings customers together to network and learn more about leveraging their Perceptive investments.

This year, the retail industry keynote speakers were Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner of Retail Systems Research, LLC, and Dean A. Sleeper, VP Global Retail Solutions for Lexmark and TVP & CEO of AccessVia.

Following their presentation, Kilcourse published a newsletter on the RSR website about the presentation, titled "Inspire 2014: A Lot More than Printers & Signs." His interpretation of the presentation focused largely on Lexmark's commitment to retail. Specifically, he touted Lexmark's history of reassessing technology and hardware based on retailers' needs. One example being the reconsideration of the printer shells to withstand the environment in grocery pharmacies.

Today, Lexmark is lending that same ear and addressing retailers' needs around enterprise content management by turning unstructured data into structured data. Or rather, eliminating chaos and restoring order throughout an enterprise so retailers can get back to what's most important: the customer.

Below is an excerpt from Kilcourse's newsletter. See below for a link to the rest of the article.

Why Now?

The question is, why has Lexmark undertaken the more difficult task of addressing a strategic information challenge, when they could more easily continue to milk the cash cow with their pervasive printers and signage software? That’s the question I asked Tim [Rowland], Dean [A. Sleeper], and Retail Global Industry Manager, Mike Wessel. Tim explained, “Printing will go down, it’s just a question of ‘when’. Some recent data shows that there are 60 trillion pages throughout the world per year of ‘cut sheet’ consumption. But the important thing is that it has been at about the same rate for several years! There are a lot of moving parts – for example, consumer Internet adoption caused the number of pages to go up <people would reprint what they saw on the screen>, but other things like workflow automation have caused it to go down. But over the long haul, there will be fewer printers and less toner – what we have called ‘black gold’ – used in the world. And we want to be ahead of that change.”

Dean added, “In retail there are many disparate sources of information and disparate processes – but the connectors between them either don’t exist or are broken. People have to execute the handoffs – and that takes time away from servicing customers.” And Mike stressed, “We’re not trying to be yet another enterprise solution, but we want to help those solutions to work better by getting unstructured data to them.” ...

... So, Lexmark and its portfolio companies have taken on the difficult task of delivering a set of integrated capabilities that manages the explosion of unstructured information, not only in retail, but also in healthcare and insurance, banking, higher education, HR and accounting, manufacturing, and government. The company’s goal is to “bridge the unstructured and structured domains”, and it sees a particular opportunity in retail.

To read the full newsletter, "Inspire 2014: A Lot More than Printers & Signs," please click here.

For more information on Inspire, please click here.

Are you giving your shoppers a reason to be loyal?

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 17:43:00 +0000

Inspire loyalty, by rewarding shoppers that share
about you on social networks. Connect with them
where they're already connecting.

Shoppers want it all: a memorable, seamless shopping experience and the best deal available. Is that so much to ask? It's not, and it's those expectations that are creating a competitive market around retailers' loyalty programs. Meaning, "Buy this, and I'll give you that," is no longer enough.

A report from Aimia, Rewarding Interactions: Are You Ready for Customer Intimacy? discusses the power of social, mobile and digital interactions, and how they impact loyalty program strategies and sales. The report advocates for going beyond rewarding transactions by also rewarding interactions in a way to engage shoppers before, during and after the purchase is made.

Why make this shift if they're still buying your products? Because traditional loyalty programs are ubiquitous and no longer differentiate you from your competitors. Instead, it's time to connect with your shoppers and their friends through the device that's already in their hand ... their smartphone. In fact, the Aimia and Columbia Business School study found:

60 percent of mobile shoppers are more likely to buy a product while in the store when they find online reviews on their smartphones,
55 percent are willing to sign up for a store loyalty program in order to gain benefits,
And, 31 percent are interested in interacting with a store on social networks like Facebook.

Shoppers use their smartphones while they're in your store. Bring the promotions to them by meeting them where they're already connecting.

The Aimia report uses a point-stystem approach as an example. Say Molly is opted into a your loyalty program on her smartphone and decides to share an offer on Facebook. For every friend of Molly's that opts into your program, she gets 5 points. If one of her friends buys the offered product, Molly gets 50 points and so on.

For Molly, she gets the regular offers available to her through your in-store promotions, but she's also rewarded for the interactions she's having on your behalf. It's a win-win for both her and you. Not only does your loyalty program stand out against he rest, it offers invaluable analytics on the backend that truly helps you understand your consumers.

Amp up your loyalty program to meet the standards of today's shopper. Connect with them in a way that makes them want to talk about you and make the offers too good to pass up. That'll create a memorable in-store experience and, no doubt, ensure loyalty.

Click here for the full Aimia report.

RBTE 2014: That's a Wrap!

