Opinion: A Shopping Revolution

Brands have yet to fully explore digital capabilities in real world marketing and shop floor experiences – something Holler want to see change. The agency's Client Services Director, Rupert Runewitsch, looks at the possibilities available and what Holler have in store to properly exploit them.

Bridging the gap between the online world and the physical one is the next great challenge for marketers. There are huge opportunities for brands to blend their digital presence with the activities of customers in stores to create an immersive shopping experience.

At Holler, we are pioneering a number of groundbreaking approaches that will revolutionise the way people shop in real world stores. We are preparing to launch immersive point of sale experiences for brands including Mercedes-Benz and Absolut. These use some intriguing methods to bring the virtual world on to the shop floor and boost interaction with customers.

Most brands have so far failed to exploit the power of digital in their real world marketing. They are missing out on a wealth of possibilities.

Imagine entering a clothes store, being handed an internet-connected iPad and then logging on to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. The store uses an app to scan and assess your social media profile and suggests products that are likely to interest you. Brands direct you to promotions or new products available at the outlet. You try on an item, take a picture and upload it to Instagram and ask people on your social network whether you should buy it or not. 

Digital can bring shoppers together as they browse the aisles. Using an in-store social network, shoppers comment on merchandise as they see it, directing fellow shoppers to the most desirable products. This may have its risks - shoppers could criticise goods or point out that they are cheaper elsewhere. This would, however, put pressure on the store to make sure they have the best products on display at the keenest prices.

At a simpler level, each store could offer free Wi-Fi and their own Twitter hashtag, which would allow shoppers to Tweet their thoughts and comments as they walk round the shop. Brands could ask their fans to comment on the availability, price and range of their products in particular stores.

In effect, this is simply taking into the real world what shoppers do online. They review products, comment on brands they love, discuss them with their friends and make recommendations. It is a small step from this everyday online behaviour to applying similar approaches to the real world.  

Experiments in making the virtual real are already underway. Take Makr Shakr, a robotic barman which was showcased at Milan Design Week. It can mix a googol (ten to the power 100) of cocktail combinations based on crowd suggestions. Drinkers download an app to their handheld devices and create their own cocktails. Makr Shakr will mix them and the recipes are then shared with friends who can add their own suggestions.

In the art world, Cleveland Museum of Art in the US has revamped its galleries to blend the virtual with the real. For instance, in front of a Jackson Pollock painting stands a virtual easel containing similar tools to those used by the artist. Visitors can pour their own drip painting and compare it to the real thing.

Some brands have dipped their toes in the water. From BA stewards Googling passengers to identify frequent flyers as they step on planes to Tesco offering a “scan-as-you-shop” service on customer’s iPads and iPhones, brands are taking the first steps to uniting the virtual and real worlds.

These are interesting experiments. But no one has yet taken the plunge in any meaningful way to build on the social aspects of digital media and translate that into a real-life presence.

Holler will unveil plans to do just that later in 2013.  Here is a flavour of what lies in store.

To put it mildly, Mercedes-Benz has always been at the cutting edge of technology - Karl Benz patented the first automobile in 1886. The brand has stayed at the forefront of automobile design and has given dealerships the tools to interact with customers. Holler has been testing ways to use social media to further involve Mercedes buyers. In one scheme, Mercedes dealerships have created “vines” - films on Twitter no longer than 6 seconds which repeat on a loop – made by customers who have just bought a new car. These vines are Tweeted to prospects, thus using the power of influence to drive customers into the showroom. We are also encouraging people to take pictures of their test-drives and upload them to Instagram. These pictures are showcased in the showroom, using the power of social to pepper the shop floors with user-generated promotional material.

For Absolut, we are looking at mobile-based loyalty schemes which are linked to socially shared images of various cocktails.  
 

There is more coming up, so watch this space. A revolution in how we shop is underway. The most innovative brands will be at the forefront of this change. By building on existing online behaviour, these leaders will transform the way we shop and help revive the fortunes of bricks and mortar stores.