Welcome to J.C. Williams Group’s Retail Innovations Blog Series where we celebrate global retail innovation, concepts, and trends! This series is based on our annual publication Retail Innovations, developed in partnership with our affiliate members from the Ebeltoft Group. We’ve taken the four hot trends (Smart Shopping, Interactions, Brand Intensity, and Responsibility) identified in Retail Innovations 12 and have split these up into 4 easily digestible blogs that will be released over the course of the summer. Enjoy!

Hot Trend #1 – Smart Shopping

Make it as efficient and convenient to shop in-store as it is to shop Amazon.

Smart Shopping makes consumers’ lives easier, simpler, and more efficient without compromising the quality of products or the shopping experience in general. Innovation is often driven by technology and the intent to deliver an integrated omni-channel experience. The following case studies demonstrate the Smart Shopping trend. The first two cases presented below, Canada Post and eatsa, each received the 2016 Ebeltoft Retail Innovation Award.

Canada Post

Canada Post’s new “Drive-thru Parcel Centre” is an original and convenient alternative to the modern post office. The new concept store utilizes automation and self-service technologies to create a simpler and more efficient way for customers to receive and send parcels. The 4,500-square-foot store has a sleek, clean, modern, and open environment and features 24/7 access, self-service kiosks, a vending machine, a drive-thru for parcel pick-up and even a fitting room.

A clean, modern, bright, open environment encourages customers to walk through the store freely to interact with various elements.

Customers drive up to the welcome kiosk to scan the barcode on their pick-up notice and then drive up to the drive-thru window to receive their purchases.

Self-serve parcel kiosk: An automated all-in-one service uses a “cubing device” to scan the package for size and weight, so that postage can be calculated by the machine. Customers can pay for their parcel delivery, print their shipping label, and place their package in the drop-box for delivery.

Eatsa (San Francisco, California, USA)

Eatsa is a fully automated restaurant chain whose goal is to make delicious, nutritious foods accessible to more people through a technology-driven restaurant experience. Technology fuels convenience and speed in an ordering process completely driven by digital screens and menu options, with an emphasis on a sustainable and nutritious offer.

The restaurant functions like a vending machine. Customers enter and order at an iPad kiosk, or via the eatsa app, and then wait at a wall of glass cubbies, where their food appears when ready. From start to finish, there is zero interaction between customer and employee.

Order and pay on touchscreen kiosk.

Customers wait for their food to appear.

Apodoc Hardbrücke (Zurich, Switzerland)

Apodoc is a combined medical practice, pharmacy and coffee shop, where doctors, pharmacists and restaurateurs work together. All benefit from the synergy of patients, customers and health professionals sharing a space. Patients/customers appreciate being able to accomplish multiple tasks in a single physical location.

Apodoc provides customers with an added convenience — Café Medici which offers delicious espresso, fresh fruit juices and snacks. Patients/customers are served in the café while they wait to see the doctor.

At the pharmacy, individual patients are counseled and treated.

Bloom & Wild (United Kingdom)

Bloom & Wild is an online-only flower delivery service. The business ships flowers and other small gifts for next-day delivery across the UK, and same-day delivery in London, as well as offers a monthly subscription service. Individual bunches range from £20-£55.

Innovative packaging replaces the expense of a courier with the efficiency of the postal service.

Rather than buying flowers through traditional supply channels, Bloom & Wild has partnered directly with flower growers. By shortening the supply chain, Bloom & Wild can ensure a fresher product, less expensively – but no less elegantly.

eXperience BCR (Bucharest, Romania)

BCR, the biggest bank in Romania (part of the Austrian group ERSTE), launched in 2016 as eXperience BCR, exemplifying new banking trends and integrating advanced technologies for communicating with and counseling customers.

Innovative store format prepares customers for the digital banking era.

eXperience BCR is equipped with current technologies, such as interactive touchscreens for counseling services, as well as comprehensive counseling through banking products and services.

The video counselor system is the most popular service.

eXperience BCR launched a new concept of a business hub, which is space designed for corporate customers that is equipped with facilities such as projection area space, conference systems and meeting tables.

J.C. Williams Group’s Expert advice

Smart technology’s success is in its ability to make the shopping journey more efficient, faster or more convenient without sacrificing the key elements that are important to consumers. These elements may be quality, nutrition, specialized services, human engagement, etc. BCR’s use of banking is a great example of a new-age banking centre that can be used to enhance service to rural areas or to provide access to specialized topic experts. As technology becomes increasingly affordable and accessible over time, businesses will have to assess where smart technology can best enhance the shopping experience.

For more information on global retail innovation, download Retail Innovations 12 from our www.jcwg.com

Real Estate & Community Master Planning

Your vision for a thriving business is integral to any economic infrastructure; your customers are at the centre of all planning and decisions. Creating a clear and concise roadmap that factors every facet of the customers’ experience is crucial for success. Your plan must consider vendors, tenants, landlords, developers, government agencies, and other facilities that your retail space will benefit or affect. Your collaboration with the JCWG team will ensure a detailed master plan that includes clear objectives supported by extensive research that considers every component of your business community.

