Naked Retailing

Stickybits Creates More Transparency, Anywhere.

Stickybits is a fairly new mobile application that allows the user to attach multi-media content to a barcode. That barcode can be generated by the user from the website and attached to something or using a product barcode from a package. The part about people attaching content to barcodes on packaging is the part that retailers and brand marketers should think about. People could attach video reviews of a product that a user could check out in the aisle, in real-time. Or, they could simply write what they think of the product and attach. People could attach their favorite recipes to the barcode on food packaging. 

A proactive brand manager could pre-populate content that extends the aisles and acts as a silent salesperson with a how-to video or content for complementary products the consumer can buy. 

One more way mobile applications are lowering the veil for the consumer. Scan my barcode and see what I left for you. 

No Sign Of Social Media In Today's Retail Preprints

For all the talk about how retailers are getting better at integrating the social platforms into their marketing mix, I still am perplexed as to why there hasn't been deeper integration into the usual #1 budget line item for retail activation, the preprints. Even the early adopters like Best Buy nary a sign of social influencer strategy permeating their preprint grids and copy. Hmmm, I wonder why? I suspect a couple of things. First, the preprint advertising and creative team is often different than the above-the-line team and that permeates out through the agencies. There are a few 'preprint' experts out there that have made a living off making this specialized marketing device (also called bird cage liner in some circles) which is almost always separate from the brand and digital agencies. I'd love to pitch a retailer on how the tens of millions of dollars spent on preprints could go further and create bigger value if the retail calendar and social strategy were aligned. 

 

I'm A Fan, Now What Do I Do?

 This is a simple question asked by one of our client's, A.C. Moore, Facebook fans. But, it is also a question that is asked by many retail executives once they concede to developing a social media and/or community presence. Social presence isn't enough. Having fan, friend or followers is only about 10-20% of the battle. It is the easy part. The hard part is the engagement and confronting the reality of what is on your customer's minds. The difficulty lies in not being ready for the onslaught of feedback that will collapse into the organization and will affect all core business functions of a retailer. When a brand like A.C. Moore that has tens of thousands of passionate customers that love their store that will manifest in both positive energy and negative input. Your brand is exposed from how your coupons are redeemed to how dirty your bathrooms are. The glass half-full retail executive reads this feedback as something she/he wouldn't have heard before the advent of social media and acts upon it as it trends. The glass half-empty retail executive thinks that these people should be tried for defamation of brand character and leans away from the dialogue. The consumers will win and they will expose all of the warts that a retailer has. The brands that accept that the fastest will win.  

And a Retail Social Marketing Blog is Born....

It is a new age of marketing for retailers. One that has them caught with their chinos down as technology, digital, mobile applications and social networking has released unprecedented transparency in all areas of retailing. From customer service, pricing, store experience, merchandise origins, perspectives on executive teams and more. Naked Retailing's mission is to be a resource for all retail marketers and brands in learning and sharing insights into the evolution of retail marketing as it relates to social media, interactivity and mobility.