The first couple of days at the National Retail Federation were full of buzz about "instrumented" consumers, interconnectivity, and "intelligent" consumers. This is creating a rapidly changing dymnamic for retailers. About 22% of the globe is online and there are more cell phones than automobilies (illustrating the rapid mobile-technology adoption in developing nations). Some 80% of shoppers use two or more technology devices (they are "instrumented") and will use them in retail relationships. For many of these consumers, social media means more than just a Facebook post. When it comes to retailers, consumers are more than willing to engage (after all, stores should be reflecting who they are!), but they want something in return: free samples, preferred customer status for special promotions, advanced sales, plus the ability to influence product development and new-service offerings. I'll talk more about this, but have to run off to a session. If you want to see some basic info on social media, check out Gunnar Simonsen's take on the CBA website: http://www.cbaonline.org/SocialMedia/social.htm.
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