Resources and Techniques:

Retail demand calculations
Trade area analysis
Market gaps and opportunities
Zoning and space requirements
Retail supply audits
Trade area psychographics and demographics
Pedestrian and traffic counts

Expert Witness & Advisory Services

There are many moving parts in a customer-centric business, and you may encounter legal setbacks and disputes at any stage of your business journey. Your collaboration with the JCWG team will provide you with expert reports and testimony in trials and hearings while advising legal counsel to ensure that you have the necessary resources required to manage and support litigation impacting every aspect of your case.

Resources and Techniques:

Discovery
Expert report preparation
Trial testimony
Business strategy review
Determination of damages

Concept Development & Space Planning

Concept Development services include background research, branding, right-sizing, capital budgeting all the way to detail design. JCWG can work from an idea or join a design process to enlighten, validate and support implementation. A vacant property can also be best filled from a concept development exercise.

It may be your idea, our research results, or both. Once a potential retail concept is identified is needs to be developed and validated. The JCWG team has the capacity to develop the concept characteristics from aesthetic & functional planning, design standards, location requirements, capital requirement and validation through demand, trade area and benchmarking analysis.

Resources and Techniques:

Functional planning and programming
Concept design and development of design standards
Detailed design services including base building requirements
Marketing plan and strategy execution
Management and staffing selection
Tenant mix and product curation
Short term and long term KPI definition and monitoring
Operational audits
Expertise sourcing and partnering
Site selection, design development and project enduring, operations human resources, start up inventories, and capital costing
Physical programming and concept design

Branding & Marketing

Winning brand equity must happen on so many platforms in today’s retail world with a consistent message and quantifiable return. JCWG understands comprehensive internal and external brand messaging that identifies the uniqueness and market advantage of a retail busines. Your collaboration with the JCWG team will strengthen your marketing strategy to build stronger connections with your audience through your brand.

Resources and Techniques:

Brand assessments
Unique selling proposition, noble purpose, and differentiation authentication
Brand and marketing implementation
Communications plans
Insightful transition to row market share from research
Customer feedback and product evaluation

Research & Insights

The amount of data available to customer-centric businesses can be overwhelming. Understanding the metrics’ influence on strategy is imperative to success. An experienced eye can save a lot of time and misguided investment to provide relevant and actionable insights.

The JCWG project team collaborative approach provides access to unparalleled experience to mine and capitalize on.

Resources and Techniques:

Custom market studies and benchmarking
Market sounding and listening
Case studies
Global resources through our International partners, The Ebeltoft Group
Demand assessment and market share analysis
Daytime population data, tracking, and analyzing where consumers are and when
Quantitative consumer data gathering, both published and unpublished, from various external sources and our personal database gathered from industry projects
Qualitative data gathering and insights
Interviews (consumer and executive), focus groups, online surveys, and social listening
Employee and customer motivational metrics
Research validation and interpretation to insights

Retail Strategy

JCWG supports retail-related businesses with a proprietary approach that is based on a strategic model developed through nearly 50 years of experience guiding clients. Retail strategy must translate vision into a plan which addresses the client’s resources to implement. JCWG focuses on delivering strategies with vision and is supported by a ‘nuts and bolts’ approach to operationalizing. JCWG applies strategic thinking processes and market research to develop or revitalize your strategy.

Resources and Techniques:

Definition and prioritization of client goals, needs and wants
Thought starter and results oriented workshops to enhance planning team input and integration of JCWG research and expertise
Current situation snapshot, trade area analysis, market gap, and competitive audits (physical and digital)
Tenant and product curation, clustering, and right sizing
Tailored processes to match client cultural, operational, and financial needs
Productivity metrics and comparisons
Active, fun, and energized learning, sharing, and strategizing experiences
Financial modelling incorporating research findings
Risk analysis and mitigation
Threat and opportunity analysis
Omnichannel platform harmonization
Stakeholder and financing approval support

Retail Innovations Blog Series: Hot Trend #1 – Smart Shopping

Hot Trend #1 – Smart Shopping

Canada Post

Eatsa (San Francisco, California, USA)

Apodoc Hardbrücke (Zurich, Switzerland)

Bloom & Wild (United Kingdom)

eXperience BCR (Bucharest, Romania)

J.C. Williams Group’s Expert advice

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Real Estate & Community Master Planning

Resources and Techniques:

Expert Witness & Advisory Services

Resources and Techniques:

Concept Development & Space Planning

Resources and Techniques:

Branding & Marketing

Resources and Techniques:

Research & Insights

Resources and Techniques:

Retail Strategy

Resources and Techniques: