Best Of 2014 Altavia Watch - English version

BEST OF 2014
English version
Thierry Strickler – Youmna Ovazza
January 2015

Pure players invest in
traditional trading
CONVENTIONS
PHYSICAL formats
are reinvented
SMART objects for a
new customer
experience
The triumphant
MOBILE, at the heart
of customer relations
PERSONALISATION,
between customer
service and big data
Towards a new era in
GLOBAL trade
1 2 3
4 5 6

1.
Towards a new era in GLOBAL trade

Towards a new era in GLOBAL trade
 The battle of the
giants
2014 confirms the great shape global e-commerce is in (+23.6% in 2013 reaching €1,552
billion) and the major role of the Marketplaces, which have removed borders and extend to
all four corners of the globe.
The new giants setting the tone of global trade are pure players with pharaonic
ambitions: Amazon, Alibaba and Rakuten.
The Asian platforms are pitting their efficient economic and service-based model (shop in
shop for brands, for example) against Amazon's all-terrain innovation.
 The game of
multichannel
retailer
partnerships
Traditional distributors are defending their positions by reinvesting in physical stores and
using their e-commerce for their multichannel and international development.
It is a global playing field and partnerships are being formed between complementary
players and competitors, which is reshuffling the decks in trade competition: price war
in domestic markets like in France, pooling of forces abroad.
 The emergence
of Africa
In 2013, 70% of the economies with the highest growth rate in the world were in Africa.
Africa's middle class is expected to increase from 370 million people to over 600 million over
the next thirty or so years (IMF source). The major international retail groups and the
pure players have joined this new dimension and are positioning themselves to
expand and invest in these new growth drivers. The emergence of powerful pan-African
players seems imminent.

Amazon's marketplace has become a global trading tool
The world will soon no longer be enough for
Amazon, which is announcing some
extraordinary unverifiable results for this festive
period. Over 2 billion parcels were sent across
the planet - to 185 different countries to be
precise. And over 25 % of sales were made
using a mobile device – a mind-boggling
amount.
Fulfillment by Amazon is a real success, the
retailer has announced - the solution which
enables companies to use Amazon to sell their
products. There are currently 2 million sellers
across the world, accounting for 40% of unit
sales on Amazon. In other words, as a
Marketplace, Amazon is becoming a key global
solution.
(Source: actualitte.com)

Wall Street: Alibaba is filling up its cave
With 25 billion dollars, the Chinese on-line
retail giant is beating the fundraising record.
D-Day for the Chinese on-line retail giant
Alibaba and its charismatic founder Jack Ma.
The biggest stock market transaction in
history has taken place in New York.
The figures soon make your head spin.
Its marketplace is a mix between Amazon and
eBay, with Paypal for its payment system, and a
final touch of Google for its merchant search
engine. This ecosystem, one of its kind,
generates annual sales which exceed Greece's
GDP. That then is the infinitely great mammoth
company worth 168 billion dollars, just fifteen
years after it was created in Hangzhou in 1999.
(Source: liberation.fr)

The ogre Rakuten takes its slice of the American cake
The Japanese owner of PriceMinister has just
acquired the cash back shopping engine Ebates
for 1 billion dollars. This has shaken up the on-
line sales sector. Rakuten is seeking to bring its
international sales up to 50% as opposed to
its current 6%.
"We are going to enter the foreign markets with
Ebates, which has set up a partnership with
shops in a wide range of fields, all under our
umbrella," said Mikitani after the acquisition.
(Source: tech24.fr)

The new French retail chain deal
Carrefour has concluded a long-term
agreement with Cora/Supermarchés
Match with joint purchasing in mind from 1st
January 2015, each of the chains
nevertheless retaining its independence.
This partnership focuses on the purchase of
domestic and international brands, in both
the food and non-food segments.
This agreement does not involve their own
labels, SME products or fresh farm
produce.
(Source: retaildetail.be)
The effects of the price war between
retailers is felt beyond borders:
the French Auchan and the German
Metro announced their partnership for
purchasing foreign products.
The first object of the agreement, as of
November: joint negotiations for the
purchasing of foreign brands.
The idea? To place themselves in a
position of strength by pooling their
resources "in Hong Kong and Shanghai",
to deal with suppliers "situated in Asia" as
well as in Eastern Europe.
(Source: latribune.f)
The price war is blowing up the retail
landscape.
Système U and Auchan have
announced the teaming up of their
respective purchasing groups.
Together the cooperative group and
the family business will create the
French leader with 21.5% of the
market share as opposed to 21% for
Carrefour and 20% for Leclerc, while
Casino and Intermarché risk falling
behind.
(Source: challenges.fr)

