Digital marketing is taking retailers to new heights and offering them the ability to do more with their sales and branding initiatives. Read this edition of the weekly dispatch to learn about the innovations H&M, Newegg, and Kids Foot Locker are implementing to attract new customers this holiday season – and keep them coming back again and again.
Fashion-forward apparel brand H&M has announced a new brick and mortar concept that focuses on an enhanced store experience.
The 7,000 sq ft. space located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY is the first of its kind, featuring a rotating fashion concept called “chapters” with themes that will change every four to 12 weeks. The store will include entertainment, showcasing a DJ, a coffee station, and a partner setup of local Williamsburg brands with their own sections for customers to shop in.1
This new test concept will run for a year until January 2024. The futuristic design of the store will include the latest fashion trends, and the first chapter will be a holiday collection inspired by a winter French brasserie, running from December 1st – 30th.
RFID capabilities will be a primary feature, giving store employees the ability to check inventory and merchandise options in real time. Mobile payments will be available throughout the store and fitting rooms will be housed with interactive smart mirrors to make recommendations for a personalized experience.
Tech company Newegg Commerce, inc., known for being a leader in the e-commerce gaming and PC world, will be running a series of holiday livestreams to promote major shopping events.2
These livestreams are the newest innovation for the company, running over the holidays as an extension of “Newegg Live”, an online shopping program produced by Newegg Medi that runs several times throughout the week.
The additional holiday segment will air 12-hour live streams on the days leading up to major sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, featuring the most popular tech items in their store. The program will appear on numerous platforms including the company’s mobile app, their website, and social media channels.
With social commerce continuing to rise in popularity, customers will be able to purchase merchandise directly on Newegg’s platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Extended returns will also be an option for select purchases made through Dec. 25th. Customers will have the ability to return or exchange items by Jan. 31, 2023.
The Kids Foot Locker has just launched its “House of Play” game on Roblox, a virtual, interactive gaming platform.3
The well-known subsidiary brand of Foot Locker has created an exact replica of their brick-and-mortar store concept within the metaverse. The immersive experience features games like mini hoops basketball, a high jump challenge and a speed track game, where tokens can be won for virtual sneakers that offer special powers for game advantage.
Gamers will be guided throughout the game by non-playing characters called “Stripers” influenced by the likeness of store employees, who wear the Footlocker striped jersey uniform.
The Kids Foot Locker metaverse launch is the latest big-name retailer to enter the popular Roblox community, using the platform as a viable means to drive visibility, engagement and commerce to their brands via metaverse experiences. Some other big names include Walmart, Target, West Elm, Claire’s, and American Eagle, to name a few. The House of Play metaverse experience will be available until January 31st, 2023.
The USPS agency stakeholders have announced strategic investments and updates to its holiday peak season planning to mitigate supply chain and capacity challenges during this holiday season.4
Lessons learned from the 2020 US Postal Service crisis, which issued a crushing blow to the system and service, are being utilized for all future labor and capacity measures, specifically during peak season.
Some changes for the 2022 holiday season that are different from previous years are the implementation of new package sorting machines and fewer hires of seasonal employees.
Last year USPS hired 40,000 seasonal employees, compared with just 28,000 this year. 41,000 current employees that were previously part-time workers have been made full-time, thus reducing the amount of additional labor needed to meet increased peak season demand.
Securing extra facilities to meet capacity requirements for the holidays has always been a challenge. In an effort to reduce capacity issues, USPS agency stakeholders have signed multi-year leases on trailers and processing facilities situated throughout the country. These extra facilities are strategically positioned to safeguard current postal locations that may need the extra capacity.
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