Omnichannel

Despite retailer efforts to deliver information, store employees still struggle to access the information needed to complete tasks. In fact, 75% of decision makers said their employees frequently ask about procedures that are documented, and 73% indicated that critical information is scattered across many disparate locations.

No two stores are exactly alike at Warby Parker. But its new store in Los Angeles — the eyewear brand’s 50th outpost to date — is more unique than all the others.    Located on Melrose Avenue, the new Warby Parker pays homage to Hollywood’s moviemaking history. It even has its own green screen studio where customers can create their own mini-movies.  

A specialty retailer is taking steps to establish itself as a digitally driven brand.   The Paper Store is extending its partnership with Aptos. The retailer first joined forces with the technology provider when it deployed the Aptos Singular Commerce platform, an end-to-end cloud-based solution, to help support the opening of 50 new stores.    

A pure player specializing in activewear for plus-size women is making the leap to the offline world.   Juno Active will open its first store this spring, at Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn. The 3,200-sq.-ft. space will offer activewear and swimwear, starting at size 14, along with intimates.     Originally called Junonia, the company was founded in 1995 as a catalog operation. It rebranded itself as Juno Active in 2012, and switched to an exclusive online model.    

Even in a digital age, consumers still enjoy shopping in stores — if the shopping experience meets their expectations. One of the biggest turnoffs: long lines.    That’s according to a new study from payments company Adyen, which revealed when a “preferred” shopping experience is implemented — whether it be changing how someone checks out or how they interact with sales associates — 63% of people claim they will shop more.  

New product introduction volume continues to increase. Lilly Pulitzer’s analytics platform helps hone in on the winners.   In an omnichannel world, customer satisfaction is key, which means merchandise must be available when shoppers want it. By extending its partnership with First Insight, Lilly Pulitzer will continue to use predictive analytics to make faster and more accurate design, buying and pricing decisions, and gain the insight needed to mitigate risks associated with new product introductions.  

A men’s grooming shop that provides hand and foot care, haircuts and shaves in a “man cave nirvana” has ambitious designs for expansion.   

Facebook is proving social media does in fact influence brick-and-mortar sales.   The social media giant offers a feature that enables users to scan a personalized QR code to nab discounts when they buy something at specific brick-and-mortar locations, reported TechCrunch.    The Rewards feature, which is discretely tucked away under the More tab of Facebook’s mobile app, has been in test mode for a few months, according to the report.