Ikea and Marriott join forces to create a new hotel chain
Last year, Ikea announced its intention of
launching a budget hotel chain in Europe.
The brand has just found a partner for this
project. It is the Marriott Group, which sees this
as a way of diversifying, Marriott specialising in
luxury hotels.
Under the brand name Moxy Hotels, the two
partners plan to eventually open 150 hotels in
the major European cities.
The first hotel is expected to open next year in
Milan.
(Source: lemonde.fr)

Gap multiplies its international partnerships
Gap has become partners with JD, a local e-
commerce partner in China.
The American group Gap, the second largest
fashion retailer in the world, is strengthening its
presence in Asia with electronic commerce. The
company has signed a partnership agreement
with the Chinese e-commerce giant
JD to open a store within its platform.
(Source: fashionunited.fr)
Gap and Zalando announce online
pan-European partnership.
Gap brand and Zalando, Europe’s largest
online fashion web site, have announced a
partnership that will see Gap open its own
dedicated online shop within Zalando.
“This partnership represents Gap’s first
foray into multi-brand retailing in Europe.
Also for the first time, Gap’s collections will
be styled alongside other brands available
on Zalando, providing customers with new
looks to combine American and European
casual style”.
(Source : marketwatch.com)

Costco to launch online China
store with Alibaba
Costco Wholesale Corp. will enter China for the
first time through the opening of an online
flagship store on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global
platform.
Tmall Global allows overseas brands and
retailers to establish presence on the Alibaba
third-party e-commerce platform Tmall.com
without the need for physical operations in
China.
Costco’s online store launch will extend its
offering to consumers in mainland China for the
first time.
(Source: chainstoreage.com)

Accor goes into partnership with Huazhu to speed up its
development in China
The French hotel group Accor has announced
that it is going to create a trading and capital-
intensive partnership with the Chinese group
Huazhu, which should allow it to gain ground in
China.
"The aim is to speed up development by
leveraging Huazhu's power, its relationships with
real-estate investors and its experience in
managing a huge hotel network in China."
(Source: lemonde.fr)

Fnac goes into partnership with Intermarché
Fnac has announced the opening of 7 stores in
France and abroad by the end of the year,
including the transformation of two "Culture and
Leisure" departments of the Intermarché chain.
This announcement is part of the "Fnac 2015"
strategic plan which aims to develop the
presence of the cultural products retail chain in
towns of fewer than 100,000 inhabitants with
store sizes between 300 m² and 1500 m².
(Source: lexpress.fr)

An African e-commerce company set to conquer new
markets
The on-line retailer Jumia, the aspiring Amazon
of the African continent financed by the German
venture capital firm Rocket Internet, is
establishing itself on three new markets -
Uganda, Ghana and Cameroon.
Jumia was launched in 2012 and is already
present in Nigeria, Morocco, the Ivory Coast,
Egypt and Kenya, offering over 100,000 items.
Launches in Cameroon and Ghana are planned
according to a company spokesperson.
Jumia, which already has over 1,500
employees, is hoping to create 100 extra jobs
with this expansion, with an initial team of 30
people in each country for customer support,
packaging, distribution and delivery.
(Source: fashionmag.com)

Carrefour and CFAO out to conquer the African consumer
The African continent is a land of opportunity for
the major foreign groups in retail and consumer
goods.
The French Carrefour has gone into
partnership with the Franco-Japanese group
CFAO to conquer the market in countries in
West and Central Africa.
The market outlook is attractive. The African
middle class is expected to increase from 370
million people to over 600 million in 2050. From
400 million in 2009, the urban population will
reach a billion in 2040. A country like Nigeria
already has 18 cities with over a million
inhabitants. According to a recent McKinsey
report, Africans might be spending over
1,000 billion dollars in consumer goods
industries in 2020.
(Source: laregionale.com)

2.
Pure players invest in traditional trading
CONVENTIONS

Pure players invest in traditional trading CONVENTIONS
 The pure
players facing
the challenges
of growth
Competitive pressure is continually growing in on-line trade: there were 650,000 BtoC
shopping websites in Europe at the end of 2013 and this number is set to rise by 15 to
20% during the coming years (according to Ecommerce Europe).
The challenges facing the pure players to keep up and expand are many. A large
number of e-traders are developing multichannel-retailing in the opposite
direction and investing in traditional trading conventions.
 Emerging
offline to drive
online sales &
engagement
Embodying the brand, acquiring new customers, creating a bond and engaging
consumers, standing out and increasing brand preference, the 2014 trend
shows us the players' capacity to leverage the traditional trading conventions
at all contact points in the customer journey:
> Physical sales in concept stores, and mobile sales via distributors
> Sales promotions and recruitment via street marketing campaigns
> Preparation for purchasing with printed catalogues
> Customer loyalty and experience renewed via technological devices (NFC, screens,
iBeacon…) or product concepts and innovative services.

