Posts tagged commerce

The Store Is Media And Media Is The Store (brilliant piece by Retailprophet Doug Stephens)

In a post-Internet, post-mobile world of one click access, the distribution of products has all but ceased to be the issue. When one of something can be efficiently shipped to anyone, anywhere, the question of where the sale takes place is rapidly becoming moot. In other words, in the long-term, sales of product simply can’t be the primary strategic purpose or metric for the store.
Some of the world’s largest retailers are struggling with this jarring reality already. “Stack it high and watch it fly” has abruptly turned into “stack it low and hope it goes” as big box stores scramble to lower inventories in the face of flat or declining sales. The knee-jerk reaction among some is to simply downsize and marginalize the role of the store. Others are adopting the buzzword of omni-channel – resigning to the idea that all channels now act as one – which I would argue risks oversimplifying what’s really happening.

You see, what’s actually evolving is a new and far more complex role for the store, and online brands like Google, Bonobos and Warby Parker are affirming it, as they each embark on creating their own, branded, physical stores. They along with a growing number of other online pure-plays recognize that in order to “fully actualize” their brands, they need to animate a physical presence and visceral experience for their consumers, not to move products but more critically, to move hearts and minds – to sell the idea, essence and values of the brand – all of which has more traditionally been viewed as the role of media. And therein lies the critical point.

The physical store is becoming media.

In Melbourne, meet the New Joneses | SmartPlanet

Since BNNM was conceived in 2010, it has become something of a beacon for the conscientious and collaborative consumption movement in Melbourne. “Part of it is about conscientious consumption or collaborative consumption and asking the questions like who made it? Where is it going to go after I use it? Do I really need it? How much is ‘enough’?” DiMattina says. According to DiMattina, there are different models of new consumption. For example, some people would never consider going to a charity store but will go out and buy something new that is made ethically. While other people swap their wardrobes around constantly and share their things.

BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: it's safe to say that mobile transactions are the wave of the future

When it comes to mobile payments, some experts are suggesting that companies can’t wait. According to David Gardner at CMO.com, he estimates the value of mobile payments at some $600 billion within the next four years and given the near-ubiquity of mobile phones in the developed world, the rise of mobile payments would appear to be a when, not if, question. As Dr. Siddharth Shah, Adobe’s director of business analytics, sees it, “it’s safe to say that mobile transactions are the wave of the future.”

The new word of mouth | Trends | Marketing Week

Tesco, Debenhams, Pizza Hut and Iceland are among the high street retail brands encouraging people to share products and experiences, in return for some kind of reward. Last month, Tesco launched its Share & Earn scheme, where the brand’s Facebook fans earn Clubcard points for sharing products with their friends online.
Gerd Leonhard: watch the movie The Jones’s to see how bizarre such a future could become…

Presentation: The Future of Business (Gerd Leonhard Barnsley UK) PDF

PDF: The Future of Online Retail / Die Zukunft des Online Handel (in German language): PDF

2 my German tweeps and every1 @Managementforum: PDF of Keynote on Future of eRetail at #ohk11 in Bonn: (cont) http://tl.gd/87kl89 (in German language)

Also see this coverage at InternetWorld.de (in German)