Meet the New Online Retail (Same as the Old Online Retail).

With the advent of thousands of digital solutions and mobile apps, content still trumps channels in digital retail. While younger or more aggressive online retailers look for silver bullets in QR codes, Facebook commerce (fCommerce) and the alleged power of a “like,” more seasoned retailers are skeptical.

“The best way to predict the success of an email marketing campaign in 2001 was the subject line,” said Ryan Urban from Bounce Exchange. “And in 2011, the best way to predict the success of an email marketing campaign is…the subject line.”

In the same vein,… read more.

Thanks to the recent media blitz on distracted driving, most of us are well aware of the dangers of mobile multitasking behind the wheel. But have you stopped to consider what digital distraction may mean in other areas of life? As a retail strategist, my mind immediately goes to shopping and the challenge of sustained attention in a mobile world.

With all the excitement around mobile marketing and m-commerce, it’s easy to miss the deeper, behavioral implications of mobile ubiquity. Yes, mobile technology gives retailers new opportunities to connect with shoppers, but it also gives shoppers new reasons to disconnect from shopping experiences.… read more.

“One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.” In the case of Whole Foods Market, none of their stores are like another. However, the brand does ensure to always belong… within their communities that is. Gabrielle Rosi, Senior Design Coordinator with Whole Foods shares with us how they ensure each store is uniquely designed around the people and attributes of the community they are joining. From attending town hall meetings, cycling with neighborhood groups and meeting… read more.

SPECIAL SERIES PART 3: TEACHING THE PET INDUSTRY NEW TRICKS

To access all interviews from the special series “Teaching the pet industry new tricks” visit twowest.com/specialseries.

With more than 1,000 stores across all 50 states, PETCO has steadily grown its offerings and consumer loyalty over the last 45 years. During this same time, the market for pet food, pet supplies, pet health care and pet services has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Elisabeth… read more.

*This article was originally published by MarketingProfs.

Is Your Brand Ready for the Social Shopper?

If we’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that the old marketing model is broken. We’ve witnessed the collapse of our advertising industrial complex, and we’ve watched shoppers pull out of our stores and retreat to their financial fallout shelters.

But despite the havoc, there is hope for battle-scarred brands. In the aftermath of the “shop-ocalypse,”… read more.

Neuromarketing is the hot new thing. And while it has some some remarkable applications for it as a means of gathering insight, there are problems as well.

The process employs several technologies to get a more honest answer to how people react to color, language, package design, etc. and to be fair, the process does just that. As Phil McGee, Director of Insights and Category Management at Campbell’s discussed when he was a Brand Show guest, neuromarketing is great way of measuring patterns of brain activity and seeing what behavior centers of the brain light up when exposed to different stimuli.

But the methodology has three main… read more.

Do you remember how you felt the last time you were shopping for soup? Chances are, you don’t. That’s because 95% of consumer decision-making is made below a conscious level. Campbell’s Soup recently utilized neuromarketing to understand consumer’s emotions toward soup and soup-shopping to better connect with shoppers.

Phil McGee, Director of Insights and Category Management at Campbell’s, talks to us about translating these insights to the shelf and how this cutting-edge… read more.

All aboard! We’re hopping back on the SoMoLo (social-mobile-local) train. This week, we’re chatting it up with Foursquare, the go-to mobile application for your inner-social circle and retail therapy needs. Beyond the social status perks Foursquare gives to its users, it also beefs up the bottom line for local retailers by creating new and loyal customers. Eric Friedman, Director of Client Services at Foursquare, shares his perspective on shopper conversion, Facebook Places and the privacy debate.

Check out the three-minute… read more.