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:07:00 +0000

RBTE 2014 has officially ended. It was a great couple of days sharing our solutions with retailers and demonstrating how they can be a hero in their organization with Lexmark. If you had the opportunity to come by, thanks for saying hello. If not, there's always next year!

And in the meantime, here are some more photos from the second day of the show...

Cheerio!
The Lexmark Team

RBTE 2014: Be a Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:16:00 +0000

A few of us are at the Retail Business Technology Expo (RBTE) 2014 being held at Earls Court in London.

We're excited to show retailers how they can Be a Hero in their organizations with Lexmark Solutions for Retail by creating order from chaos. Here are a few pictures from the show today:

Retail Solutions at EuroShop 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 22:29:00 +0000

Our Lexmark retail team has made it to EuroShop 2014 in Dusseldorf, Germany. And, quite a few retailers have already stopped by to check out the Lexmark booth.

Come say 'Guten Tag!', have a fresh cup of espresso and find out how Lexmark Solutions for Retail can help your organization streamline business critical processes and save you money. With Lexmark, make your business run better so you can focus on what you do best: retailing.

If you're going to EuroShop 2014, come by and find out how your organization can leverage Lexmark solutions!

Now’s Your Chance!

EuroShop 2014

Dusseldorf, Germany

February 16-20, 2014

Stand B61, Hall 6

We hope to see you there!

Highlights from the Lexmark Be a Hero Booth at NRF 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 16:39:00 +0000

Check out our video of highlights from NRF 2014. We had a great time in the Lexmark Be a Hero booth thanks to a fantastic team, our booth visitors and, of course, our superheroes!

But it's more than just having fun and making an impression, it's an opportunity to connect with retailers and find out how we can help them "Be a Hero" in their organization. Ultimately, we're here to help retailers solve some of their biggest challenges. That way, they can get back to what's most important: their customers.

BAM!

For photos, check out our Be a Hero | NRF 2014 Facebook album!

Thanks for a SUPER Show at NRF 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 18:30:00 +0000

We've come to the end of another great NRF and this year marked our best show yet! We had a super great time showing retailers how they can Be a Hero in their organization by creating order from chaos with Lexmark Solutions for Retail.

Thanks for visiting us this year or, if you weren't able to make it, keeping up with us here, on Checking Out Retail!

We hope you enjoyed meeting Super SignMan and MPS Woman, and hearing about how you can Be a Hero with Lexmark. It was a jam-packed couple of days filled with superheroes, caricatures, amazing coffee and synchronized BAM!! shoutouts from the Lexmark team.

For more information on the Lexmark Solutions for Retail, please click here.

We'll see you next year!

-The Lexmark Team

LIVE from NRF 2014 - Retail's BIG Show and Expo

noreply@blogger.com (AccessVia) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 13:37:00 +0000

Check back often as we will be posting videos, photos and content live from the Lexmark booth on the NRF 2014 tradeshow floor.

Tuesday, Jan. 14

2:45 p.m.

The caricatures have been a hit and the demos have a wonderful view of the city.

2:18 p.m.
Ailie Kofoid, Director of Global Back Office Solutions, discusses Lexmark's Invoice Processing solution. With Lexmark's invoice processing solution, say hello to happy finance department.

12:45 p.m.

The spotlight is on the Lexmark Be a Hero booth. Retail TouchPoints came by to interview Tim Rowland and Dean A. Sleeper. Keep an eye out for the video in the coming weeks.

11:21 a.m.

Why is an HR solution for retailers important? Lexmark's Kelly Keeton, Sales Solution Manager for HR, explains how human resources effects the bottom line.

10:30 a.m.

Presented by Jonathon Moulton, Director of Technology for AccessVia, the AccessVia Big Red Button demonstrates the “print anywhere, publish everywhere” architecture unique to AccessVia technologies. With the push of a button, real-time price updates are rendered to ad-hoc printed signs, labels printed from a handheld printer, published to digital signs and electronic shelf labels (ESLs). It’s one system for central and in-store printing, print and digital output.

8:44 a.m.

Joe Skorupa, Group Editor-in-Chief for RIS News, stopped by the Lexmark Be a Hero booth to talk to Tim Rowland and Dean A. Sleeper.

8:30 a.m.

We're ready to start Day 2 at NRF 2014 BIG Show & EXPO! We've got more photo and videos coming to you live throughout the day at the Lexmark Be a Hero booth #4028.

Monday, Jan. 13

4:50 p.m.

We're just about to wrap up day one of NRF 2014. We've had a great day and we're looking forward to tomorrow. Thanks for joining us and we'll see you in the morning.

BAM!

4:21 p.m.

