The retail landscape is rapidly changing as new technologies and consumer behaviors have shifted how businesses interact with customers. With the rise of e-commerce, brick-and-mortar stores have had to adjust their strategies to keep up with the competition. Companies are now focusing on creating an experience for customers, offering personalized services, and utilizing data to create more tailored solutions. Find out the must-have strategies and tools to implement in retail from the featured speakers at ShopTalk 2023.
Shop Talk Recap: Actionable Takeaways for 2023
Krystina Gustafson, SVP of Content, Shoptalk, Joe Laszlo, VP of Content, Shoptalk, and Ben Miller, Director of Original Content, Shoptalk, dive into the industry trends to know and how to use them to stand out in retail.
Best-In-Class Shopper Entertainment + Engagement
"I was particularly passionate about this. I think there are more opportunities to make online shopping more fun. I think about this one often. We're starting to see a lot of demand and excitement online, and there's such an abundance of channels that companies can offer so much for shoppers." - Krystina Gustafson, SVP of Content, Shoptalk
Consider the following "top of mind" topics:
- Live-streaming
- Diving deeper into the Metaverse
- Versatile platforms that supply content and boost engagement on sites
- "E-commerce" is everywhere
Meet Your Customers (Where They Are)
It's no longer about driving them to your website. It's about going to them wherever possible and engaging with customers authentically and genuinely. You no longer meet all your customers in a store. There's a virtual store, online, pop-up, and social media.
Make Shopping Fun
Shopping should be enjoyable, and now that we have all this content and platforms available to us, to make it a fun experience. It was never joyful, so shopping online should be fun.
No More Boring Catalog Websites
You can no longer have a boring website. Your pages can't just sit there flat like a catalog. You've got to be fun, dynamic, and inspirational to consumers.
Hyper-local Live-streaming
Live streams can be effective when tried hyper-locally, specifically in the United States. Get your content out there, tweak it, and try different messaging. Take videos and craft them for local audiences and make them evergreen. Think about your company, product, audience, and what works for you. And try it and engage with them.
Outstanding Store Experiences
The concept seems simple. It's about creating an elevated store experience from the customer to the team member and making the experience so unforgettable that the customer keeps returning. And helps with staff retention in the process. For more on ShopTalk insights on reshaping your retail store, read here.
Seamless Shopping
Something fascinating is the integration of digital, in-store, entertaining content, engagement, and social media channels, so the shopping experience is seamless. It's a frictionless and all-in-one universe where you can shop when and how you want it—for example, having all the options available to the customer, like shipping, curbside pick-up, delivery, and pick-up in-store, having all the options available to you. And that includes the frictionless check-out process and making it easy for customers to get what they want.
Shoptalk Key Takeaways To Drive Engagement in 2023
The retail industry is set for significant growth and engagement in 2023, fueled by industry trends changing how consumers shop and engage with brands. From the rise of experiential retail and personalized fun shopping experiences to the increasing trends of "e-commerce is everywhere," retailers who embrace these trends will likely stay ahead of the curve and attract and retain customers in an ever-evolving landscape.
For more on ShopTalk, check out New Approaches to Retail Experiential Marketing