Birchbox Soho uses machine learning
to bring the popular subscription service
While e-commerce has become a staple of the
modern retail experience, for many shoppers it
can’t replace the tactile experience of testing
products before a purchase.
New York-based Internet startup Birchbox
aimed to change this in 2010 by creating a
strategy for tapping into the persistently offline
beauty market, selling customized subscription
boxes filled with full-sized product samples,
which subscribers can then buy from their online
store
(Source: psfk.com)

Promovacances, from the Net to a physical agency
Launched on the Net in 1998, Promovacances
is an on-line travel agency and has been a brand
of the Karavel Group since 2001.
Promovacances has relied on a multichannel
development strategy and from 2005, began to
open physical agencies, in order to better meet
its customers' needs in terms of advice.
Today there are around forty of them in
mainland France and the brand plans to expand
this network to 75 agencies by 2017.
(Source: franchise-magazine.com)

Zalando: The online shopping giant
attracts offline customers
How can you boost your organic growth in e-
commerce? That is the problem facing Zalando.
The e-commerce giant is still not profitable and is
banking on profitability coming with economies of
scale, which can only be achieved by attracting
new customers.
But customers are hard to convince, so Zalando
must reach out to them.
(Source: evigo.com)

Welcome to Miliboo, the ultra-connected store
The furniture e-retailer is opening a store in Paris
which explores both the shopping experience
of the future and the future of furniture itself.
"Internet users regularly ask us where they can
see our furniture," the manager explains.
So we thought of the best way of complementing
our on-line presence, by providing 'something
more' so that people come and see us in store."
That something is a 600m² highly-connected
store.
(Source: journaldunet.com)

Spartoo opens its first store and launches
3 own brands in 2015
The first pilot point of sale will be launched in
Grenoble in the first quarter of 2015. And will be
followed by many others.
"Each store should be profitable after a year,"
clarifies the CEO. Like many pure players,
Spartoo is looking to get closer to its customers.
"We need to bring the human touch back into
trade to generate brand preference. It's a key
loyalty driver."
It plans to open outside the European area.
International trade already accounts for over
50% of the total turnover, estimated at 130
million Euros in 2013.
(Source: ecommercemag.fr)

ASOS invents the fitting room
… in the street
ASOS, the English on-line shopping site, is
incorporating the concept of automated parcel
distribution and adding on a fitting room.
This innovation would allow on-line retailers to
cut their product returns costs which drain their
accounts.
This new concept is a fitting room in a public
place which receives the parcel ordered by the
customer, enabling him or her to try on the
clothes and send them back straight away if they
are not suitable.
(Source: lefigaro.fr)

Amazon shifts to paper
The e-commerce champion has just published
a leaflet for the festive period, distributed all
over Europe.
There are 12 paper pages featuring around sixty
toys for Christmas (without any prices since
Amazon adapts them according to the
competition).
Since 15 November, the e-commerce giant has
been sending
its European customers who shop in Amazon's
Toys, Children & Baby stores this "selection" of
toys in their letterbox. And when this on-line
sales icon is asked why it has decided to
produce a selection on paper, it replies that "it is
in Amazon's DNA to always try out new
solutions, new things and new techniques for
customers."
(Source: graphiline.com)

Yihaodian, the 3rd on-line distributor in China,
adopts the paper catalogue
Yihodian, the 3rd on-line distributor in China also
owned by Wal-Mart (51% since 2012), is adopting
traditional trading conventions to create traffic on
its website.
The 12-page catalogue is being distributed in high
footfall areas such as the Shanghai underground.
(Source: Altavia Group)

The Teleshopping paper catalogue, a factor in sales
development
Going against the tide of a large proportion of
distance sellers, Teleshopping, the leading
French telesales company and 100% subsidiary
of TF1, is demonstrating that its paper catalogue
is a factor in sales development.
Teleshopping relies on 4 product distribution
channels.
The television, which introduces almost 300
products per year, the stores, the websites and
the paper catalogue, with 6 million sent
annually.
The catalogue, which presents a much wider
range of products than the television, is a key
feature of our customer loyalty strategy
alongside our loyalty cards and our digital
levers.
(Source: complex-systems.fr )

Airbnb to launch
glossy magazine
Airbnb is moving beyond its internet roots into
the world of publishing with the launch of a
glossy quarterly magazine.
The apartment rental website – which sparked a
social media storm earlier this year when its new
logo was compared to genitalia – is launching
the first edition of the magazine this week. The
128-page magazine, called Pineapple, is a
glossy coffee table production of the same ilk as
i-D or Wonderland.
The magazine promises to take a “new and
inspiring look at travel through the lens of the
Airbnb community”.
(Source: theguardian.com )

3.
PHYSICAL formats are reinvented

PHYSICAL formats are reinvented
 Brick & mortar
chains reinvent
their stores
90 to 94% of total trade in America is still conducted in stores (according to eMarketer
and Forrester). The development of the multichannel is forcing retailers to reinvent
their physical concepts. The in-store customer experience has become a genuine
mantra and there are multiple proposals. Customer focus and "customer-centric"
strategies are being renewed to appeal more to customers.
 Trading methods
are merging
The antagonism between digital and physical is no longer an issue. The synergies
between the Brick & Click are well-known. "When Fnac sets up a store in a place
where it wasn't present, its website sales jump from 15% to 20% in the region (source
Le Monde). Digital technology is now used in-store to get to know customers better and
help them in their choices.
Trade must now use all retail channels together - it is an obligation driven by consumer
needs.
 Creativity and
disruption in the
new proximity
formats
Proximity formats are highly coveted.
The major retailers' latest weapon is fresh produce in the food sector.
New entrants are innovating through the offer or the mobile formats.

Intermarché unveils its new hypermarket concept
Intermarché's new showcase store is in… Gironde,
where the chain's new hypermarket concept
measuring over 6 000 m² has been unveiled. It is
very brightly-lit, with a whole section of the store in a
bow window.
First surprise: the fresh produce area, which starts
with a spectacular delicatessen, stands out very
clearly.
Its positioning is very clearly more premium, with
a really wide variety of choices.
The non-food departments have not been left out,
particularly the multimedia department located at the
store entrance, where you can handle the products
at your leisure.
In the clothing department, a lot of work has been
done too on presentation, with eye-catching red
podiums and dark display units.
(Source: zepros.fr)

Benetton undergoes its revolution
The Italian clothing group has revealed a new
store concept in Milan, radically changing its
market approach.
"In 2012, and especially in 2013, we embarked
on a new path by rethinking our business along
the lines of a break, a renewal, yet without
forgetting our history. The revamped flagship is
radically different compared to traditional
Benetton stores.
The products are no longer set out according to
different types, but organised by style and
theme, and follow on from each other along a
smooth and varied path composed of small
sections gathered together. Each one is
characterised by a theme and precise set of
colours, offering a total look and different
possible combinations, together with
accessories.
(Source: fashionmag.com )

Nespresso Cube: Nespresso's new high-tech store
3 metres by 3 metres. Size-wise, the new
Nespresso store at the BHV Marais, is not very
impressive.
Its interest lies elsewhere: fully automated, it is
the first store of its type in France. Reserved
exclusively for Nespresso Club members.
Fully automated, this store is designed as the
fulfilment of a "promise" that Nespresso
represents in the eyes of its consumers. A
vision of customer relations which has
constantly guided its development strategy since
its beginnings in France 23 years ago.
(Source: relationclientmag.fr )

Gémo: A new connected store concept
After the recent opening of its new Follow
Me format, Gémo is continuing on its path of
modernising its image by unveiling, on 31st
October, a new connected store concept.
The chain is offering a fashionable layout of
collections in this new "connected" format,
with low furniture, flattering lighting and in
particular a large number of digital screens
like the Mobile Mirror and the Shoe Mirror,
which are being trialled here before being
rolled out in the future new Gémo formats.
(Source: fr.fashionmag.com)

Walmart opens first
Walmart to Go convenience store
After more than a year of planning, the Walmart
to Go convenience-store format quietly
opened in Bentonville on Saturday (March 15),
with the grand opening set for March 19.
The small store is a hybrid format — part
traditional convenience store, part grocery, part
quick serve restaurant. Walmart partnered with
Bentonville Butcher & Deli, one of the more
popular names around in terms of quality meat,
to operate a quick serve meat counter in the
back of the store.
(Source: thecitywire.com )

Waitrose develops new store format
to meet future shopping needs
Shoppers can now try on their click and collect
orders, learn cooking skills and use tablet
computers to place online orders in Waitrose’s
latest new format store.
Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose,
says the new Food & Home format represents
the supermarket’s strategic response to the way
food retailing is changing.
“Food retail is undergoing huge structural
change – driven by lifestyle changes and an
increased use of technology”, said Price. “It is
essential that our shops are at the forefront of
our strategic response to these changes,
preparing us for the future of retail and retaining
our leadership in innovation and customer
service in the grocery sector.”
(Source: internetretailing.net)

Colruyt Group tests a brand new concept: Cru
Colruyt Group is testing a new concept,
named Cru.
The concept caters for "those who love to eat
well and who are in search of pure flavours and
authentic products."
Cru intends to recreate a real market
atmosphere at a permanent site. Customers will
find a selection of fresh produce as well as
bread baked on-site.
The aim is for the concept to evolve gradually.
The first Cru in Overijse will build its own identity
with its partners, customers and employees and
will endeavour to root itself in the region's
culture and specific customs. Each new point of
sale will therefore bring its own touch according
to the region it is in.
(Source: retaildetail.be)