Sal LoSauro from Retail TouchPoints talks to us about the Lexmark booth, what his superpower would be and who, from Lexmark's The Order, is his favorite superhero.

3:07 p.m.

One of many light moments on the show floor with one of our fearless leaders, Dean A. Sleeper.

1:50 p.m.

Here are few photos of the booth, our superheroes, super caricatures and super coffee!

MPS Woman and Super SignMan inviting passersby into the Lexmark Be a Hero booth.

12:27 p.m.

This year at NRF, we're showcasing Lexmark's suite of retail solutions. To tell the story, we turned each solution into a superhero that helps retailers fight chaos and be heroes. Below is the Origin Story from the Lexmark NRF Magazine, Be a Hero.

10:43 a.m.

Injury? Theft? Damage? Lexmark's Incident Management solution is for you. Here's why.

9:50 a.m.

Tim Rowland, Vice President and General Manager of Lexmark's Retail and Manufacturing industries, provides an overview of the company's leading solutions for retailers.

9:01 a.m.

We've arrived! Our superheroes are here and we're ready for Day 1.

8:35 a.m.

Welcome to NRF 2014! Be a hero with Lexmark Solutions for Retail.

Be a Hero at NRF 2014 - Booth 4028

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 23:05:00 +0000

Retail's BIG Show & EXPO 2014 is next week. This year we'll show you how to Be a Hero with Lexmark.

Come say hello, grab a cup of amazing Seattle coffee, check out our super theme and learn how you can join The Order. Find out how the Lexmark Solutions for Retail help you Be a Hero for your organization by creating order from chaos. With Lexmark, make your business run better so you can focus on what you do best: retailing.

Watch here for live news, photos, videos and more from the trade show floor.

If you're going to NRF 2014, come by and find out how you can Be a Hero with Lexmark.

Now’s Your Chance to Be a Hero!

NRF Retail’s BIG Show 2014

NYC, Jacob K. Javits Center

January 12-15, 2014

Booth 4028

We hope to see you there!

If the Price Isn't Right… Change It

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 19:39:00 +0000

In November, Amazon made over 2.5 million price changes a day, according to price intelligence firm Profitero.

2.5 MILLION.

Best Buy made 52,956 price changes in November and Walmart made 54,633.

We know Amazon holds a large piece of the retail market, but even for them 2.5 million is a staggering number for a daily figure. It doesn't go without saying, though, that the ability to implement that many changes has everything to do with being an online retailer without brick-and-mortar locations where price changes would mean new price tags and product signs.

Taking staff labor and hang time into account, does boost the impressiveness of Best Buy and Walmart's efforts. But a side-by-side comparison with Amazon, leaves our brick-and-mortar friends in the dust. These figures highlight not only the power behind Amazon's retailing strategy, it also clearly demonstrates the pricing advantage they have over other retailers.

But it begs the question: what is gained from implementing that many price changes every day? How do they advertise it and how effective is it for sales? Lastly, how many will they implement outside the busiest season of the year, or is this the new standard?

It's one thing to change the price, it's another to create a compelling, easy experience for shoppers, and it's that that truly validates the entire strategy. Perhaps that's where brick and mortar has the advantage.

For more information, please click here.

The Results are In: RIS Software LeaderBoard 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 15:52:00 +0000

The RIS Software LeaderBoard has been called the "Oscars of retailing." Every year, the RIS Software LeaderBoard survey ranks retail technology vendors based on customer satisfaction and highlights those vendors through head-to-head comparisons based on their scores.

This year, AccessVia placed in 25 Top Ten categories, making it our highest ranking yet. AccessVia, a business unit of Lexmark, is the technology behind Lexmark's Retail Signage solution. From one system, retailers get great-looking and accurate shelf-edge signs, labels, digitals signs, electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and more. AccessVia software is also available in the cloud, delivering to retailers a comprehensive signage solution without having to operate the technology. The industry leader for retail signage, AccessVia is most notably recognized in the 2013 RIS Software LeaderBoard for excellent customer service.

According to the RIS report, one survey participant said, "The working relationship with AccessVia/Lexmark has been one of the most enjoyable. Even before the contract was signed, they demonstrated how responsive they could be to customer requests. They are a dedicated/customer-focused team."

"AccessVia has always placed well in our RIS Software LeaderBoard," said Joe Skorupa, editor-in-chief of RIS News. "They have a well-deserved reputation as a company you can trust to meet or exceed expectations. Their acquisition by Lexmark is a big turning point for this small company, but it hasn't seemed to change who they are and how they deliver industry-leading customer satisfaction."

To read the full 2013 RIS Software LeaderBoard report, please click here.

The Holiday Season: It's Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:26:00 +0000

Via The Points Guy

We're only a couple weeks away from being completely immersed in the holiday shopping season. While every year it seems to creep in earlier and earlier, we hit a new record in September when Kmart aired its first holiday commercial.

So other than getting the chance to double-dip your back-to-school shopping with holiday sales at Kmart, what does this mean for shoppers?

It means this year, more than ever before, you are all the belle of the ball.

Even if all big-box retailers aren't following Kmart's early-to-rise initiative, they are certainly vying for your attention and the competition is getting hot. Kohl's, Target and Toys R Us are among the few to offer irresistible promotions to deal-seekers on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.

We know, the holiday season is getting crazier and crazier by the year, but this year there's more to it than usual. Retailers have valid motives to turn up the heat. Why? Because this year, there are six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas--making 2013 the shortest holiday season in over a decade. No wonder Kmart started early. Those six days could cost retailers $1.5 billion in sales, according to a report by Adobe Systems.

Retailers are having to up the ante on promotions to get shoppers through their doors. They need to make up for the lost time. What's interesting, though, is the generally adopted strategy they're using. Instead of starting earlier with Christmas in July, most are sticking to the traditional timeline and increasing the value of the promotions. They're heightening the draw. All of which just goes to show, promotions and sales are still the best way to get shoppers through your doors.

Talk about tried and true.

For more information about holiday promotions from Kohl's, Target and Toys R Us, please click here.

Retail How-To: Keeping Up with Consumers

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:53:00 +0000

People are shopping differently than they were ten years ago. Largely, that's due to the recession and technology. Because of smartphones and tablets, it has never been easier to find a product at a price that fits a budget. The World (Wide Web) is literally at our fingertips. So with these advancements and shifts comes a new paradigm for retail. Shopper behaviors and trends have changed, and retailers are finding that they need to react, adapt, and accommodate the ever-evolving consumer.

So, what are today's shoppers like? We call them the New Consumer. The New Consumer is mindful of how and where they spend their money. They do pre-buying research, they're tech-savvy, they love a good deal, but they want quality, too, and they're list-makers. They know exactly what they want and where they can go to get it.

That means retailers have had to make some adjustments in the last few years. In response to e-commerce, brick and mortar has had to become more accessible, be it improve their mobile presence, enhance the in-store shopping experience or (most likely) both. Retailers have had to make the shopping experience easy and worthwhile. Long gone are the days of sitting back while the money rolls in. Retailers are having to court their shoppers, create incentive for them and establish a relationship to ensure customer loyalty. It's a dating game.

That being said, however, once the relationship is established, shoppers are still walking into stores with shopping lists in hand and a budget in mind, leaving little room for impulse purchasing. In fact, nearly twice as many shoppers use lists today as they did three years ago. So where's the give? How can retailers get more items in their shoppers' baskets? How can they break through the list and change shopping behaviors to sell more?

Ironically, same as always: through sales and promotions. 66% of shoppers will stray from their list for a sale or promotional item . Other reasons to stray that were in distant second and third: coupons (30%) and pampering oneself (23%).

Sales and promotions are (still) the key to influencing purchases. Now, that's not to say retailers have to put everything on sale and lose money. That's never been the point of a sale. Instead, retailers are finding that creating incentives like discounted product pairings and recommendations, or implementing loyalty programs for frequent shoppers work just as well. And, here's the added bonus: including those product pairings and recommendations show shoppers that retailers think about their needs, that their purchases matter -- it's making the in-store shopping experience worthwhile and catering to the New Consumer's needs. Not to mention, if they use the product and like it, they'll be back later (in your store) for more.

Shoppers are different today, and they'll probably be different in another ten years. But today, retailers are in a unique position to cater to shoppers' needs and establish that relationship to ensure loyalty. It truly is all about the in-store experience, particularly in a society that keeps moving faster and faster. Shoppers want shopping to be easy, sure, but they also want it to be enjoyable.

All statistics found in the Journal of Marketing at Retail's Shopping Lists: A Primary Shopping Tool Where Shoppers Engage with Retailers, Products, and Brands to Help Manage Buying Decisions. For more information, please click here.

Cabela's: Selling the Old with the New

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Via DigitalSignageToday.com

Cabela's, the outdoor outfitter and retailer for all things fishing and hunting related, embraces the latest marketing technology by using digital signs to reach out its shoppers. While its product inventory may include technologies as ancient as the bow and arrow, Cabela's is now engaging shoppers and selling the old with the new digital signs, and it's working.

Cabela's has recently announced its plan to open four more stores -- two in Georgia, one in Montana and one in Ontario, Canada -- all of which will include the latest signage strategy that heavily focuses on digital signs. Its digital signage provider, NEC Display Solutions of America, and satellite broadband and network technologies provider, Hughes, have delivered a solution that is effective and simple -- and quick. From a digital signage server in Cabela's main data center in Nebraska, the Hughes system connects through an IP wide area network to media players placed throughout each store. That way, from one system media can be pushed to each output simultaneously.

