The RetailExperience

Featuring Selfridges, +rehabstudio, Oscar Wylee, QThru & IKEA

ISSUE 06 || DECEMBER 2013

THE PLAYREPORT A brief study on the changing landscape

of brand experiences.

AUGMENTEDREALITY

Ar

MOBILE

MO²

ONLINE + OFFLINE

DPDIGITAL

PERSONALISATION

PPOP UP

DIGITAL PERSONALISATIONDP ONLINE+OFFLINEO² MOBILEMPOP UPP AUGMENTED REALITYAR

HelloAs we flick the calendar over to December, the holiday season draws even closer.  

So it's time to write that manic shopping list for all things festive -  food, presents and parties. 

In 2013 the shopping experience is more diverse and ubiquitous than ever - online, offline, POP Up or perhaps you prefer the retailer coming to you?

The choice is well and truly yours. 

Come with us as we examine our favourite innovations and trends in retail from 2013. 

Enjoy!The PLAY team

PS – We’d love to hear your feedback on the issue. Tweet us your thoughts! @playcomm

+REHABSTUDIOThe future of store front window displays.

OSCAR WYLEEThe online and offline retail experience integrated.

QTHRUSay goodbye to supermarket queues forever.

SELFRIDGESDepartment store retailing turned on its head.

IKEAAugmented reality in home furniture trials.

THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE

Did you know?

DID YOU KNOW?

88%of online shoppers in Australia expect to increase or maintain their current online spendingFrost & Sullivan Report, PWC (2012)

of in store respondents want easier and faster payment processes(Oracle: Experience Retail, 2013)

$16.0 billion2012 Australian online sales

$253.8 billion2012 Australian retail salesFrost & Sullivan Report, PWC (2012)

1 in 3 shoppers use their smartphones to find information instead of asking store employeesGoogle, How Mobile Is Transforming the Shopping Experience In Stores (2013)

According to Boston Consulting Group Australian online retail grows by 18% per year, while the growth of classic brick & mortar retail remains flat with about 3% per yearSurvey BCG 2013 http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/australians-killing-brick-mortar-retail-205201950.html

According to research conducted by eMarketer, 92.5 million US consumers redeemed a digital coupon in 2012.CMO.com.au article “Burgeoning Mobile Coupon Phenomenon Poised to Sweep Australian Retail Landscape” (2013)

of online shoppers in Australia expect to increase or maintain their current online spendingFrost & Sullivan Report, PWC (2012)

54%of worldwide shoppers see physical stores as their most preferred shopping channel Fitchs joy of shopping survey

84%of smartphone shoppers use their device to help shop in store.Google, How Mobile Is Transforming the Shopping Experience In Stores

67%

THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE

SELFRIDGES TURNS DEPARTMENT STORE RETAILING ON ITS HEAD

No logos + no branding + meditation = more salesA high-end department store is typically not the place to escape materialism and establish a state of calm.However, this year, Selfridges brought its1909 Silence Room back to life, giving shoppers a place to “retire from the whirl of bargains and the build-up of energy”. The 21st century reincarnation is a quiet space complete with guided meditation programmes.On top of this, Selfridges has built a custom ‘No Noise’ pop up store, selling de-branded products ranging from Heinz baked beans to Levi’s jeans. So what is it about hushed salespeople, minimalist clothing and famous products without their names and logos that attracts shoppers?This minimalist approach to branding puts emphasis on the brilliance of the product rather than the fame of the brand.In doing so, the companies demonstrate confidence in their products and their no-noise brands suggest they are good enough to speak for themselves.The result? Increased sales, increased store traffic and raised brand awareness for Selfridges and the involved brands. All that from a campaign that claims to do just the opposite.

WATCH ON

YOUTUBE

DP O² ARP M

PERSPECTIVE

Understand the power of your brand.Provide a meaningful shopping experiences. Offer unique and

limited products.

THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE

WHAT IF WINDOW DISPLAYS WERE TAILORED TO EACH CONSUMER?

+rehabstudio�bring Minority Report style advertising to life with the interactive digital window displayAccording to PLAY’s research, shop window displays first appeared in department stores in 1780. Since then not much has changed, until now.Belfast digital developers,+rehabstudio, dream of a future where shop windows don’t have to be a passive experience. They have taken one step forward by creating a prototype –a window that adapts its content to suit whoever standing in front of it.Identifying passing by consumers via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, it instantly reacts to a combination of personal data stored on each consumer's mobile device (e.g. brand preference or purchase history) and real-time events (e.g. news and weather) to personalise content and purchase opportunities.Intrigued shoppers can then swipe through personalised offers and place items in a virtual shopping cart – purchasing straight from the display.+rehabstudio look to a future where billboards, ambient advertising, bus stops and venue screens incorporate this kind of personalisation.There is no escape mahaha (evil laugh).

WATCH ON

YOUTUBE

DP O² ARP M

PERSPECTIVEUse data, connection technology and human customer service to meet the

shopper where they are and tailor offerings that are most suited to them.

THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE

HOW DO RETAILERS MAKE HIGH INVOLVEMENT PURCHASES EASIER ON THE CONSUMER?

Oscar Wylee eyewear merges the world of online and offline shoppingHow do two 20 somethings operating out of a garage start to scare multinational eyeglass retailers?They change everything about the consumer experience!Realising that high-quality stylish eyewear shouldn’t be expensive, nor should consumers actually have to visit a store, Oscar Wylee invented their own try-on concept. They have given power back to the consumer who can visit the brick and mortar store (conveniently located in Sydney CBD), try glasses on via the “virtual mirror” online, or pick 5 pairs and have them delivered to their home free of charge to try out which pair they prefer. The choice is ours!Cutting out the middleman and sourcing the eyewear direct from the factory means a pair of glasses with either prescription or polarized lenses costs only $98 AUD.It seems Oscar Wylee’s model is gaining traction. The website is attracting 80,000+ unique visitors a month - 5000+ of whom are using the "Virtual Mirror".Adding salt to the wounds of multinational eyewear retailers, this two-man operation donates a pair of glasses for every pair bought to someone in need in a developing nation. 

WATCH ON

YOUTUBE

DP O² ARP M

PERSPECTIVE

Think like the consumer.Don’t be confined by industry norms.Adapt to the needs of the consumer.

THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE

HOW CAN LESS QUEUEING LEAD TO HIGHER STORE TRAFFIC?

QThru says goodbye to lines, reduces labour costs and improves customer satisfactionAfter a successful test-run at a local supermarket in Washington, mobile self-checkout service provider, QThru, is gaining momentum and spreading throughout the USA.QThru aims to solve - once and for all - the issue of long lines in grocery stores. Users download the iOS or Android app and fill in their credit cards’ details. When in store, a quick glance at the Deals section shows all the daily discounts on offer, then shoppers scan item barcodes and check out by entering their pass code and QR-code at a QThru kiosk. Once a supermarket employee does a final check, shoppers are on their way. Easy!Targeting small-mid-sized stores who cannot justify the $20,000+ investment needed for self-checkout counters, QThru represents an affordable solution that delivers real cost savings and increased patronage.The App will work in any store that is connected to the system and incorporate a coupon portal, allowing stores to create coupon campaigns with advanced geographic and store targeting.This is an exciting innovation for the consumer and retailer as sales promotions become customised to the shopper and are delivered in real time based on scanned products.

WATCH ON

YOUTUBE

DP O² ARP M

PERSPECTIVE

Technology should simultaneously decrease business expenses whilst

enhancing the consumer experience.

THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE

HOW CAN AN APP HELP CONSUMERS MAKE COMPLEX PURCHASE DECISIONS?

IKEA enable in home furniture trials with the help of augmented reality.According to Innovative Swedish furniture retailer IKEA, more than 14% of customers suffer from "Square peg, round hole syndrome". That is they’ve bought the wrong-sized furniture for their rooms.With the release of the 2014 IKEA catalogue, the retailer takes the guess work out of furniture shopping by incorporating augmented reality furniture trials into traditional print catalogues.No longer must consumers rely on flimsy tape measures to determine whether their desired furniture will fit.Using a smartphone or tablet, furniture is scanned and the catalogue is placed in the hypothetical location, the app then judges the scale of surrounding furnishings and creates an augmented reality image of the furniture in context of its potential future home. Once the consumer has chosen their furniture and laid it throughout their house, they can watch a few branded films and browse 360° room sets on their device.

DP O² ARP M

PERSPECTIVE

Consumers Crave Convenience! Digital Applications should

alleviate real consumer problems.

WATCH ON

YOUTUBE

PLAY is a communication agency that specialises in Brand Experience Marketing. We activate brands, leverage sponsorships, create events and branded environments, and maximise every connection through mobile and digital amplification. We are known for our strategic, accountable and business centric approach. Our clients understand that we deliver sales, differentiate their brand and products, and build loyalty across consumer, trade and internal audiences.

WHO WE ARE

We are experiential thinkers. We place the customer experience at the centre of what we do. This enables us to identify channel neutral, high impact marketing opportunities for our clients and ensures a relevant and meaningful dialogue with consumers.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT

WE HAVE AN EXPERIENTIALMIND AND A DIGITAL SPIRITConsumers don't differentiate between a digital and real life experience with a brand. Neither do we. We fuse our strategic, creative, digital and activation capabilities into a seamless experience, delivering against defined business objectives.

For business and press enquiries please contact:Simon Horauf // Founder & DirectorSimon.Horauf@playcomms.com

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