Boris Mann's Link Blog

According to a Deloitte consumer survey, 37 percent of shoppers who tried to use a mobile app in-store were unable to because they didn’t have connectivity. The percentage was unchanged in the past year—the time frame when mobile-shopping gained traction.

In-Store Retail Apps Don’t Work

I have some ideas about in-store free WiFi that just won’t go away. There are also interesting things you can do with devices on the same wireless network.

Whatever priorities retailers set, their physical stores are likely to shrink as the share of sales made online keeps rising. Retailers in America have a surfeit of space. Between 1999 and 2009 the amount of shopping space per person boomed from 18 square feet to 23 square feet. The productivity of that commercial acreage slumped after the financial crisis and shows no sign of recovering.

Shopping and the internet: Making it click | The Economist

retail

Customer service is the centerpiece of retailers’ strategy, and they need to keep in mind that when it comes to mobile, consumers still expect the same level of customer service that they can get in-store or online.

Who is getting mobile customer service right? - Marketing - Mobile Commerce Daily

Interesting review of a number of different apps and features that large-brand retailers are pushing.

Open question: what do small independent stores do?

Report: Major retailers teaming on their own mobile wallet | MobilePaymentsToday.com →

In the same way that large brands are going to want to have their own apps / their own mobile experiences, they want this to extend to payments as well.

The Colliers’ report also reveals a potential game-changer on the retail horizon, a new type of consumer, one who researches every purchase online and compares multiple stores’ inventory on their smartphones while simultaneously shopping in the store

Report reveals ‘potential game-changer on the retail horizon’ | RetailCustomerExperience.com

This is news?

retail

The Speculist » Blog Archive » In the Future Everything Will Be A Coffee Shop →

The Coffee Shop Will Displace Most Retail Shops

My Christmas shopping this year was 90% through Amazon Prime. Not having to fight the crowds and having it delivered free of charge to my home is a big plus, but as with the Kindle store, the online retail selection is much better that even the largest retail outlet.

Which is more enjoyable: Starbucks or Walmart? For the sane: Starbucks. So if you can accomplish your Walmart shopping at Starbucks, why do it any other way?

This. Also, coffee has high margins.

retail

…physical stores will increasingly serve as a distribution channel for brand experiences as opposed to simply products.

Why Amazon Needs Stores « Retail Prophet

More thinking on why Amazon (and other e-tailers) need to get to physical retail.

Amazon Has Tried Everything to Make Shopping Easier. Except This. - NYTimes.com →

Amazon will be opening retail stores. Microsoft stores are coming to Canada. In short, a theme of clicks-to-bricks. I think, in part, because retailers haven’t innovated digitally on their own.

Thanks to Amazon’s pricing, fast Prime shipping, and the dreadful condition of my local CVS, I have shifted almost all of my drugstore shopping to Amazon. Not to mention everything I’ve been buying from Amazon for years — kitchen supplies, electronics, movies, books, music, etc.

Amazon is doing its real job: Squeezing retail chains – SplatF

I’ve had this conversation a couple of times with people. In Canada, we don’t get a chance to REALLY experiment / experience online shopping and delivery. Either US shipping to Canada and the customs hassle just makes it more expensive (and certainly longer), or the Canadian ecommerce options are badly built and also more expensive.

And no, a post office box in Blaine that people in Vancouver drive down to is not the same level of magic as ordering stuff and having it appear at your front door.

The fact that great Canadian ecommerce stores — like Well.ca — are growing, seems to point to continued pent up demand.

Back to Dan’s post: yes, physical retail is toast in many verticals.

You, Me, and Node @WalmartLabs « hueniverse →

WalmartLabs is gathering together a very interesting collection of people.