In the past couple weeks, I’ve been stuck in a queue at the supermarket, IKEA, or other big box with lots of self-service checkouts. Stuck. Contemplating whether standing the queue actually took longer than finding the items I wanted. That maybe, just maybe, this entire endeavor could be made more efficient and joyful. Rather than […]
Notice all the stores Dave mentions are related: Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy are all Gap Inc. brands. Eight years ago when Apple didn’t have any retail stores, Millard Drexler, then CEO of Gap Inc, joined the Apple Board of Directors. Personally, I can count on one hand the number of items I’ve ever […]
Ran up to the local Cub Foods for a last minute dinner item this evening and snapped the above photo of the new Hollywood Video Express Kiosk over in a part of the store I never go to (Sturgeon’s Revelation frequently comes to mind while I’m grocery shopping). I found two things interesting about this […]
Target’s “newplace newspace” line is an obvious strike against Ikea’s hip and disposable interior furnishings, and a big win for customers. (There are more Targets than Ikeas near me and if you’re in the US, I’d bet near you also.) Then this morning I hear, Ikea to sell groceries. Reminds me of the scene in […]
Jen and I went to a mall on Saturday. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a mall on a Saturday afternoon. I left buying nothing and feeling extremely uninspired to shop. I now know why Target sold Marshall Field’s last year to May Department Stores and why May Department Stores is praying […]
Best Buy has taken the first step in their persona-centric model. According to the Wall Stree Journal’s Analyzing Customers, Best Buy Decides Not All Are Welcome, the sales associates have received training to briefly interview customers to determine if they are a Barry, Jill, or Ray Buzz. In an effort to keep their store relevant […]
Big box retailers are continuing their search for the Holy Grail of Retail – increasing merchandise selection without increasing real estate costs. For years,
Even today, with all the Internet offers, shopping is often purchasing a product without first-hand experience with it. Our customer research has proven time and time again that if the product can be handled – it’s more likely to be sold. Until now, it was nearly impossible for customers to actually try out a product […]
Starting this week and running through Sept. 20, guests can check out the cameras, take pictures and print them using an HP Photosmart 245 photo printer installed at the hotels Following up on the original Hotel Room as Showroom article, Yahoo Reports that Fairmont Hotels and HP are partnering to offer guests digital camera rental […]
In the Star Tribune’s recent “Best Buy Copes with Costs” article, they report that Best Buy’s customer-centric format roll-out (and here) has been scaled back 40%. The customer centricity strategy has its costs. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue were 2.2 percent higher at the test stores, the company said. But the test stores’ […]