With this setup, Cabela's sees results quickly. Since its pilot store in 2010, Cabela's has moved forward with the implementation throughout each location. Currently over a dozen stores are using NEC displays, and the implementation is scheduled to place an NEC product in a store every three weeks until the rollout is complete.

Starting with a video wall, Cabela's has already found increased customer engagement, and plans to rollout a more comprehensive digital signing system in all of its stores. As of now, some include end-cap displays with NEC touchscreens that showcase products and help shoppers make more informed buying decisions. Cabela's Grand Junction store was the first to have the full range of digital signs throughout the store, and is the blueprint for what's to come.

About the digital signs, Gary Putnam, enterprise network manager at Cabela's, says, "Customers acknowledge the 'wow factor'... A combination of the Cabela's in-store experience plus what the digital screens can convey is an exciting proposition for visitors."

Cabela's sells the old with the new, and is finding that in doing so, it's improving the in-store experience and helping its shoppers shop more than ever.

For more information on Cabela's digital signing system, please click here.

United Supermarkets: Helping Shoppers Shop Better

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 18:17:00 +0000

By AccessVia

Texas-based grocer, United Supermarkets, is helping their shoppers make better buying decisions by adding product-specific nutritional labeling on their shelf tags and signs. And they’re not the first. They’ve now joined other forward-thinking grocers like Supervalu, Safeway, and Delhaize America.

This industry-wide initiative to include easier-to-read nutritional information largely speaks to the increasing interest in health-consciousness and curiosity. Today’s shopper requires a lot of information prior to purchase. Including nutritional labeling and other enhanced product information on shelf-edge signs provides transparent information so shoppers don’t have to look elsewhere for the information they need. Instead, shoppers can rely on their grocer to help them stay informed and shop better.

United’s new signs include ten new item attributes, such as gluten-free, low sodium, and organic. To test the new signs they rolled out a pilot store under their Market Street banner in January. The response to the new signs has been extremely positive. So much so, that they plan to complete a chain-wide rollout by the end of 2013.

United is also finding that the item attributes helps their shoppers shop more efficiently. The color-coded matrix is easy to see and easy to read. Eddie Cortez, pricing coordinator and manager at United Supermarkets states, “We’ve had a tremendous taking to our signs. We’re actually helping guests with their shopping needs.”

They are improving the shopping experience one sign at a time, and leaving an impression. But, it’s not just ingredient attributes that they’re highlighting. They’ve also included the item attribute, Made in Texas, to support local vendors and reinforce a sense of community. It speaks loudly to their motto, Texans proudly serving Texans.

United’s choice to include nutritional labeling demonstrates that they pay attention to their shoppers. They also care about their wellbeing. And it’s paying off. About their new shelf-edge signs, Cortez states, “You know you’re doing something right when you have competitors coming in to look at your signs.”

For more information on United Supermarkets’ new signing strategy, please click here.

PriceSpotting: The Find-the-Prices-You-Need-Before-You-Go-Shopping App

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:01:00 +0000

Image by AccessVia

If we were to go back in time 40 years, or even 10, and told the average grocery shopper that we had an app that could help them compare prices before they even entered the store... Well, they'd think we were crazy (and they'd probably ask what an "app" was, too...).

But today, that app really exists, and we can wrap our heads around it. PriceSpotting, created by Blue Tiger Labs, is a new price-comparison app that uses global positioning technology to find nearby grocery stores to help shoppers compare products and prices. PriceSpotting is the first smartphone app to be released by Blue Tiger Labs, the latest endeavor by "serial entrepreneur," Neil Kataria.

The app caters to shoppers that use their smartphones as part of the shopping process. Whether looking up customer reviews or completing the purchase on their phone, it has proven to be a cost- and time-saving device. However, up until now there hasn't been an app out there that effectively connects brick-and-mortar price comparisons with mobile devices.

In regards to shoppers having to do the price comparisons themselves, "No one in their right mind has the time to do this," said Kataria. Shoppers want to run in and out and get the best prices. They need an app to help with that.

The initial version relies on shoppers to scan the items they intend to purchase in order to keep the database current. In return, shoppers gain points that can be redeemed for gift cards. For shoppers, a little help with the app goes a long way for them.

As the database builds and the app accumulates mores users, "the real-time effect starts to happen pretty quickly. You'd be surprised at how up to date the database becomes," said Katari.