A new proximity concept to be seen at Tesco
Tesco unveiled a new and original small urban
proximity concept on Wednesday 3 September.
Situated in the heart of the City of London,
the Philpot Lane Tesco Express is smaller than
the chain's average store at just 100 m².
To save space, the congestion caused by self-
service checkouts has been reduced to a
minimum. The checkouts are lined up against a
wall.
Also inside the sales area is a counter serving
food to go, operated by a partner chain: Fred’s
Food Construction. It also delivers to the offices
in the vicinity.
(Source: lineaires.com )

Daily Wagon:
Leading food truck brand
Mobile catering is now structured as a format.
Daily Wagon is the leading mobile catering
chain in France.
One of the original features of the concept is
offering a different type of cuisine per truck: So
British, Burger, Vegetarian and soon “Chtis” or
Corsican.
We have a dual development strategy. We are
aiming for both recurring locations like offices
and private or public events like fairs and
exhibitions."
(Source: e-marketing.fr)

Day by Day:
A new bulk grocery chain
Day by Day has just opened its third store in the
Paris region.
This new package-free grocery concept is a
franchise system for expansion.
The chain already has a genuine bright and
colourful concept defined in its three shops. With
an assortment which does not include fresh
produce, Day by Day is only designed for staple
purchases, but simplifies point of sale
management considerably.
(Source: lineaires.com)

Birchbox installs vending machines
in the Gare Montparnasse
For five months, Birchbox has had a cosmetics
vending machine, Birchbox On the Go, in the
centre of Paris' Montparnasse train station.
The machine has a selection of beauty products
in packs of two miniatures. Each pack is
designed to be used immediately (unexpected
weekend away, evening spent with friends, etc.)
with the aim of developing a new purchase
channel and discovering beauty products.
"The train station is a place where you pass
through, wait, meet people and set off on long
and short journeys. More practical and simpler,
beauty according to Birchbox now comes in
packs which you slip into your handbag before
catching your train."
(Source: premiumbeautynews.com)

4.
SMART objects for a new
customer experience

SMART objects for a new customer experience
 Smart objects are
becoming
increasingly
accessible
According to the European Commission, a European had on average 2 smart
objects in 2012 and will have 7 in 2015 for a global turnover of 400 million Euros.
Of the 3,200 exhibitors at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January
2015, over 70% are presenting a smart object, tracker, sensor, smart home
equipment, etc.
 Retail combines
smart objects in
every imaginable
way for the
customer
experience
It is a genuine revolution and Retail has integrated its many challenges, such as
establishing itself in a highly promising market, distinguishing itself through
innovation, building its brand image and collecting data on customer behaviour.
The scope of smart objects is huge - they can support the consumer through
his entire journey, from the shopping list to in-store advice, sales promotion and
after-sales service.
 The emerging new
channel for
information and
customer relations
By building up precise customer data, smart objects bring unprecedented added
value. The analysis of this data gives retailers the opportunity to fine-tune
themselves to their customers and offer them new services.
A new channel for consumer/retailer interaction (after-sales service,
logistics, marketing, etc.) is emerging.

The American hardware store OSH hires a sales-robot
At San José, in the United States, a new type of
salesman has made his appearance in the OSH
hardware store.
Customers are now greeted and given
information by a human-sized robot which can
speak.
The robot, christened OSHbot and developed by
American company Fellow Robots, has actually
been helping the store's employees since the
beginning of November 2014.
(Source: chefdentreprise.com)

Drones put on a fashion show for "Black Friday"
Brazil, the Sao Paulo business district - the place
where men's clothing retailer Camisaria Colombo
flew these model-drones to announce Black
Friday 2014.
The drones were dressed in sale outfits and
stopped to greet potential customers working in
the offices.
(Source: golem13)

With Apple's iBeacon technology, Macy’s tries out
ultra-targeted ads at the point of sale
Consumers who visit Macy's department stores
are actually the first to try out a new mobile
application on Apple, which enables the
advertiser to send them ultra-targeted messages
according to their behaviour on-site and what is
known about their purchasing preferences.
The terminals currently installed in two Macy's
stores (New York and San Francisco) are able to
send signals to customers in the department
nearby. They will receive promotional messages
in relation to the departments and floors where
the iPhone users are.
(Source: ad-exchange.fr)

7-Eleven taps beacons
to chase runners into stores
Convenience store retailer 7-Eleven is working
with Japanese soft drink manufacturer Pocari
Sweat on a beacon campaign in Singapore that
tracks runners’ progress and offers rewards
when they pass one of the chain’s locations.
The retailer’s stores will be marked in the app
as hydration points, where runners can
purchase Pocari Sweat.
When users pass by a store, complete a running
course, or make a Pocari Sweat purchase, they
will receive participation points.
(Source: mobilecommercedaily.com)

Darty creates a department for the "smart home"
Darty is approaching the smart home at full tilt
and already has a lot to say on the subject.
Particularly as winter approaches with the first
smart heating management devices.
And to persuade its customers of the value and
usefulness of these smart products, the brand
has even created a "smart home"
department split into three distinct areas:
Electricity (lighting, saving energy, smart plugs),
Security (alarms, detection, protection, video-
surveillance) and Comfort (heating).
(Source: itrnews.com)

