Introducing a new LinkedIn Groups experience and iOS app:

The best professional conversations whenever you want, wherever you want

In 2004, when LinkedIn was a fledgling site with 500,000 members, we introduced LinkedIn Groups – where professionals could come to exchange their knowledge and build relationships. Today, there are more than 380 million professionals on LinkedIn from around the world. The way we connect, communicate and share knowledge has changed dramatically. This is why I’m so excited to introduce you to an all new, rebuilt from the ground up, LinkedIn Groups and, for the first time, a LinkedIn Groups iOS app — designed to make it easier for you to find and engage in high-quality conversations, whenever you want to, from wherever you want.


We’ve heard from thousands of you to learn what would make these conversations more valuable for you. Here’s what you can expect from the new experience:  

• More engaging, high-quality conversations: Now you can add images to your posts and mention other group members — making posts more visual and engaging. You’ll also notice less clutter in the form of spam and promotional content within the Groups you participate in.
• Access anytime, anywhere: Join or continue conversations wherever you are with the new iOS app. The new app also gives group owners the ability to manage their group conversations and members on the fly.
• Conversations with people you trust: A conversation can be more valuable when it’s shared within a trusted space, so group conversations will now only be visible to group members.  To bring new voices to the table, group members can invite members of their network to join in the conversation.
• Beautiful interface: A simplified navigation with a focus on making it easier to find, join and start quality conversations on LinkedIn.
• Find the right community: Not in the right groups yet? We were inspired by our real-world communities to design a new way of suggesting new groups to members based on who you are and who you know. The simple action of accepting or dismissing those suggestions leads to smarter, more tailored recommendations for you.

This new conversation space was created with you, the member, in mind. We’ve heard some incredible stories this year that have inspired us to reimagine what Groups could be. There’s the film director from Texas who discovered just how valuable LinkedIn can be for professionals in his industry when he discovered a group strictly for Film and Television pros. A printing expert from California took a minute to answer a question he saw in a group- that answer turned into a valuable partnership and new business venture for him. And in another instance, a thought-leader in regenerative medicine noticed his niche industry was spread all over the world, and built a group that quickly became the definitive site for this industry to gather.

LinkedIn Groups will begin rolling out to English-speaking members around the world today on desktop and on iOS. We encourage you to take a look and join a professional conversation today.

Have more questions? Check out the LinkedIn Help Center for more information.


Editor’s Note: If LinkedIn has helped you transform your career or business, please share your story with us or write a post on LinkedIn with the hashtag #MyLinkedInStory. For more inspiration, check out more success stories.

SOURCE: http://blog.linkedin.com/

Leeds outlet mall launching new app and rewards program

By Dawn Kent Azok on October 18, 2013 at 11:45 AM AL.COM

LEEDS, Alabama – The Outlet Shops of Grand River is rolling out a new shopper rewards program that will mean special discounts and giveaways for loyal customers and new insights on consumer behavior for the Leeds shopping venue and its tenants.

Grand Rewards, set to launch early next month, includes a new website and smart phone app that will build profiles for members and track their visits, purchases and other activity related to the outlet center.

There won't be a points system, but shoppers can achieve bronze, silver, gold or platinum status based on their behavior. That includes spending, as well as check-ins, likes, comments and shares about the outlet center on social media.

"Certainly we want them to spend, and they get credit for that, but it's not all about spending," said Christine Szalay, vice president and general manager of The Outlet Shops of Grand River. "The deeper the engagement, the richer the rewards."

Those rewards are special discounts or giveaways that the outlet center and its tenants will offer members, which can be tiered by status. For example, in November, Tommy Hilfiger is giving away a $250 gift card to a bronze member and a $500 gift card to a shopper with silver status.

For the shopping center and its tenants, Grand Rewards is expected to encourage more visits and spending, but that's not all. It also will provide real-time data about shopping times, frequency and other preferences, a step up from the current research derived from online and in-person surveys.

The program was developed by Compco, an Australian marketing and research firm that specializes in retail properties.

The outlet mall currently has a VIP program with 32,000 members, but that's basically a list of people who receive emails about special offers and upcoming events. All of those people will be rolled into the new Grand Rewards program at the bronze level, and when they download the new app, they'll be upgraded to silver.

Szalay recently returned from the Value Retail News' fall convention, a gathering of retail industry professionals. At the corporate level, the outlet center's tenants are excited about Grand Rewards, she said.

"They're all trying to figure out how to use social media effectively," she said.

The Outlet Shops of Grand River opened in 2010 as the centerpiece of the 6,500-acre residential and commercial development known as Grand River.

The occupancy rate at the center is now at 90 percent.

Recent additions include Wet Seal and J. Crew Factory. Merrell is set for a November opening, while Old Navy will join the lineup in January.

The shopping center includes both outlet stores and other retailers known for value, such as Charming Charlie and Rue 21.

Nearby roadwork, which closed down portions of Interstate 20 earlier this year, took a bite out of shopper traffic this summer, Szalay said, as did 16 days of rain in August. Dreary weather hurts business at an open-air shopping center.

As for the upcoming holiday season, Szalay said she is cautiously optimistic. Still, political and economic uncertainty are expected to somewhat dampen holiday shoppers' moods, according to national spending forecasts.

Grand River developers Daniel Corp. and USS Real Estate are moving forward with plans for new homes in the community, with the first 100 lots being made available to builders next spring.