PriceSpotting enables shoppers to do what they want to do faster. They can conduct price comparisons on the fly and find what they need prior to even entering the store. Blue Tiger Labs hopes to roll out two upgraded versions this summer and expand PriceSpotting to include other retail segments as well.

For more information on PriceSpotting, please click here.

This Just In: Millennials Crave Brick-and-Mortar Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:03:00 +0000

AccessVia

It's easy to assume Millennial shoppers, those 18 to 35, are the shoppers motivating the retail move to the World Wide Web. However, a recent study from Urban Land Institute begs to differ. According to the study, Millennials are crazy about brick-and-mortar shopping; they crave they experience it offers.

Of the 1,200 Gen Y members surveyed, 70 percent of women and 50 percent of men find in-store shopping to be a form of entertainment, an experience. That being said, Millennials also have the shortest shopping attention span to date, meaning retailers need to keep content fresh to draw them in.

Nowadays, the in-store experience is more than just the means to the end. It has got to facilitate that entertainment for shoppers and make the experience easy and worthwhile. Stores need to be accessible and accommodating, too. Creating a cohesive omnichannel experience for shoppers is one way many brick-and-mortars are bridging the gap between the real life and the virtual one.

As a part of the real-world experience, the report recommends that retailers keep it fresh: reinventing themselves with more pop-up shops, change up the decor more often, and for grocers, including more specialty foods as a part of their inventory.

Millennials aren't complicated. They just want the experience to be worthwhile; they want convenience; and, trust me, they want to buy stuff.

For more information on the Urban Land Institute report, please click here.

Developers and Planners are Rethinking the Mall Concept

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:40:00 +0000

University Village in Seattle offers a vast
assortment of open-air shopping and dining...
and umbrellas when it rains.
Via dailycandy.com

City Creek Center in Salt Lake City is the only enclosed mall to be built in the United States since 2006, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

The campus design is a trend that's not letting up. The campus design includes shopping, dining, residential, and office spaces all within the same compound — creating an all-encompassing shopping experience where people may either work, live, shop, and eat, or all of the above. Since 2011, approximately 66 percent of all retail space being built has been a part of a mixed-use project, or campus design.

What this demonstrates is the kind of comprehensive shopping experience consumers are preferring. The days of wandering into the mall and emerging 20 hours later, not knowing if it will be light or dark out, are gone. People want to breathe the air, wander, stop in and eat, and feel like they're a part of a community. And that's exactly what these campus designs create — a sense of community.

They also offer a level of versatility and freedom. Walking around outside doesn't necessarily mimic the chore-like feeling of having to run into the mall for errands. An open-air shopping center feels lighter, more relaxed.

While the buildings for these projects tend to be cookie-cutter, the space that opens welcomes a variety of entrepreneurs that are both unique and flavorful, and it makes shopping, whether downtown or outside the city, more accessible. And accessibility, almost more than anything, is the way into the new consumer's heart.

For more information on this new kind of retail space, please click here.

Retail: Motivating the Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:02:00 +0000

Shoppers want value. And, they want it at a good price. That's nothing new, but the ways in which retailers are able to offer that to their customers is changing.

For those of you that shop online, you may know about certain websites that feature brand-name products for a fraction of the price... but only for a limited time. Websites such as Gilt Groupe, HauteLook, ASOS, and ShopBop, are a few of those that are encouraging faster shopping decisions and motivating sales.

Why is this so wildly successful? Well...

1. Every second counts! Must buy before sales ends

1. Timeframe forces shoppers to make quicker buying decisions.

2. Limited number of items available encourages shoppers to scope out the sales as soon as they start. Gotta get the goods before everyone else! Plus, they need to make their decisions quickly, what if someone else 3000 miles away is looking at the same product and it happens to be the last one?

2. Only 2 left?! Gotta have it!

3. Shoppers see the original price of each item and what they're saving (which is sometimes as high as an 80% markdown). Classic strategy to build sales and customer loyalty.

4. Items that are "sold out" are still visible to shoppers. They see what the most popular items were and what they missed, and are motivated to check in more often.

5. Most websites send out daily emails to subscribers about newest promotions. Shopping is just a click away instead of having to seek out sales on their own. I mean, the email is already in their inbox... why not just take a few minutes to see if there's anything they like?

6. When shopping, results can be filtered so customers don't have to sift through to find their sizes that are available. It's quick and easy.

6. Quickly filter to make shopping even easier.

7. Return policies aren't unreliable, enabling shoppers to spend that money confidently knowing that if it doesn't work out, they can return it or exchange it for something else. That's another doozy for building customer loyalty.

Online retailers are capitalizing on classic sales strategies that have been used in the stores for years. And still today, motivating the sale and using promotional messaging in the store is arguably more effective than its online alternative. It's savings and instant gratification.

