Behind 5 of Last Week's Consumer Headlines

news

Jul 24

Madewell’s Shoppable Fall Lookbook Is Here

I like that Madewell did a quiet Fall '16 press preview last winter, while waiting to show the collection to customers until... July
I like how the collection is available for pre-order now
I don't like how, if customers actually want to pre-order said collection, they need to first call (?!?!) or e-mail (?) customer service to find out delivery timing and price

P&G Starts Online Subscription Service for Tide Pods

Unilever bought Dollar Shave Club which, among other value-adds, fortifies its subscription commerce tech
Laundry detergent screams "subscription refill", making Tide Pods as good a place as any for P&G to introduce online subscriptions
While I'd like to express surprise about more retail and CPG not launching subscriptions, I know firsthand that there are infinite competing priorities on everyone's tech roadmap

Retailers Rethink Inventory Strategies

Home Depot is targeting a 15% sales increase by 2018 on the same or less inventory, which is ambitious
Unless the buy is starting from a pretty poor place, this means sales need to come through lower stocks that are replenished more frequently and/or inventory that's never stocked in the first place (i.e. e-commerce drop ship)
The article also mentions having fewer items on store shelves, which implies more restocking by associates and use of an extended online aisle -- hopefully the resources in stores and plans for e-commerce exist

http://www.wsj.com/articles/retailers-rethink-inventory-strategies-1467062280

The State of Phygital CX Today and How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Of the experiences described, the essential ones enhance the customer journey by facilitating what customers already expect brands to provide (i.e. pre-order options at Starbucks; recent order recall at Panera)
But brands are missing out if they're not using technology to leverage people and customization options in which the company already is invested (i.e. Neiman Marcus customer/associate texting; Audi showroom vehicle configuration)
Still, the biggest differentiators I see are the ones that provide experiences not previously possible (i.e. Disney Parks Magic Bands; Hilton room choice through app)

http://www.lenati.com/blog/2016/04/%EF%BB%BFthe-state-of-phygital-cx-today-and-how-to-stay-ahead-of-the-curve/

Top 10 Luxury Retail Efforts of H1

My favorite (digital): Westfield Malls' technology enabled shopping in a London Hotel, though I didn't see it in person
My favorite (in store): Bloomingdale's #MuseumHack scavenger hunt
Sounds good, but I didn't make it to the store: Selfridge's EveryBODY "inclusive intimates" concept
Disappointing: Barneys Beacons

https://www.luxurydaily.com/top-10-luxury-retail-efforts-of-h1-2/

Andrea Wasserman

What Amazon's Big Day Meant for the Rest of Us