Posts tagged retail
Can’t afford a TAG Heuer watch? Try it on online in real time.
Mar 17th
Got a spare grand in the bank? Thought not. But you still fancy some stylish wrist action? TAG Heuer is providing the answer by jumping on the augmented reality bandwagon.
A new pioneering app on its website, live “from the end of the month” will allow poverty-stricken consumers to try on a selection of virtual watches in full 3D in real-time.
Consumers will be able to access the tool from their own computers or laptops but a number of store consoles are also being rolled out to enhance the in-store virtual experience.
Consumers visiting the TAG Heuer website will be able to download software, print out a Tag Heuer wrist-band and experience, through a web-cam, a selection of this seasons watches in full 3D as if they were actually wearing them in front of their computer.
The benefits to retailers? Well, the technology platform offers significant additional business benefits by enabling brands to support test marketing, just-in-time capacity, present extended ranges and build a virtual sales assistant to expand staff availability, in addition to supporting displays at exhibitions and in store.
Developed by Holition, the programme allows users to change products, colours and styles at the touch of a button. Augmented Reality 3D viewing is possible when the user wears a symbol and stands in front of a web cam.
On screen the technology merges the 3D object into real-time video of the person so that the product can be viewed from all angles as the user moves their body.
Intrigued? Well we have a sneak preview video showing the tool in action.
“As part of TAG Heuer’s avant-garde heritage, we always strive to be the brand leader in design, precision and cutting edge technology,” said Antoine Pin, CEO LVMH Watch & Jewellery UK. “We are very proud to be pioneers in this new field.”
With luxury brands becoming more savvy as they attempt to claw their way out of the recession it’s an innovative step forward.
It’s one very assured step on from those luxury retailers such as Prada and Louis Vuitton who have just realised that you can actually sell goods online rather than people having to stumble into your Bond Street or Sloane Street stores. Amazing.
But with luxury brands having the financial clout to embrace AG, its perhaps interesting to see them following rather than leading in some ways.
So, for example, on UTalkMarketing recently we talked about an independent clothing company for children championing the tech, on the back of a collaboration with ad agency Brothers and Sisters.
But without question the tech is there for all to harness. All that’s required now is a little imagination.
Head of digital strategy at marketing communications agency, KLP, Stephen Beasley, provides some inspiration on how brands can move beyond the Augmented Reality hype and turn it into practice.
The alternative to charging for content – and still make money
Mar 10th
Publishers are faced with an ever growing challenge as print sales slip and readers largely reluctant to pay for content online.
Sure they could start simply churning out advertorial. That would surely keep the advertisers happy, but where’s the editorial credibility or ethics?
A new tool could well be the much sought after holy grail offering to monetise content both ‘seamlessly’ and ‘ethically’.
It comes from Skimlinks, a content monetisation service that we picked up on UTalkMarketing some time ago, and now operating on more than a half million sites - blogs, newspapers, content networks and forums - worldwide.
Fans include the Mirror.co.uk, whose Head of Digital, “SkimKit places the content and the commercial opportunity together,” said Paul Hood, has praised the content and the commercial mash-up.
“The editors have complete control over the content that they’re selecting and the commercial happens automatically. We’re not missing any opportunities,” he adds cheerfully.
Skimlinks helps website publishers by automatically turning normal retailer links in their editorial content into affiliate links. Each time a user clicks through and makes a purchase, the website earns a commission from the retailer. Simples, eh?
So why is it important? Well, the service is ideal for publishers lacking the resources or capacity to harness affiliate marketing as a revenue source, in a market that industry analysts predict will grow to $4 billion in the U.S. by 2014.
Now a new desktop tool – SkimKit – aims to empower editors and bloggers to easily produce revenue-generating content in a way that critically distances them from the commercial side of the process.
The tool offers a live, searchable database of millions of products from Skimlinks’ merchants. The tool lets publishers research, find and link to products they are writing about, with immediate access to deeplinks and image URLs.
It also features a service that creates shortened, monetised links for use in Twitter and email newsletters, turning a means of communication into a potential revenue source.
While SkimKit makes the creation of content more efficient for publishers, it is also more lucrative. So, if a publisher chooses to feature a product found in the tool, they earn a commission on the sale.
“Skimlinks gives publishers a way to generate revenue streams beyond banner ads and text ad units by making the most of the commercial value of the content they are already writing,” says Alicia Navarro, CEO and co-founder of Skimlinks.
“SkimKit makes it even easier by allowing editors and bloggers to actively play a role in the monetisation process without feeling any impact on their integrity or impartiality, as they are still writing about the kinds of products and retailers they normally write about.”
Location-based mobile advertising enters a new era
Feb 25th
Location-based mobile advertising. There’s been a lot of talk, but not a lot of action with only a few brands taking advantage of the tool to drive footfall into their stores.
