James Tenser

In-Store Sensing Tops Online Metrics

May 31, 2022March 5, 2013 by James Tenser

I POSTED THE FOLLOWING commentary this morning on RetailWire.com as part of a discussion, Can Online Shopper Metrics Be Brought to Stores? I believe online innovation has influenced expectations in the bricks and mortar world. Now stores are poised to deliver sensing that online players can’t ever provide.

I must disclose a recent, prior influence. This post appears just a few days after I made a very informative visit to eTailWest in Palm Springs. Talking with vendors on the exhibit floor, I was struck by their degree of online-only thinking. Innovative analytics tools abounded, but bricks & mortar perspective was in relatively short supply. Since 90% of retail sales still take place in stores, some balance is in order.

Here’s my take:

Online metrics have certainly raised the bar, but in-store sensing will bring its own particular nuances—in some ways surpassing online practices.

The In-Store Implementation Network identifies five senses of in-store: Demand, Items, Messages, Employees and Shoppers. DIMES is part of this 2011 workshop. If you are in a rush, click forward to slide #22:

Tracking shopper movement within the physical store is only one element of the Shopper term of the equation, as I see it.

The present discussion drills deeper into shopper data alternatives—to consider whether tracking mobile phones is a better choice versus analyzing security video versus installing special-purpose video networks versus tracking transponders mounted on shopping carts. (Have we totally given up on electric eyes and grad students with clipboards?)

Further choices include: Do we analyze whole paths or stick to zones? Do we infer shopper demographics from video images? Do we mesh tracking data with POS transaction data?

However data is captured, appropriate analytics must be applied to extract managerially useful insights. The outputs must be timely and in a format that is accessible to decision-makers.

This is a lively sector for our business. With many competitors vying to be the industry standard, I can only offer some general advice:

#1 – Don’t assume comprehensive understanding of your shoppers based solely upon path tracking data
#2 – Never install more technology than is needed to achieve the desired objective
#3 – Expect best practice to change rapidly in this arena
#4 – Results will vary a lot based on channel of trade

[Tenser excerpt from “Can Online Shopper Metrics Be Brought to Stores?” discussion on RetailWire.com, Feb. 5, 2013.]

Tablets Prescription: Take Two

May 31, 2022January 23, 2013 by James Tenser

Some Tablets IF THERE EVER WAS an instance of “the medium is the message,” tablets are it. Their tactile mode of interaction, image quality and scale, and untethered connectivity create a unique formula for shopping. Yes, PCs and smart phones each share some of these traits, but not all of them, and that is the difference.

Of course, shoppers don’t analyze the mediated retail experience much. I think most folks experience tablets on an emotional, instinctive level and do what comes naturally. It’s up to merchants to try to address those behaviors with relevant interactive options.

Tread lightly in this regard. Preferences change in a heartbeat, so it can be a mistake to try to corral shoppers using custom apps. Nimble is better than powerful; responsive is better than proprietary; rapid life-cycles are better than sunk costs.

[Tenser excerpt from “Will Tablets Reinvent How We Shop Everywhere?” discussion on RetailWire.com, Jan. 23, 2013.]

Know Assortment. Really.

May 31, 2022December 18, 2012 by James Tenser

ASSORTMENT IS A CRUCIAL AREA of retail practice about which much knowledge is assumed, but far less is generally understood. Leading practitioners are moving swiftly to adopt superior business processes that turn assortment into a competitive edge:

They incorporate cannibalization and transferable demand in their assortment decision process.
They gauge the needs and preferences of highest-value shoppers and apply those insights to create cluster- or store-specific recommendations.

If your organization does not yet address these methods, don’t be out-maneuvered by competition that does. Learn the five key enablers for assortment optimization success by signing up for this free Webinar:

Webinar: Tuesday, Jan 8, 2013, 12:00 PM, EST

Featured speakers:

Jean-Emmanuel Biondi, Principal, Deloitte Consulting
Quentin Smelzer, Market Segment Manager, Assortment & Shopper Insights, IBM
Mark Heckman, Principal, Mark Heckman Consulting – Former VP of Marketing for Randalls and Marsh Supermarkets

Click the banner or this link to sign up at RetailWire.com: bit.ly/Xv5SBO

Price Transparency: An Opaque Matter?

May 31, 2022December 6, 2012 by James Tenser

ALMOST OVERLOOKED during the Autumn business conference-slash-election season was a nicely-done bit of research about the new price transparency.

Prepared by RetailWire.com and underwritten by IBM Smarter Commerce, the study “Pricing Transparency: Can Retailers Regain Control?” was released October 5. It was conducted in an effort to better understand the phenomenon known as “show-rooming,” where shoppers use apps on their mobile phones to check merchandise prices while shopping in-store.

The study authors define “pricing transparency” as “The ability to learn the relative price positions of a particular item across competitive retailers.” The trend had some folks pretty nervous around mid-year, especially retailers who specialize in high-consideration purchases, like consumer electronics.

The findings indicated that Price Transparency falls mid-level on the continuum of general retailer concerns – below the economy, competition and consumer behavior. Considered among pricing practices, however, respondents did worry about consumer price sensitivity in general (ranked as #1 concern by 35%) and transparency in particular (ranked #1 by 21%).

Increased price sensitivity seems to be an enduring consequence of the recent protracted economic downturn. Many shoppers have re-evaluated their purchasing behaviors. Smart phone apps both enable and reinforce these behavioral changes.

Retailers have some effective defenses available beyond absolute lowest prices. Most are related to enabling shopper success in other dimensions. Superior, relevant assortment, exclusive items, and excellent item availability all can have a positive influence here, the findings suggest.

The best practice formula remains somewhat murky in the brave new world of transparent prices, but this research begins to make matters clearer. An Executive Summary of the “Pricing Transparency: Can Retailers Regain Control?” study, can be downloaded at: http://www.retailwire.com/page/10133/.