Making Shopping Fun Again

Community Thoughts on Making Shopping Fun Again...

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   Imagining the Retail Store of the Future by Elizabeth Paton via The New York Times “Forget e-commerce, or bricks and mortar, or even omnichannel sales…the new retail era is one anchored in ‘augmented retail,’ a blend of the digital and physical allowing a shopper to shift seamlessly between the two realms.”

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   How Retail Can Thrive in a World Without Stores by Amit Sharma via Harvard Business Review “As more companies struggle to find their niche with the modern consumer, they’re turning to new technologies to recreate this sensory experience. What’s emerging is what I call the “StoreHouse” — a hybrid model that merges the physical benefits of a real-world store with the convenience of home.”

3. 3.	Why Ikea is Buying a Tech Company by Diana Budds via Fast Company “Ikea is moving from a you-do-it-all to a tech-does-it-all approach, where you won’t have a lift more than a finger to buy a new living room–and you can do it all from the comfort of your current living room.”

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   Why E-commerce Brands are Flipping the Script and Opening Brick-and-Mortar Stores by Ilyse Liffreing via Digiday “More than just spaces to sell products, these stores often also function as areas that take the consumer beyond shopping. For example, at Away’s stores in New York, Los Angeles and London, the brand hosts events including concerts and yoga classes.”

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   7 Technologies to Watch: Bringing Offline Retail Experiences Online by Ada Okoli via Guided Selling “Even in its most indirect and impersonal form, commerce is a series of ongoing conversations: understanding what the customer wants, answering questions, making an offer, and negotiating the price. Technology has automated most of these interactions, but the key elements of shopping are still conversations.”