Here are four of the best recent retail initiatives that show how major trends are being implemented and how you can make the most of them.
Apple Credit Card
You read that right. Apple is launching its own credit card , called Apple Card. In many ways, this card is in line with the logic that Apple has taken with its Apple Pay mobile wallet, especially since the Apple Card will be directly integrated into Apple Pay. A physical card will also be offered, for places that do not accept mobile payments.
This is the latest example of Apple building an ecosystem – one of the biggest trends right now. It’s no longer just about getting consumers to buy its products and services; it now wants to be a part of every purchase they make. The Apple Card has no fees of any kind and offers up to 3% cashback on all spending, which could help entice Apple’s existing large customer base to adopt it.
But ecosystems aren’t just for big companies like Apple. Every business, no matter how big or small, can benefit from this trend. The best retail ecosystems put the customer at the center. All the individual channels—the store, the website, social media, and more—are tightly connected and feed off each other. If you want to follow Apple’s lead, you need to japan whatsapp number analyze your distribution setup and consider how to better connect the channels to serve your customers.
The Wrangler Store Example
The approach of Wrangler’s Icons pop-up store in London is very interesting. While customers could shop there as normal, the store also doubled as a recording studio and live music stage. This had been done before, but the Wrangler Icons outlet really stood out to attract attention.
In particular, it was possible to remove the store's windows, which helped to blur the separation between the store and the outside. Customers could stand on the store's steps to listen to the music. They didn't have to go inside to connect with Wrangler: Wrangler would come to them.
Retail Innovations: Trends This Spring 2019
Image: GQ
This is an interesting extension of the trend of brands seeking to attract attention. More and more companies are discovering new and creative ways to interact with their customers and reach them. It’s about reaching out to customers and meeting them in their environments, where they live, in order to create the emotional connection that keeps them coming back.
Your store setup may not allow you to open it up to the world the way Wrangler did, but social media can be an effective advocate. You can also make your brand more appealing by tapping into its unique attributes. Wrangler has a long-standing connection to music, which informed their approach to this pop-up store and gave it an authenticity.
The store without Lego products and Snapchat
At what point does a store stop being a store? Or rather, how does the definition of a store change? The recent Lego and Snapchat pop-up store certainly challenged our notion of a store, because it was completely empty. No products, no visual merchandising . Nothing, except a giant Snapchat code.