Waitrose cooperating with Hiku
to introduce smart shopping solutions
British supermarket chain Waitrose has started
cooperating with U.S. startup company called
Hiku.
The innovative technology startup has created a
smart-shopping device that can change the way
we buy groceries online as well as how we create
our grocery shopping list.
The Hiku devices let users create a smart list of
groceries to buy online.
(Source: evigo.com)

Nestlé "recruits" a thousand Pepper robots in Japan
Capable of engaging in conversation with
customers, these robots will be deployed in
superstores and specialist stores where
Nespresso coffee machines and sachets are
sold.
A thousand robots will be attempting to beat
human salespeoples' sales targets for
Nespresso coffee machines and sachets.
They will be deployed in superstores and
specialist stores from December… in Japan, the
most robot friendly country on the planet.
(Source: lefigaro.fr)

With the Button, Darty's trust agreement
enters the era of smart objects
On Thursday 5th of June, the company
presented a Made in France smart object
which enables it to easily keep in touch with its
customers: the Button. By simply pressing the
device, its users will be called back by an advisor
able to answer their questions.
"With the Button, the consumer has permanent
access to the equivalent of a concierge service
which identifies someone in-house who is
qualified to answer the question asked."
(Source: usine-digitale.fr)

5.
The triumphant MOBILE, at the heart of
customer relations

The triumphant MOBILE, at the heart of customer relations
 Anglo-saxon
retailers on the
mobile front
Consumer mobile usage is exploding: 3.6 billion people own a mobile (+5% vs
2013), and payments on mobiles account for 20% of global transactions in 2014
(+66%). As regards Retail, m-commerce (mobile & tablet) has become a key
sales channel.
Anglo-saxon distributors are leading the market as regards mobile
investment and strategy, and their strategic vision is producing real
trading results. French brands are lagging behind, remaining tactical and
shallow in their application approach and favouring responsive design for their
websites.
 Service features
which rely on
multichannel
platforms
Loyalty programmes, sales promotions, payment - multichannel services are
central to a satisfactory and repeated customer experience.
Mobile payment is a strong trend which few have yet to integrate successfully.
The Starbucks application is one of the most used apps in the USA, with 5
million payments made each week.
There is great consumer demand for these services which are the fruit of large
investments in multichannel applications and databases, and in-store Wi-Fi.

Zappos tests a
Digital Personal Assistant
Online retailer Zappos has unveiled a new
service that aims to help shoppers find specific
products by taking item requests in the form of
images.
The new service, aptly called Ask Zappos, is like
a digital personal assistant who will help
customers track down specific items even if the
retailer doesn’t have the items in their online
store.
(Source: psfk.com)

Neiman Marcus makes it easier for
mobile shoppers to buy items
Neiman Marcus went omni-channel a few
months ago, merging its online and offline
shopping divisions for a seamless experience,
and now it added search technology to its
mobile app. Shoppers can take photos and find
similar items from Neiman Marcus with a single
click.
The retailer also added a new feature to its e-
commerce site, MyNM, showing shoppers what
changed since their last visit to the site, what the
current trends are and what is being pinned
most on Pinterest at the moment. MyNM works
like a sales associate would, replicating the
instore experience online. The feature is not yet
mobile. Customers find MyNM helpful during
their shopping trip to neimanmarcus.com.
(Source: internetretailer.com)

Fnac makes its new app a bridge
between the Web and stores
The chain's new mobile app is packed full of
features for
m-commerce and cross-channel
use.
The app stands apart, primarily through its
simple, intuitive use, and also through the
strong relational aspect and the concern for
customising the experience which governed its
design.
"The database on which it is based is
multichannel, the result of the integration of all
our data bases three years ago," explains Katia
Hersard.
(Source: journaldunet.com)

Tablets for boosting customer experience
in Buffalo Wings restaurants
The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain is
going to install tablets in all the tables in its
restaurants.
Objectives:
Attract more customers: tablets provide an
opportunity to improve customer retention during
quiet periods.
Increase loyalty: tablets offer games for all
customers to enjoy.
Increase the turnover: more customers, more
retention, more loyalty…
tablets let you order, play and pay.
(Source: siecledigital.f )

Walmart builds an in-store mobile experience
What is unique about Wal-Mart's position on the
subject is that there is a strong mobile
component based on an application considered
to be an important strategy for innovating the in-
store experience.
Their long-term vision is to use technology to
improve the in-store experience. The mobile is a
key element in helping customers have a better
in-store experience.
(Source: servicesmobiles.fr)

Macy’s:
Mobile Retailer of the Year 2014
The Macy’s department store chain has
received the highest distinction which each year
honours a retailer in the United States for its
strategic vision in Mobile Marketing.
But it isn't just Macy's progress with the only
Mobile channel which is being celebrated here.
While the retail sector as a whole is seeing a
drop in store traffic, this title pays tribute to the
energy, work and investment deployed by
Macy's to inject mobile technology into the
whole shopping experience. The target: the
growing number of consumers who come into a
Macy’s with a smartphone in their hand.

