The Best of Insider Trends July 2019
It’s been another super busy month at Insider Trends, and a bumper month for the blog! From personalisation to the newest stores around the globe, here’s our round-up of all the best stuff…
Top Insights
Whether driving traffic online or offline, personalisation is one of the biggest trends in global retail. This guest piece takes a deep dive into this fascinating trend, examining how it’s changing shopping as we know it.
We all know how much we use our smartphones, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they have changed the way we shop too. Whether we’re using them inside or outside stores, and interacting with apps or using text services, the smartphone is the tech that matters most to retail. This piece takes a comprehensive look at the impact of smartphones on the way we shop.
The vending machine has been around since the early 1880s and its design has not really changed much with the exception of updated payment methods. We’ve rounded up how these seemingly old fashioned vending machines could be part of your retail strategy – across food, beauty products and even cars.
The way a store looks is as important as what a store sells. And in a time of experiential retail, when customer experience is at the forefront of retailers’ minds, it seems more pertinent than ever to focus on store design. Take a look at 38 of the best retail design agencies that we think are getting it right.
Expert Interviews
For Akeneo, AI is the key to the future of Product Information Management systems (PIM). In this interview with Akeneo’s product marketing director John Evans, we take a look at what that future looks like.
Smart clothing hasn’t gone mainstream yet, but if and when it does, LOOMIA will be at the heart of it. We caught up with its founder Madison Maxey on how it works, what the future looks like, and how smart textiles could improve product development.
Last but not least, we had a fascinating chat with Alert Innovation’s founder and CEO John Lert about its vision for automated stores. Its Alphabot system is a gamechanger for retail, and in this interview we examine how it may have designed the ultimate automated store.
Retail Openings
We’re always on the lookout for new store openings across the globe. This month we were back in London and Tokyo to bring you the best we can find as well as the most noteworthy worldwide initiatives. Grab a cuppa and stock up on inspiration.
Want insider insights on the latest retail trends? Get in touch to book one of our New York retail safaris and find out how to boost your business.