But if a new experiment from North Face takes off we could see a significant uplift in the practice.
The outdoor apparel retailer is to send mobile users text messages whenever users are near a store – the first time the brand has targeted customers depending on their physical location.
The tech involves ‘geo-fencing’, which draws a virtual perimeter around a particular location, and is being managed by Placecast, a location-based mobile ad company in San Francisco.
In urban areas, the fences are up to half a mile around stores, and in suburban areas they are up to a mile around stores. When a mobile user enters the geo-fenced area they receive a text message is sent - but only if they have opted in to receive messages.
Placecast uses the phone’s GPS signal and location data provided by carriers to companies to determine the location of users.
For now, according to the New York Times, the North Face will send texts about promotions, like a free water bottle with a purchase, and new arrivals, because the company’s gear is heavily seasonal.
A text message might say, for example, “TNF: The new spring running apparel has hit the stores! Check it out @ TNF Downtown Seattle.”
But as things develop, the retailer plans to eventually send branded texts when people arrive at a hiking trail or mountain to alert them about weather conditions or logistics for a ski competition.
According to Forrester Research advertisers are projected to spend $561 million on mobile this year and $1.3 billion by 2014. And location-based marketing will play a major role.
North Face’s experiment has set a new benchmark for mobile advertisers and others brands are jumping on board with five more companies working with Placecast on similar campaigns.
Our lives may never be the same again. So next time you leave a gig and receive a message from a local restaurant, you’ll know why.
Making money by updating your status and tweeting
Jan 15th
A new Twitter and Facebook based social marketing platform for retailers will reward users for Tweets and Facebook updates of products they’re about to purchase
Remember how we said that 2010 was going to be the year that people start making money out of social networks? Well one company, Snatter.com, is intending to make the task a little easier for consumers.
Snatter.com promises to revolutionise social media marketing campaigns for retailers by rewarding users for Tweets and Facebook updates of products they’re about to purchase.
The free site will allow retailers to build social media buzz around their website and specific products or services.
The concept is simple. In exchange for a posting a Facebook or Twitter status update about a specific product or service, the user receives a discount on the purchase they are about to complete. Each update contains a link allowing their Facebook friends and Twitter followers to do the same.
Retailers can integrate Snatter to the final stage of an online shopping process.
“Just saved 20% on PRODUCT at @RETAILER http://link via @snatteroffers - Can’t wait to play with my new toy” (sample Snatter Tweet/status update).
Grahame Cohen, Founder of Snatter said, “In the past marketers have sought to draw on the power of Twitter by paying prolific Twitter users to post favourable comments about a particular product or service and often link to it. But users often see through these updates and consider them to be spam because the update has only been posted by someone in exchange for a monetary award.
“Snatter is different because users are only offered discounts on the products they’re about to purchase and receive no payment for doing so. It’s a completely transparent service.”
Snatter updates will also act as conversation starters on Facebook and Twitter. Many Twitter and Facebook users already actively update their followers and friends on purchases they’re making. With Snatter, they can continue to do so but also be rewarded for the buzz they are generating around a product or service.
Google and Bing now include Facebook and Twitter updates in their main search results so Snatter messages actively increase retailers’ reach.
A Snatter campaign not only offer retailers buzz, but it can also be used as a means of generating new sales. Many retailers currently offer discount codes but they are often promoted via websites that are affiliates of the retailer, so every sale using a discount code loses the retailer both the discount and the commission payable to the affiliate. Snatter takes no commission but therefore expects retailers to offer greater discount values than currently offered via discount websites.
“Snatter also provides retailers a perfect mix of social buzz together with the ability to increase sales volume through marginal discounting,” added Cohen.
The Snatter website is currently offering retailers the ability to request beta accounts to manage live campaigns during the controlled launch period. An API offering greater flexibility and integration of existing shopping catalogues and cart systems is to go live shortly.
How m-commerce is changing the retail landscape for marketers
Jan 12th
More and more consumers are looking for bargains and discounts on the go, but have brands caught up?
Retailers can expect 2010 to be another year of struggle, according to a new report from Ovum, but the uptake of technologies such as smartphones has given retailers new hope in reaching and engaging consumers on the go.
New data from Compete has also fueled hopes that 2010 will be the year that m-commerce finally takes off.
Nearly two-fifths of smartphone owners say they have purchased something non-mobile over their mobile phone in the past six months, though many still say they are frustrated with mobile site functionality. And the top shopping-related smartphone activities are still research-based.
More than one-half of smartphone users checked out product descriptions, and many looks for reviews, coupons or better prices. About one-third even bought the item on the mobile channel after seeing it in a store.
Usage of m-commerce features among smartphone users is higher than among all mobile subscribers.
