Finding the right balance:

The path to in-store engagement

Presented at the AdClub Lures of Retail event

June 26, 2012

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail

Ian Fitzpatrick

Research at Almighty

@ianfitzpatrick

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Presenter / Him

Stacey Howe

Global Digital Marketing at New Balance

@loverunningmore

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Presenter / Her

Together, this year, our teams built an

RFID-powered shoe wall.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Why Us?

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Shoe Wall / Prototype Sketch

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Shoe Wall / Installation

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Shoe Wall / Call to Action

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Shoe Wall / Drive to Retail

When designing and building digital

content experiences for retail, there are at

least seven things worth considering

(probably more):

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Considerations

Human Factors

Content Development

Content Rollout

Content Management

Maintenance

Measurement

Iteration

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Considerations

We could (and probably should) wrap an

entire day around any one of these topics.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Considerations / Caveat

Human Factors

Does this experience have a natural home

conducive to the manner(s) in which we

imagine it will be used?

More than any other factor, the space in which an experience lives will shape technology decisions.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Human Factors / Ian Fitzpatrick

When introducing a new digital experience to consumers, be sure to maintain the same interaction rules that guide your other initiatives.

For us, it’s the ‘5 second rule.’

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Human Factors / Stacey Howe

Content Development

What is it going to take for us to create

content that will power this experience

both at launch and going forward?

The adaptation conundrum: content

approaches that drive brand consistency

and cost efficiencies tend to constrain

localization and the opportunity for

emotional relevance.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Content Development / Stacey Howe

Local + Social is sexy, but is heavily-

dependent on context in order to deliver

meaning + value.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Content Development / Ian Fitzpatrick

Content Rollout

What is the relationship between the

experience we’re building and the

products in our store? How does this

change over time?

The ability to scale an experience will be

limited in-part by its capacity to adapt to

evolving product mix.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Content Rollout / Ian Fitzpatrick

The ability to scale an experience will be

further limited by the organization’s

capacity to respond to the unique

behavioral characteristics of the target

consumer.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Content Rollout / Stacey Howe

Content Management

How are we going to evolve the content

that comprises this experience, who will

do it, and how will we help them?

Content management is about ensuring a

consistently-valuable and purposeful

experience for consumers who interact

with the brand at different touch points.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Content Management / Stacey Howe

The success of a retail technology content

management solution hinges on access,

not functionality.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Content Management / Ian Fitzpatrick

Maintenance

What happens when things break? What

happens when systems change?

Increasingly, maintenance will mean

adapting to evolving systems (not just

fixing stuff).

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Maintenance / Ian Fitzpatrick

The further the technology requires that

associates depart from their core job

function, the greater the exposure to risk

(and failure).

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Maintenance / Stacey Howe

Measurement

How will we measure success? How will

we benchmark against metrics that don’t

have standards?

The metrics most likely reported to the

broader organization are typically not the

most important to understand and act

upon.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Measurement / Stacey Howe

Designing measurement must become an

integral part of designing experiences.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Measurement / Ian Fitzpatrick

Iteration

Do we have a plan for the way(s) in which

this is going to evolve, or are we going to

replace it with something newer and

better?

As with product innovation, marketing

innovation needs to be planned, nurtured

and cultivated.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Iteration / Stacey Howe

Iterate the experience, not the technology.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Iteration / Ian Fitzpatrick

Parting thought #1:

Technology is not the answer, it is the

enabler.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Remember This

Parting thought #2:

A successful experience will have purpose

for both the retailer and the customer.

New Balance + Almighty / The AdClub / Lures of Retail / Remember This

Parting follows:

@loverunningmore

@ianfitzpatrick