Friday, February 14, 2014

Interactive Retail Environments

According to USA Today’s article Touch-screens create online shopping experience at store, “to enhance the in-store shopping experience…. retailers are looking for ways to bring the convenience, selection and ability for product comparison of the online world.” More than ever before consumers demonstrate a preference for browsing, searching and sharing in a digital environment.

To address this trend, many large-scale companies like Macy’s or Adidas with places of retail or POP environment are building interactive screens to enhance the customer experience. This can take two forms, either kiosks or digital signage. First and foremost businesses must consider the interactive technology’s impact on the bottom line. According to Retail Customer Experience, “it must be curated to specifically meet the needs of the end-users.” With that consideration in mind, those who cannot afford the massive money or space investment of interactive screens have instead opted for tablets. Tablets have the potential to be highly effective customer service tools, by shortening lines and providing an interactive sales experience.  

This form of retailing is concerned with how many different purchasing options the consumer has. Offering the interactive option is essentially offering the customer efficiency and convenience, as well as a highly-personalized experience – which many believe is one of the keys to maximizing brand loyalty.





Thursday, February 13, 2014

2014 Super Bowl Ads - Recap

So a small confession: I lived in New Mexico and Colorado for several years, and I'm a Broncos fan. Year after year, I tune into the super bowl for the commercials, but this year I actually tuned in to cheer one of my teams on to victory.

While my hopes were dashed in the first few minutes of the game, the commercials were a good consolation. Some were weird, but some where great. And what's up with everyone selling car brands? Bruce Willis is selling Hondas, the Muppets are selling Toyotas, and Bob Dylan selling American-made. An interesting mix of celebs, for sure.

Here's a recap of our votes:

The most strange? And over-reaching? Our vote went to Maserati.


A pretty commercial – nicely written and produced – but we are not sure how we feel about Bob Dylan selling cars ... or Chryslers. 


Our vote for funny? Bud Light (again!) brought a slightly different approach, and fun commercial. 



Last year it was Dodge / "God Made a Farmer," but this year's vote for the commercial that pulled at our heartstrings the most? Budweiser Puppy Love, no question. 



Our all-round favorite? For us Radio Shack did a great job.  



What was your favorite? And tell us your thoughts on our 5 picks?