And while retailers will still be looking at how to cut costs, the focus for many in 2010 will be customer engagement and relationships – loyalty is now more important than ever.
The Ovum report, 2010 Trends to Watch: Retail Technology, suggests that retailers should invest in CRM technology in 2010 to build stronger relationships with their customers.
But e-commerce lacks the efficiency in delivery and returns that would provide the same experience as an in-store visit. Therefore, this, along with social networking and mobile phone purchases are two large focuses for the future for retailers. Some retailers and brands have already seen success with these channels including Sccope.
Sccope, the consumer shopping assistant, has launched an iPhone App that brings a combination of prices from the UK’s top 100 retailers (including Amazon, Comet and John Lewis); a bar code scanner to check the best price while shopping, comprehensive product search, and stock and price drop alerts. Sccope updates it prices daily from an independent database provided by NetPrice.
As brands continue to evaluate which mobile opportunities to undertake, it is important to think about how m-commerce can either enhance an existing business or create an entirely new way to interact with consumers.
Retail is an obvious fit for the “enhancement” category simply by extending into the mobile environment. While some brands have left any transaction potential out of their current apps, others, including the likes of Amazon and Pizza Hut (which we’ve written about here before), have embraced it smartly, and created additional value for their customers.
iPhone apps boost mCommerce shopping experience
Dec 4th
Big things are predicted for mCommerce. eBay’s recent ‘Deals’ app was launched on the back of predictions that by the end of this year it expects more than $500 million in merchandise to be purchased via eBay mobile.
Launched just a year ago, the eBay iPhone app has been downloaded more than five million times – making it one of the most popular iPhone apps.
The company also claims a purchase is made every two seconds via eBay mobile and that users from over 165 countries visit the eBay mobile website and use the iPhone application.
For mCommerce to be a success it’s all down to apps being easy for consumers to use and them then working cleverly to make lives easier.
Which is why a new one has caught our eye that uses high tech to make the most of an old tech device – the barcode.
‘StripeyLines’ allows shoppers to swipe the barcode on goods they are considering for a price comparison and then saves these goods and profiles as a wish list on the StripeyLines website for later research and evaluation.
It’s already got the backing of Iceland and Tesco through its TJAM initiative., with more retailers set to jump on board.
So in the run-up to Christmas or during sale events it could be used to allow visitors to affiliated retail stores to touch and feel products while on the shop floor then use their iPhone to scan the barcode of their desired products and collect them later at a “customer collection point”, or scan them and add them to online wish lists.
Alternatively, in-store, or later over a coffee, shoppers can review what they’ve scanned to make an informed decision and perform further research before purchasing the items from their iPhone or desktop PC.
Scanned barcodes can be used to gain access to generic images and details via either the retailer’s adapted version of their catalogue or through look-up search engines such as Amazon, eBay, iTunes and Google.
Shoppers can choose to carry out a number of different actions on a scanned item including the ability to search for the item on Tesco.com and then add it to their online Tesco’s Grocery account shopping basket.
It opens up a world of additional possibilities. What if having scanned a product the user plans to eat or drink, the application could update how much the nutritional value of that product contributes to their daily allowance and calculates the number of calories they have remaining? Such a development is already in planning.
Retailer specific barcodes (the shorter 8 digit barcodes found on own brands) are being added to the StripeyLines search as retailers make them available. The first retailer to provide this data is Iceland Foods with data also being made available from Tesco.
The flip side are the advantages for retailers who don’t want to developing their own iPhone application.
The StripeyLines app enables them to develop simple plug-ins that are beamed to shoppers’ iPhones and highlight certain lines and promotions when related items are scanned.
It allows them to integrate their stores with a product show room on an iPhone where shoppers can ‘touch and feel’ items and use capture/scan technology to deliver enhanced product data, access the website, create wish lists, receive recommendations, and cross sell suggestions - limited only by the retailer’s vision.
Following the launch in July 2007, sales of the iPhone and iPod Touch had reached 43 million units globally in 81 countries by April 2009, with over 35,000 applications hosted in the Apple store. Recently 30,000 iPhones were sold in the UK on the Orange network on the first day of sale, according to the operator.
“iPhone users are early adopters, technology savvy and are eager to embrace new lifestyle options and services,” explained Paul Tough, CTO of Portaltech, the company which has developed StripeyLines.
If it takes off, the StripeyLines iPhone app has the potential to change the face of shopping for consumers, making it possible for retailers to deliver enhanced mobile shopping services in store to implement a true multichannel strategy with minimal development and investment.
“As it’s a plug-in extension to their existing web technology, retailers don’t have to learn about a new technology and they can update and disseminate information in a true multi-channel environment, enabling them to merge the online and in-store experience so it is seamless and convenient, added Tough.
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