Starbucks France launches a mobile payment
and rewards app
The American brand is rolling out its mobile
application, combining payment and a loyalty
programme, in France and Germany.
It enables customers to save time at the till and
Starbucks to get to know them better to
eventually customise its products.
“The payment and loyalty card, My Starbucks
Rewards, which we rolled out last June, has
met with some success: 35,000 people have
created their loyalty account on-line.
That is why we are launching the mobile app,
which is simpler, more fun and includes other
features.
It is used by customers who want to pay quickly:
28 % of them opt to pay by card in Starbucks
cafés.”
(Source: relationclientmag.fr)

ASOS supports US expansion with
new commerce-enabled app
British online retailer ASOS is making a harder
push into the United States market with a new
application that lets consumers shop and
access additional brand content.
The app includes many of the basic features
that have become table stakes for retailers,
such as cross-device log-ins and shopping cart
editing features. “The rapid increase in mobile
traffic means it’s important for brands to
keep investing in and evolving their mobile
offering”.
“We wanted to make the app reflective of our
Web experience which offers a wide range of
features, such as runway videos, to give
shoppers as much insight into our products as
possible before making a purchase”.
(Source: mobilecommercedaily.com )

Sainsbury’s wants to link the on-line and in-store
experience more closely
The British retailer is currently trying out a new
mobile app which will facilitate the link
between on-line purchasing and store visits.
This app will allow Sainsbury's customers to fill
their basket via their smartphone at home or on
the move, by scanning the barcodes of the
products they want or by selecting them on-site.
Once in-store, the app guides them through the
departments so they can find their products
more easily and simply scan the label. Once the
trolley is full, they just have to pay using the
mobile. The management maintains that, thanks
to this app, check-out has been reduced to
under a minute.

Kohl’s leverages mobile loyalty program
to drive customer engagement
Kohl’s is leveraging its new loyalty program,
optimized for mobile and Web, in a bid to
continue driving customer engagement and
build deeper relationships with consumers.
The Yes2You rewards program will offer earning
points for every purchase made at Kohls.com or
in-store, and will serve as a two-way dialogue to
help deliver meaningful experiences, according
to the retailer.
“Loyalty programs serve two major functions: to
enable the collection of critical consumer
contact and purchase history data and to
encourage consumers to give that brand a little
bit bigger share of their wallet over a longer
period of time.”

How does Dunkin’ Donuts fill its restaurants on Mondays?
Dunkin’ Donuts launched a new mobile app in
2012. A real success, as to date it has been
downloaded 8.6 million times.
"The speed with which our customers have
adopted our mobile app represents unique
opportunities for the brand, such as soon being
able to order and pay from your mobile, or as of
now conducting one-to-one promotions."
Last year, Dunkin’ Donuts offered the inhabitants
of Philadelphia the following deal: if the local team
- the Eagles - won the match the previous
evening, each customer presenting his “free
coffee coupon” on his mobile app would receive a
free coffee the next day.
"It creates traffic on a Monday, which is
traditionally a quiet day in our restaurants. And it
increases the adoption of the mobile app by our
customers."
(Source: customer-insight-consulting)

Lacoste boosts in-store shopping experience
with AR app for new trainer range
French clothing company Lacoste is the latest
brand to bring digital into its bricks and mortar
stores with the launch of a new 3D augmented
reality (AR) app that lets consumers try on its
new range of LCST trainers.
In what the brand is claiming as ‘the first’ AR
experience to combine 3D product scanning,
the mobile app is designed to use in-store POS
to trigger interactive 3D product models of the
new range. To use the app, shoppers must place
their foot on the in-store floor graphic and scan it
with a smartphone to view the trainers
superimposed around their foot.
(Source: thedrum.com)

6.
PERSONALISATION, between
customer service and big data

PERSONALISATION, between customer service
and big data
 Product
personalisation
Like luxury brands, commodities (fizzy drinks, trainers, confectionery, etc.)
are becoming available in custom-made versions to create emotional brand
attachment.
The consumer succumbs through a need to be different and to belong. He wants
to be unique. Personalisation produced by "co-design" pushes the experience up a
notch. The consumer is a player, adding his own personal touch to the product as
he wishes.
 Personalisation of
marketing
activation
Point of sale digitalisation (tablets, iBeacons, etc.) gives retailers the
opportunity to individualise and personalise customer relationships.
Offering personalised offers on smartphones according to customers' buying
habits, and/or making customer purchase histories available to salespeople,
enables a buying situation which is generally anonymous in-store to be
personalised.
 Personalisation of
the relationship
The challenge for the brands is to obtain a 360° view of the customer: getting to
know their target better in order to build a long-lasting, personalised relationship
with him/her, using all of this data in the various channels of communication,
sending the right messages at the right time and on the right channel/device, etc.
The Big Data challenge becomes above all a Small Data challenge: being
able to draw from it good insights into consumers for value-added actions
and services.

