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First Edition

AR’s role in creating compelling customer experiences

Stop if you’ve heard this: 2019 will be the year that augmented reality really takes off. In some ways, it's already well entrenched — its use in retail is nothing new, particularly in home furnishings and remodeling, where consumers can see how a new product fits in their home before the purchase is made or paint applied.

Best Buy improves in-store associate and customer experiences

Best Buy has long been helping its customers transform their digital lives. In recent months, however, the retailer has been the one undergoing digital transformation — particularly in the area of store merchandising.

BevMo! streamlines information transfer between corporate and stores

Many retailers struggle to ensure that information moves between their corporate departments and store locations clearly, completely and efficiently. Email is easy, but store employees often find themselves juggling numerous messages from different departments. Some newer systems might work for brief texts and chats but are weaker when it comes to handling longer, more detailed communications.

Connecting brands with retail space

Storefront likes to call itself the Airbnb of short-term retail space. Since it was founded six years ago, the New York startup has become the world’s largest marketplace for brands to connect with retail spaces. It currently has more than 10,000 listings representing more than $1.2 billion of annual rental value across three continents.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

You’ve proven your retail concept is reproducible.

Now, can your network keep up? The first few stores were actually fun. Several hundred is a whole different animal. That’s why, as stores and devices multiply, leading retailers rely on SageNet to connect, manage and protect the enterprise.

To learn more, download our Guide to Managed Network Services.

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

Trends

Crocs biting into a new generation?

Imagine the surprise — and elation — for Crocs Chief Marketing Officer Terence Reilly. Rapper Post Malone has been extolling the virtues of the comfort and casual shoe brand, saying he wears them “everywhere from the bar to the stage.”

NRF News

MM.Lafleur empowers women in the workplace

MM.LaFleur empowers customers to focus on the things that really matter — like preparing for that client meeting or business trip — through styling, thoughtfully designed products and community. Vice President of Brand Marketing Jennifer Braunschweiger joins this episode of Retail Gets Real to share how her team supports women and brings the brand to life.

Help us get an accurate picture of compensation and benefits

Every year, Mercer and NRF team up to deliver the U.S. Retail Compensation and Benefits Survey, which collects data from retailers and their employees about compensation, turnover, incentive structures, benefits packages, demographics and more. The survey is open March 15 through April 26, 2019. Learn more and take the survey.

Michigan retailer says tariffs ‘undermine growth’

Retailers have always responded to customer needs, evolving with the market — and anything that might disrupt progress is a concern. Jimmy Edwards, president of Marshall Music in Lansing, Mich., worries tariffs will raise prices on music instruments, disrupt his connection with customers and ultimately impact access to hundreds of school music programs across Michigan. Watch the video to learn more.

Unify physical in-store data with digital customer data

Are you looking for ways to take personalization to the next level? The Arm retail solution can help you capture customers’ in-store, item-level shopping behavior, and unify that physical shopping data with their digital journey. This holistic view provides the foundation for delivering personalized experiences across digital and physical properties.

Learn how to make your shopper's experience personal!

Retail Deals

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Aramark, the food and beverage provider for Quicken Loans Arena (The Q), are the first NBA team and arena to offer new in-seat delivery service to designated sections through use of Apple Business Chat and the iPhone’s Messages app.

Starbucks recently celebrated its 30,000th store — opened in Shenzhen, China — marking a significant global milestone for the company.

Home furnishing retailers Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, members of the Williams-Sonoma Inc. portfolio of brands, has debuted a new collection with Lilly Pulitzer, the renowned resort wear brand.

Gillette, in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle, has announced that for the first time in the United States, all brands of disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and razor plastic packaging are recyclable on a national scale.

Cut TCO by 15% on barcode devices

Retailers have relied on rugged handheld devices for over 30 years to boost efficiency and productivity. All along, devices have suffered from failures due to charging contacts that get dirty, corrode, or break. Wireless charging prevents device failure, drastically reducing TCO. An enterprise can easily reduce TCO by 15% or more deploying wireless charging devices.

Download the White Paper

Lamps Plus is introducing an initiative to offer enhanced service and convenience, allowing customers to send texts with questions to their local store to receive immediate answers from store sales associates. The company is the first U.S. retailer to offer the ability to engage with all stores through texting without requiring an additional app.

Medallia Inc., the global experience management leader, has announced that Counter Culture Coffee is adopting the Medallia Experience Cloud™ to better understand customer needs and connect with its customers beyond the online buying experience.

Sephora is opening 35 new locations across the United States in 2019, marking five years of significant bricks-and-mortar growth for the omni-retailer. Beginning March 14 with an opening at New York’s famed Hudson Yards development, new Sephora locations will open in 32 cities.

Wayfair Inc., one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home, is launching a new advertising campaign in the United Kingdom with brand ambassador Lorraine Kelly.