Retailers that frequently promote their products through sales and special offers get customers shopping in their aisles more often. A great example of a brick and mortar is Nordstrom Rack. Nordstrom Rack offers last season's designer clothes at a cheaper price. The catch is that they're moving a lot of merchandise frequently so shoppers have to keep checking back to get the best deals. And if you've ever been in a Nordstrom Rack (especially on a Saturday) you know what we're talking about. It's madness. Shopping madness.

Motivating the sale is easy. Retailers just have to make their shoppers feel that they're getting the best deal available to them. A competitive catch is great, too. If a shopper feels like they've found the best deal and they've beaten others to the punch, there's nothing more satisfying.

*All images from Gilt.com and HauteLook.com

Nordstrom: Switching It Up for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:46:00 +0000

Nordstrom: Savvy Spring Trends from GOODLOOKIN.TV on Vimeo.

Nordstrom makes changes to accommodate the 2013 shopper.

“It’s no longer about me (retailer) telling you (customer) what I think you want. It’s now about reacting to what you tell me you want, and at a price you think is worthwhile,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at market-research firm The NPD Group. “Nordstrom is saying, ‘We need to compete in the 21st Century.’”

And, they are now. Where there used to be a department gap between the teenage Brass Plum and the adult's Individualist, TBD, and Savvy, now exists a new Savvy. A revamped Savvy that offers stylish, fast-turnover clothes for 20- and 30-something women at an affordable price.

The Savvy department used to offer high-fashion, high-priced clothes that averaged around $150 and was targeting 20- and 30-somethings. The only problem? Not all women that age can afford those prices, and those that can, don't necessarily want to pay that anyway. Particularly with how quickly fashion changes. And that dilemma forced those shoppers to go elsewhere. Nordstrom was losing that critical demographic to stores like H&M and Zara and Forever 21. They needed a solution.

That's why last month they unveiled a newly restyled Savvy. Now averaging at $50 throughout the department, the clothes are for the woman that's "ready for the weekend". The new Savvy has introduced new brands to the Nordstrom family, such as MinkPink and BlankNYC, along with newly created Nordstrom brands like Leith and TILDON. They are also offering a more comprehensive look: selling jewelry and scarves so shoppers don't have to go elsewhere to find matching accessories. It's taken the Brass Plum model, refined it, and applied it to an older demographic. Brands that were originally sold in Savvy, such as Marc by Marc Jacobs and Haute Hippie, have now been dispersed throughout other departments for continued availability so as not to muddle the message of the new look.

The importance of this shift for Nordstrom? They're recognizing that their shoppers have changed, or at least their shoppers' shopping habits have changed. What's great about this shift? The new brands and clothes still fit in well with the Nordstrom style. They stayed true to themselves and their customers. It's a good move for them, and they've received quite a bit of positive feedback since opening last month. Nordstrom shoppers have a tendency to be quite loyal and this is another way to expand that loyalty to include more 2013 shoppers of all ages.

(On a side note: I happen to be a loyal Nordstrom shopper and a 20-to-30-something. I went and checked out the new Savvy department last week... I left with six new pieces of clothing. I think they'll continue to do well for themselves...)

For more information on Nordstrom and Savvy, please click here.

Target and FEED Projects: A Feel-Good and Do-Good Kind of Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:26:00 +0000

Target, well known for their collaborations with high-end designers and fashion houses, is engaging in a new kind of partnership. Target just announced its partnership with FEED Projects, a company that sells simplistic burlap bags whose proceeds help feed children through the United Nations World Food Program. The new line will be introduced this June.

Target has already set a goal to donate 10 million meals to hungry Americans through this collection.

FEED Projects, started by former model Lauren Bush Lauren, works to deliver goods to shoppers that makes them feel good about shopping and is for a good cause. FEED Projects has collaborated with other retailers in the past, including Gap, Bergdorf Goodman, and Pottery Barn, but the Target announcement is the largest to date.

Together, they will create a collection that includes 50 pieces across multiple categories -- bags, jewelry, kitchenware, pillows, iPhone cases, etc. Many of which will include the stenciled FEED logo and a number demarcating how many meals that product donates.

"Target (has) such a massive reach that we (FEED Projects) just don't have," Lauren says. "So it's wonderful when we can partner with Target to really just blow it out and have such a big impact in a short amount of time."

Through this collaboration, Target is also hoping to attract the attention of a certain consumer: the Millenial. The collection is designed to target college-aged shoppers and caters to the kinds of products Millenials are purchasing. Namely, products that serve a good cause. According to Cone Communications, a public relations company that helps businesses carry out cause-marketing and corporate social responsibility efforts, "81% of consumers want companies to give them a chance to buy a product that benefits a certain cause." Cone's research also stated, "85% of 18-to-24-year-olds said they were likely to pick one brand over another of the same quality if one supported a good cause."

