In Part 1 and Part 2 of we learned about social retailing pilots for Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales that resulted in a 3x increase in sales.
In Part 3 we learned about how social media can get shoppers into stores - and keep them there.
And in the conclusion of this exclusive source interview for the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, we get advice on how to start implementing social retailing ourselves.
“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."
If Tom Nicholson has his way, teenage girls will no longer wait until their home from the mall to ask the eternal question, "Do these jeans make me look fat?"
Nicholson, founder of digital agency LBi IconNicholson, and more recently, Nicholson NY, has personally led a technological revolution in retailing, having spearheaded efforts to transform the shopping experience at Prada, Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales by enabling shoppers to use touchscreen interfaces to connect with runway video and information on cut, color and accessories related to the clothing they care into dressing rooms.
In this source interview from the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, we see how Nicholson is taking fashion a giant step forward - mashing up social networking, in-store technologies and yough shopping habits to delight customers as never before possible.
Part 1: What Is Social Retailing - And Why Do Retailers Need to Know About It?
“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."
For all the attention check-ins and badges get for trying to lure people into stores, high-end cosmetics retailer Sephora is quietly using something comparatively simple - mobile customer reviews - to enhance the actual in-store shopping experience.
Indeed, it's no secret that reviews are now a key part of shopping - and in building confidence in purchase decisions for everything from L'Oreal lipstick to Lamborghinis.
According to Nielsen, eight in 10 shoppers now routinely read online produce reviews before placing purchases. And 40% cite online customer reviews as one of the primary reasons they have bought from a retailer, online or off.
The beauty, if you will, of Sephora's solution, is that the service is primarily accessible when the consumer is in the store or mall, as they access the reviews by looking up a keyword or the UPC on product packaging, via Sephora's mobile site.
You'd be surprised how many people can get supremely passionate about, say, Philosophy brand's "Cinnamon Buns" body wash, for instance. And yet a quick look at the mobile site reveals 132 different reviews, featuring comments ranging from "Kinda smelled like cardboard," to "Smelled so good my husband wanted to drink the bottle."
The capability began as a feature on the Sephora traditional website, where it became an instant hit. In this source interview for my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, Julie Bornstein, senior vice president for Sephora Direct tells me the migration to mobile was an absolute no brainer.
Along the way, she offers a glimpse at how Sephora sees mobile - and its possibilities for supercharging the in-store experience.
“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."
"I think the biggest mistake with mobile is to try and shrink the Internet and deliver it on a mobile device."
I couldn't agree more, of course - this is a far different medium. But in these excerpts from a source interview for my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, Bateman (then CEO of Interbrand NY) makes it clear he's not exactly bullish on many forms of location-aware mobile advertising, either. And don't get him started on privacy.
Frankly, I agree with him on most counts - I'm probably even more contrarian. Besides, as we discuss here, the promise is so much more powerful than interruptive (much less check-in) based mobile marketing.
“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."
Very cool: BrandChannel has selected THE ON-DEMAND BRAND as its "Featured Book of The Month" for July.
In making the selection, BrandChannel writes, "Brand marketers will value [this book] for the detailed case studies, such as how Burger King, Coca-Cola and Axe Deodorant are using advergames; how Showtime, MasterCard and NBC are redefining viral video; and how Fanta, GE, Papa John's and Topps are leveraging augmented reality."
“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"
Jordan Atlas Vice President, Group Creative Director Digitas
An innovative new app from Tool of North America and partner Domani Studios - enables viewers to actually influence, even change, the narrative of live action videos.
Part video game, part immersive entertainment, the Touching Stories app is free, and portends amazing new possibilities in story telling.
What's also interesting is that Tool is an agency that creates advertising and interactive work for brands like Bud Light and MTV.
Here, they are creating an app that can be used by brands and filmmakers alike.
Originally planned for the iPhone, the iPad offered the team an even better platform.
As Tool's digital executive producer (and longtime UNBOUND reader) Dustin Callif tells FastCompany. "Immediately as visual storytellers we got excited because the iPad is such a better device for consuming media than the iPhone--I mean just look at the difference in size with the screen," he says. "We've been looking for the right opportunity to really create customized stories."
Moving forward, you can see how social viewing might come into play - with fans voting on outcomes. Or the iPad app becoming an interface for television content to do the same, personalizing the outcome of movies and television shows or branded communications.
Hats off to Tool for creating this tool - and heralding in a new era of interactive entertainment.
“THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”
Alison Moore Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms HBO
Getting ready for the big Global Retail Executive Council event at CTIA tomorrow, where I'll be giving a keynote on making the retail-mobile connection.
If you can't make it, Retail Trends magazine interviewed me yesterday for an upcoming article on the topic. I'll link to it as it becomes available. I also recorded the convo, so if I get a spare moment one of these days (I'm pretty much traveling all month for speaking engagements), I'll post it.
Tomorrow should be fun. I'm bringing along my friend (and longtime blog sponsor) Dorrian Porter, CEO of Mozes, which has been doing some really innovative things to connect people to the things - music groups, movie stars, products and retailers - they love via mobile.
I'll give readers an update on how it went tomorrow.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the event, here.
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