- May 10, 2018
Updated: Feb 4, 2021
Hello NYC! Smartzer hit the Big Apple for Retail Touchpoints Retail Innovation Congress last week, where we exhibited Smartzer’s shoppable video technology to a range of interested retail giants.
The event drew over 500 registrants interested in learning about the next big trends and disruptive technologies in retail innovation. Participants enjoyed networking, speeches and this year’s event even included store visits to TUMI, Sugarfina and Williams Sonoma to get a first-hand look at retail in action.
Educational sessions on the next big topics in retail included a very interesting keynote speech “Your Future Shopper: The Step Change Has Arrived”, delivered by shopping Behaviorist Ken Hughes, which revealed relevant information about Gen Z shoppers. No surprise to Smartzer, but Gen Z shoppers are desire instant gratification and customization. Smartzer’s interactive videos are the perfect way to give viewers the interaction they want without removing them from the experience. The retail customer has changed and the industry needs to adapt to engage with them differently.
The new Gen Z expect a "phygital" world and store systems that are connected and consistent with the online experience. Retailers need to be in every place at all times, always on brand and ready to interact with the customer the same way. Customization is also key to this conversation Gen Z expects all interactions to be tailored to them via the “Amazon Effect.”
Smartzer was one of the innovative solutions showcased at the event. Interactive video is such a hot topic right now that all retailers we met were interested in our shoppable video technology and a demo.
Below you can read more about the Retail Innovation Congress:
- May 9, 2018
Updated: Feb 18, 2021
This week Smartzer was happy to attend Tech London Advocates (TLA) Retail's “Making the Case for In-Store Tech” hosted at Accenture, here in London.
E-commerce has definitely changed the face of brick-and-mortar retailing. Most high street brands have invested heavily in online but haven’t put much effort into digitalizing the in-store experience. According to Accenture, better in-store technology is topping the request list of store managers, so there is definitely a case for making this a priority.
Accenture’s Cande Cooper and Rob Barnes began with the presentation ‘Retail with Purpose’ and discussed how all retailers are striving to provide their customers a superior experience. What used to work in the past, doesn’t work anymore. People want an expert in what they are looking to buy and are willing to pay for the experience, because in this fast-paced world it is important to make the moments matter.
People now have liquid expectations when it comes to experience expectations. We all wonder why every service or transaction we encounter cannot be as convenient and accommodating as Uber. Amazon is setting this trend and heavily influencing customer experience expectations.
Other customer expectations we’ve come to expect from all services are curation, customization and transparency. Curation means customers want to trust a system that knows our preferences and can recommend products and services that interest us. Platform algorithms for Airbnb and Amazon are leading curation. The services and products are expected to be customized for the consumer, who also wants to know where and how they their products were sourced. In order to stay at the forefront of the consumer’s mind you need to fulfil one or all of these expectations.
In order to build trust with your target consumer groups, companies need to consider their purpose and reason for being. A company can measure their purpose via the love index and consumer validation. A company’s purpose should be fresh, relevant, engaging and helpful. Most importantly, the purpose needs to be authentic.
Smartzer’s purpose is to make shoppable and interactive video that creates a seamless and spectacular user experience that better connects the consumer to the campaign and builds a relationship with the brand. Smartzer also provides clients with valuable analytics on video interactions, which is extremely helpful to retailers and brands.
Barnes touched on the future of purchase and how we should all be ready for big changes when it comes to purchasing. Our current method of cash checkouts at the front of the store manned by employees hasn’t changed much since the 1950s. As the most recent POS systems are ready for retirement, retailers are looking for the solutions they will use the for the next 15-20 years. Top of their list are harmonising payments across channels for an easy customer experience. They also need to look at how these payment systems work with their purpose and message of their brand.
The panel discussion that followed with Steve Carpenter, HR Director of Krispy Kreme and Jenna Gonzales Customer Success Manager of Yapster was even more enlightening. It touched on the potential use of blockchain in the entire system, as well as setbacks of trying to implement AGILE into some of their processes.
The evening brought to light many new ideas of use cases for Smartzer’s interactive videos and shoppable videos in retail and where our shoppable video and interactive video technology can fit into storetech. We have been working with multiple retailers lately and we are excited to launch another in-store experience in the very near future.
- May 1, 2018
Updated: Feb 18, 2021
The Tory Burch Foundation, founded by fashion and lifestyle entrepreneur Tory Burch hosted its first Embrace Ambition Summit in New York. The aim of the summit is to confront stereotypes and create new norms. Smartzer founder, Karoline Gross, was happy to support the cause which invited strong women and men from across industries.
The summit is part of Burch’s “Embrace Ambition” initiative, which she launched in 2017 to erase the negative connotations associated with “ambition” a term often used to categorize people—mostly women—as difficult or demanding.
Presented by Bank of America, the summit featured conversations with leaders, artists and politicians as well as storytelling and performances. Tory Burch moderated the conversations with an impressive list of participants from different industries and generations.
One of the most interesting discussions was with Yara Shahidi, the 18-year-old actress and model who founded eighteenx18, a creative platform to engage the young generation to speak their truth, get active and vote as well. Their conversation was an eye-opening discussion on “Embracing Ambition” and touched on the challenges and rewards associated with the idea.
Author, Laurie Fabiano, discussed bias and how we can fight it personally, while Dr. Valerie Purdie Greenway, touched on the science behind stereotypes and bias. Both conversations were very helpful in learning how to combat prejudice organizationally and personally.
Founder Karoline Gross gained valuable insight into how to be ambitious in a smart way as well as combat stereotypes and bias. The Tory Burch Foundation has already garnered a strong response and it was so nice to be included in the first summit and we as a company plan to #embraceambition.
Read more about The Embrace Ambition Summit: