CONNECTING ONLINE & IN-STORE BEAUTY EXPERIENCES
A Los Angeles “clean beauty” start-up, Beautycounter, is livestreaming content to help shoppers bridge the gap between what they see online and inside the store. Its new streaming studio will bring in-store experiences, aisle-browsing and makeup demos to those watching from home. While this still lacks the option to physically try on makeup, it helps to be able to talk with an expert who can offer live responses. Another unique feature of this experience is that customers can click on beauty products they are seeing during the livestreams and visit the product page directly.
Full article from Fast Company
PARTY CITY CMO TALKS 2020 PANDEMIC SHIFT
Party City probably wasn’t on the top of your list of essential stores to visit last year with COVID-19 restrictions in place across several states. MediaPost interviewed Party City CMO Julie Roehm about how the brand weathered the crisis and reinvented what customers thought about the retailer offering a big mix of celebration supplies. The interview details how Party City retrained its own store associates and brought smarter, inspirational content that teaches customers how to party safely moving forward.
HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP RETAILERS WIN IN 2021
Chain Store Age recently discussed three trends that are expected to have a major impact for retailers this year. One trend involves the acceptance of online returns in brick-and-mortar stores, leading to more sales after the drop-off. Another trend is that of retailers streamlining their “mobile commerce experience” and better connecting it to the in-store environment. The third trend pertains to the growth of autonomous delivery—from self-driving cars to drones to robots. What other trends do you think will play out this year?
