Embrace the Disruption!

It's such an exciting time to be working in this space. Here are some of my pieces that capture my POV about the opportunities facing brands and retailers today:

Google: "Caroline Ghatt Inside Retail"

Or search

https://www.insideretail.com.au/blog/author/caroline-ghatt/

POS is now the POI

Today's Shoppers are looking to buy solutions and experiences - to drive purchase we need to shift from point of sale to point of inspiration - here are some of retail experience stand outs from Chicago - see if you can guess?

Wowed @ JCP

It's been hammered in the press but I have to admit that I was impressed with JCP here in the Chicago 'burbs today.

The store was light, bright and easy to find my way around - great signage, simple, clear and value focused. No red sale signs. Great VM and fast & free WI-FI to access online deals, store info and more.

There were also loads of customers.

Am keen to see how the flagships compare downtown.

JCP is a work in progress. Like the rest of the world, I'm keen to see how next steps roll out. One thing is for sure - they are not standing still but rather striving to update and move forward. Relevance to shoppers will of course be key, but from my visit today, I can only say keep going, it looks great.

New York State of Mind

Hi from New York!

Absolutely amazing couple of days jam-packed with store visits to Soho, mid- town and Up-town. We have attended presentations from a wide range of sources including Google Retail and Bloomingdales.

Truly inspiring - from the big end of town to smaller boutiques - there's a story in every store you visit.

Here are a few snapshots of ideas I've loved:

Disney - for making their store into an immersive and media rich brand space:




Apple in Grand Central station - for incredible use of space and design:




Clinique for awesome use of technology that delivers customers with the solutions they're looking for:




Duane Read for their concept store where they're implementing Google Wallet and Hologram technology under one roof:




Eataly for their creation of a truly impressive and unique eating and fresh food space:





Just a small sample of what I have seen.

Retail in NYC is big in both its ideas and application. Superb VM and store-as-story space. Heaps of digital integration - its all about delivering value through a seamless customer experience.

Heading to London tomorrow. Will update more from there!


Posted from my iPhone

Location:New York

Tokyo: the power of retail-as-experience

First day on the ground in Tokyo. Super inspiring with top speakers including founder of Wonderwall who do all the interiors for Uniqlo flagships. We were privileged to hear first hand about his design philosophy and inspiration which has led to the iconic interiors.

So many great take outs - one of my favourites being a reminder that:

"Retail is not just selling the product. It's an experience"

Went and checked out the Uniqlo flagship store in Ginza. It's a 12 floor masterpiece that has the most spectactular interior layout -  sensory, visual retailing at its best. From the street, the design gives the illusion of 6 floors with turning mannequins in every window.

Incredible use of digital signage, LED and product-as-VM.

Can't wait for day two. Will update more as I can!

World Retail Study Tour 2012

The Westfield World Retail Study Tour is about to kick into gear again.
This year the group will be visiting retailers in Tokyo, New York, London, Paris and Milan.

Looking forward to updating as I go....watch this space!

Spotted in Sportsgirl

Check out great integration of QR codes instore at Sportsgirl ...

More evidence of digital layering into physical spaces to create a richer shopping experience and link offline/ online. This was a key theme on my recent world retail study tour looking at best practice in retailing.





- Posted from my iPhone