Retailers are doubling down on technology and redesigned stores that fuse digital and in-store experiences. Here’s an overview of world retail trends September 2023 as witnessed by Mood Media, a global specialist in elevating customer experience at the point of sale.
UK
LEGO focused on experience
LEGO has announced a second store in Manchester, located at the city’s well-known Trafford Centre. The brand has revealed the new outlet will be primarily focused on offering an interactive and customer-assisted shopping experience. There will be opportunities for shoppers to build items, guided by regular in-store challenges, as well as construct towers collaboratively. Store associates will also be on hand to offer a more personalised, informed, guided purchase service. The company is going so far as to refer to the new store as a “hub” for its LEGO-loving community. This reliance on trained assistants corroborates the finding in Mood Media’s Charting In-Store Trends that staff are essential. The research, which surveyed 12,261 shoppers, found that 45% of respondents cited knowledgeable assistants as one of the main reasons they visit physical stores.
France
PSG hopes to score in London
Neymar may have left PSG, but that is not stopping the Parisian football club from setting its sights overseas. It has announced plans to launch its first UK club shop on London’s famous Oxford Street. The club is taking over a closed Candy Store, which the local council is keen to see replaced by more upmarket shops.
USA
Honey, I shrank Macy’s
Macy’s is slimming down its department store appeal and launching in four strip malls. The slimmed-down stores – in Boston, San Diego, Las Vegas and Indiana – will carry the brand’s name. Previous smaller stores have been called Market by Macy’s or Bloomie’s (short for Bloomingdale’s), but now the brand is going to apply its name directly to stores aimed at shoppers in malls across the USA. CNBC reports the new smaller stores are outperforming their larger counterparts.
Aldi targets US growth
American shoppers looking for discounted groceries are in for a treat as German supermarket chain Aldi targets the US market with its cut-price, time-limited food and beverage offers. The chain has just bought 400 grocery stores across Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. It plans to have 2,400 stores open by the end of 2023.
AI to guide experience and operations at Walmart
Retailers, like companies in other businesses, are all wondering what the benefit of AI could be.
For Walmart, the answer is clear. On the customer side, it will improve personalisation and customer experience. On the business side, it will help it plan better and smooth out logistics glitches to empower it to anticipate and match customer demand. The retailer is bullish on its rollout of AI, explaining to Retail Dive how it believes it can improve the service customers see, as well as the hard logistics and planning work behind the scenes they do not. Interestingly, the company has revealed it has been running tests to see which products’ demand could surge during a popular sales period, such as Black Friday, so it can be better prepared.
China
Local artwork sets the scene for Cartier
Cartier has reaffirmed its commitment to south-west China with a new store in Chongqing’s international airport. The location ranks among the top five cities in China in terms of GDP, and the brand believes this makes it the perfect venue for a luxury store. The elegantly designed store uses the brand’s red and gold palette and is completed by an eye-catching ceiling dome and a bespoke artwork combining Cartier’s famed panther emblem among Chongqing’s architectural icons. The theme of the natural world and local sights is reflected in the men’s section featuring foliage, while the bridal area offers artwork depicting nearby mountains.
China
Click for advice service from Gucci
Gucci has signed an agreement to combine personal service with the convenience of eCommerce. The luxury brand has penned a deal with the JD.com platform to merchandise its range of luxury goods with the proviso that customers can still click to chat with a sales representative.
Hong Kong
Sustainability at the centre of Lululemon expansion
Just a month on from launching its first store in Thailand, Canadian sportswear retailer, Lululemon has relaunched its Hong Kong store with what it says is a greater commitment to community and personal wellbeing. Its IFC Mall store covers 2,700 square feet, selling its full range of high-quality athletic and leisurewear at what it considers to be competitive price points. The brand’s sustainability values are echoed in the store’s shelving and fencing details using reclaimed timber from trees that have fallen over during typhoons. In Mood Media’s Charting In-Store Trends study, two in three shoppers identified sustainability as the main reason for choosing a particular store.
