GLOBAL RETAIL TRENDS: PART I

Posted on Dec 01, 2009 - 04:20 PM

Although these forms of community involvement take place out-of-store, the insights that can be gained are relevant to the in-store environment. After all, shoppers enter the store with their full range of out-of-store experiences and knowledge.

Consider that 50% of shoppers now research online before entering the in-store environment to make a purchase. With anonymous online opinions carrying the same weighting as trusted recommendations from family and friends, ‘word of mouth’ just became a lot broader.

Westfield has recognised the power of consumer advocacy, creating a Facebook application as part of a wider campaign promoting its gift cards. The application requires the user to opt in so that their status is updated to “All I Want for Christmas is a Westfield Gift Card”, with further copy stating that the user is now in the running to win a $10,000 gift card. This status change is displayed on the individual’s Facebook profile and appears in their friends’ news feeds.

Launched on November 24, over 200,000 Facebook users had opted into the application and updated their status by the 27th. Bearing in mind that this status change appears in friends’ news feeds, the promotion’s reach extends far beyond those 200,000 who have participated.

Stay tuned for the next post, where Shopaholic will look at another two of Batistich’s global retail trends.

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