Le Coq Sportif duplicates its customised clothing service
Flocking was used on the French brand's very
first sports jerseys and is an integral part of Le
Coq Sportif's identity and know-how.
The brand is offering its customers the chance to
see the flocking method step by step on-line. The
French artist Tyrsa has been commissioned for
the occasion to create graphics showcasing the
sports for which the brand has become famous
throughout its history - cycling, tennis and
football.

In New York, the United Nude brand prints your custom-
made shoes
United Nude has a 3D printer in its NoHo store
which you can use to design your shoes and
print them.
The shoes are tailor-made.
In the style capital, competition is fierce. Faced
with the Big Apple's great iconic shoe designers,
brands are playing the innovation card to stand
out.
(Source: ideeslocales.fr)

Who A U: An American brand which rides on
personalisation
WhoWho A U ( Who are you ! ) is a Californian
casual-wear brand.
Situated in the heart of Soho, its New York
flagship store is offering a unique "patch it" retail
concept.
The brand offers a personalisation concept on
every one of its products. It has a wide range of
top-quality badges which allow you to express
your personality on your clothes.
They allow your imagination to run wild to turn
your clothes into unique objects.
The product therefore reflects who I am
(resulting in the Who are you concept…).
(Source: nouveaux-concepts.com)

Longchamp installs tablets in-store
for customising its bags
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its
iconic Le Pliage handbag, Longchamp has
decided to innovate by enabling its customers
to customise their model using a tablet directly
in points of sale.
With this new service, the brand is giving
customers the opportunity to choose their model
in real time using a tablet. The order is then
placed and charged directly at the point of sale.
The Le Pliage handbag will be available at the
retail outlet or sent a few weeks later.

Louis Vuitton unveils its new store which focuses on the
bespoke and personalisation
The bland and impersonal in-store experience is
no more: the luxury sector is in a way returning
to its roots and now considering ways to inject a
lifestyle, which may in some cases become a
genuine creative process, in the act of
purchasing.
But the change is really making itself felt in the
way the company is really highlighting the
personalisation and bespoke manufacturing
services it is offering. In this spirit, the Haute
Maroquinerie salon, devoted to customised
handbags, is offering a huge range of shapes,
materials, colours, linings and finishes - initials
and hand-painted motifs are available on trunks
and metal stamping is available for certain
leather or canvas items and accessories.

Les Galeries Lafayette wish to offer their customers a
more personalised service
Les Galeries Lafayette are now offering their
customers a more relevant and personalised
shopping experience through all sales channels.
Les Galeries Lafayette will be able to draw on
data in real time to suggest suitable
recommendations to every buyer and help them
find what they need quickly and easily when
they are shopping on the brand's website.
The use of recommendations should allow Les
Galeries Lafayette to take their first steps
towards cross-channel personalisation.
Les Galeries Lafayette will operate the solution
to help the consumer go up-market in his
purchases (up-sell) and to recommend to him
complementary products (cross-selling).
(Source: internetretailing.net )

BrandAlley concentrates its marketing initiatives around
personalisation
With 4.5 million unique visitors per month and 7
million members, BrandAlley appears in the top
20 retail websites.
BrandAlley has restructured its databases in
order to make use of all the data, centralise it
and perfect one-to-one marketing initiatives,
and above all optimise the e-mail
implementation process.
For a good number of retailers, e-mailing
remains the most effective channel at 95%, as
the opening rate of e-mails sent, the rate of
clicks and subscription cancellations help to
calculate the ROI of the campaigns. In fact, the
technological solution will deliver contextualised
messages or set up personalised scenarios for
each customer through all channels.
(Source: marketingperformer.fr)

House of Fraser:
iBeacon mannequins to mobilize in-store shopping
Retailers are looking for ways to lure their
customers to store instead of just to their online
or mobile site with hands-on technology that
works only in the real world, not the virtual world.
House of Fraser is testing beacon-enabled
mannequins from Iconeme to mobilize the
instore shopping experience.
Beacon technology uses low-energy bluetooth to
communicate with users’ phones, resembling wi-
fi a bit. Each mannequin can be programmed
differently to send out different information to
users.
(Source: evigo.com)

Thank you.
Thierry Strickler: t.strickler@altavia-group.com
Youmna Ovazza: y.ovazza@altavia-group.com
Sarah Gaïsset: s.gaisset@altavia-group.com

Best Of 2014 Altavia Watch - English version

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