Sounds like the Target and FEED Projects partnership is a recipe for success. The socially conscious collection is set to launch on June 30th.

To read more, please click here.

To visit the FEED Projects website, click here.

Lexmark Acquires AccessVia

noreply@blogger.com (Morgan Hass) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:24:00 +0000

Jonathon Moulton and Dean A. Sleeper
(way) back in the day. Circa 1995; The White Party

http://newsroom.lexmark.com/2013-03-05-Lexmark-acquires-Twistage-and-AccessVia

Whoa!

While I’m really drawn to the idea of leaving it at just that, you know I can't…

I will openly admit I had no idea what I was doing when AccessVia began. I mean, I knew a few things, but there was no grand strategy of where we would go or who we would become. I suppose that’s made obvious given the fact we began in 1985 as a creative services agency, and the vast majority of you know us as a software company.

When our fun little “non-ad agency” began leveraging desktop publishing technologies in the mid- 80’s, it was really just to reduce phototypesetting costs. But, it seemed a rather conspicuous automation opportunity. So we started to help big companies take data inside their big computers and make it pop out of little laser printers connected to little computers. We took the existing 6-week processes and made them happen in hours. Seemed pretty cool and customers were delighted.

One very late night, while Jonathon Moulton and I were finishing up one of those projects, we ran out of beer. I drew the short straw and ended up at the nearest QFC to grab a six-pack (probably Rainier). That’s when I noticed the shelf labels and saw a monstrous database publishing issue. Within a week, we had a prototype. I went to QFC headquarters in Bellevue, WA to see if they'd like to change the way they did signs and labels. Turns out they did. Over the next two decades… so did over 60,000 other stores.

As we began to be kind of a big deal, it became obvious that every company that wanted our software also wanted a printer. While it was charming to run around in Eric Bedell’s beater with a PostScript laser printer (that was likely more valuable than his car), it was obvious there were some innovations that needed to happen. We found an amazing partner in Lexmark that really allowed us to change the game.

Over the course of the last 20 years, we’ve done business with Lexmark virtually every day. We have long admired the company and respected their business, their technology... but most of all their people. These folks have heart, which is oh-so-rare at their scale. We are tickled beyond belief to know we are a part of their dream!

No two companies have helped more retailers change the way they execute item and price messaging than Lexmark and AccessVia. Now, add to that our new friends at Perceptive Software. This powerhouse of innovation in the areas of Content Management and Business Process Automation is central to Lexmark's strategy. The possibilities for all of our customers from this connection have us all “a-flutter” and our initial gatherings with them indicate a long and rich future as well.

I am so deeply proud of my team and so profoundly honored by Lexmark’s desire to combine our forces. Together we have already driven innovation in our space for many years. But up until – well, last week – AccessVia has always been a David amongst Goliaths: a force by virtue of bright, motivated people, and innovative thinking. The possibilities now are on a much grander scale. And if you think we are going to ride off into the sunset, you have severely underestimated us. We are not done by any measure. We actually see this as a beginning.

Another magical thing is happening in this combination. Lexmark is steadily re-inventing itself as a solutions company vs. just a printer company. While most customers still use our software to ”print“, we always knew that it was a publishing platform, not a printing platform. Together, we will be a powerful force in evolving what had been exclusively a print application, into a robust and dynamic, multi-channel publishing platform. The places and circumstances where a retailer needs to communicate item and price information is already proliferating, but will continue to evolve and result in a massive transformation in the coming years. You have my word, we will be surfing the very largest wave of that change. And a little tip... there's a whole lot more that retailers need to change to address the new consumer. There’s a whole lot more retailers can do to “Lift Sales & Cut Costs”. And where there's a need, you can rest assured that there's a long-term strategic R&D plan here to help. Some very exciting things are on the table and we cannot wait to bring more innovation to retail.

If you thought AccessVia did some cool things as a tiny, little kitty...just wait to see what this big Kat can do with global scale and reach.

Stay tuned!

The Blessed and Immensely Grateful Very Potentate,

Dean A. Sleeper

Dean A. Sleeper, The Very Potentate of the Eternal Order of AccessVia and Vice President of Global Retail Software Solutions for Lexmark

Dean has over 25 years of experience in the retail industry and keen eye that recognizes what works in retail and what doesn’t. His honed perspective is a crucial asset in this industry. His input, as both poignantly accurate and insightful, delivers truths about what is happening in the retail world, with a hint of sardonicism when necessary. He embodies the AccessVia slogan: Lift Sales. Cut Costs.

For more information, please visit AccessVia and Lexmark