In-Store Media

Kohler Co. is debuting a retail format designed to showcase its full offering of products and offer on-site product immersion — literally.      The first-ever Kohler Experience Center (KEC), located in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, houses fully-functioning displays of Kohler's global product line — including showers, tubs, sinks and "intelligent" toilets — in what is a first for the brand. The center is open to trade design professionals and regular customers.   

Despite social media’s growing presence in many consumers’ lives, it is not the ideal platform for brand interaction.   That's according to the “2017 Generational Marketing Insights Survey,” from Campaigner, the email marketing brand of j2 Global. According to findings, less than a quarter (24%) of online shoppers use social media as one of their preferred channels for brand interaction. And it seems that not all social media channels are created equal.  

An online start-up has turned to a traditional retailer to help grown its brand.    Target Corp. has entered into a partnership with Casper, an online brand credited with disrupting the mattress category. Target will start selling the brand’s mattresses and other products, including a few exclusive items, beginning on June 18.    

Snapchat’s newest filters are moving beyond the selfie.   The company is rolling out a new augmented reality ad division that lets users overlay marketers’ life-like filters on any photo they snap with their smartphone, according to ReCode.   Warner Brothers is the unit’s first advertiser, tying the lenses to promote its new movie, “Everything, Everything.” Dunkin Donuts and Netflix are next in line to launch the service, the report said.  

Nordstrom is welcoming its newest retail curation — one that is centered on wellness.   The department store chain is creating an experience around goop, the modern lifestyle brand founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, through its Pop-In@Nordstrom concept — an ongoing series of themed pop-up shops. Pop-In@Norstrom, which was developed and curated by Olivia Kim, VP of creative projects at Nordstrom, is designed to feature a different brand of new, often exclusive merchandise every four to six weeks.   

Fast-fashion e-retailer shines in store debut

British online fast-fashion retailer Missguided makes the leap to physical retail with a high-concept, high-impact store that brings its website to life.

Shoppers may notice digital ads, but they are not necessarily clicking on, or responding to, them.   That’s according to a new study by Valassis, “Motivating the Dynamic Shopper: Purchase Decisions In-Progress,” which analyzes how digital ads best engage and then motivate customers to take action. Three groups were studied; parents, millennials and Gen X.