Long-range plans call for 2,000 homes and an elementary school, a plan that will fuel future business at the outlet center, Szalay said.

"You are now going to see Grand River as a community start to grow," she said.

FOR LEASING INFORMATION CONTACT THE WAS GROUP

862-203-4352

WWW.WAS-GROUP.COM

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Top Considerations & Tips for Black Friday

Jori Ford, October 13, 2013 - Search Engine Watch

With holiday shopping looming, retailers continue to look for what will give them the edge during the 2013 shortened holiday season. The climbing popularity of consumer showrooming – checking prices and product information while shopping in stores, not to be mistaken with retail showrooming – the showcasing of products with the intent to drive online purchase, has been said to pose a threat to retailers this holiday season.

Smart retailers can take advantage by strengthening their opportunities to drive increased engagement. Paying attention to how search influences the customer journey and planning promotions that coordinate with brick-and-mortar store(s) will drive increased holiday sales.

Top Considerations & Tips for Black Friday

A Google consumer survey showed that 49 percent of shoppers say they know when they'll do their holiday shopping. Thirty percent of consumers will begin their holiday shopping before Halloween.

Shoppers Will Research & Buy Well in Advance

Make sure you're ahead of the game. Drive increased engagement with your brand through content marketing and optimized visibility for your top promotional products.

Reinforce your promotional offerings using ad copy with savings driven messaging. This will make sure your brand is one that stands out when consumers are drilling through the sea of promotional leaks soon to come.

Search aligns you with a customer when they are deeper in their consideration set, which makes your brand more memorable as they continue through their journey.

26% of Consumers Plan to Buy on Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Make sure you're visible and present in local search, with up to date information for Black Friday. This is critical. Now is also a good time to realize that for high foot traffic, mobile = local.

Quick tip: Update your local places feed one month before the holidays with hours of operation. Use services like Yext to push updates to IYPs (Internet yellow pages) and sharing sites immediately. Support real-time hour updates via paid search using sitelinks.

Take Advantage of Showroom Shoppers, Target Them

Be prepared by taking a combined approach using cross promotions offline to online, to increase dollars per customer.

According to the JWire Q2 mobile shopping report, the main in-store mobile activities are comparison shopping (59 percent), looking for coupons (48 percent), and searching for product reviews (47 percent).

Based on Econsultancy's stats on shopper behavior by device, while purchasing in-store is the most popular for those who research in-store, showrooming may still be an issue for retailers as 37 percent purchase on a smartphone or tablet after researching in-store.

Retailers can take advantage by ensuring the same product or similar is continuously offered, increasing AOVs (average order value) online, while providing related products/accessories available in-store.

4 Easy Steps to Set Up Showroomer Targeted Search Campaigns

Create a holiday landing page optimized for natural and paid search, that focuses on areas that tend to be competitive drivers for in-store foot traffic (e.g., TVs, home electronics, or gaming).
Ensure your online promo landing page features promotions that match the ones you'll have in-store or that the online offering is a similar product at a comparable price.
Create a paid search campaign that includes the product name, SKU, manufacturer number, etc. as target keywords that drives to the promo page. Ideally you would also ensure PLA (paid listing ads) coverage.
Optimize on-site search results by adding these terms and their stems to your thesaurus and create redirects as needed, to drive to the holiday landing page.
Conclusion

By taking these steps you're providing search coverage for consumers who are prone to scanning items for comparison shopping. As they shop they will be reinforced with your message and if they decide to purchase online your business still benefits.

By cross promoting in-store related items and accessories you reinforce the most popular behavior of showroom shoppers, which is to still make an in-store purchase. Don't be afraid of new shopping behaviors!

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Reaching the 5 Types of M-Shoppers

October 10, 2013 - Colin Shaw CEO, Beyond Philosophy | Leading Customer Experience consultancy | Author | Training | Research | Keynote speaker SOURCE: LinkedIn

The other day I was with my wife looking at an entertainment center at a big box store. As you know, the prices are less at a store like this because you get to buy a mass-produced piece of furniture that suits your needs and looks reasonably good for a fair price. The only drawback is that along with that low price is the phrase, “some assembly required.”

I know my way around assembly just as much as the next guy, but I have to be honest when I tell you that there are lots of other things I would rather be doing with my weekend than putting together a complicated piece of furniture. My experience is that these sorts of things end up taking twice as long as you thought and always result in those troubling extra pieces.

So I did what any smartphone enabled shopper would do. I looked up an online review of the product to see if the poor bloke who already bought this entertainment center was done putting it together in time to see the game! When I was satisfied that this furniture wasn’t going to ruin my weekend, we loaded it on the trolley and headed to the checkout.

When I read this article by the Columbia School of Business and AIMIA (a global leader in loyalty management) about the 5 types of mobile-assisted shoppers, or M-Shoppers, I saw that I was considered a “traditionalist.” This doesn’t surprise me that much as I figure I am somewhat of a traditional guy.

But what did surprise me in the article was that M-Shopping is not as much a threat to retail sales as it is an opportunity to improve them. Not only do retailers have a chance to curb the practice of showrooming (when a customer goes into a store to see a product then buys it later online) but they can also use mobile technology to enhance the in-store customer experience with loyalty and reward programs that will build their long-term relationship with consumers.

Researchers studied over 3,000 consumers in the U.S., UK and Canada to see what mobile technology had changed the way they shop in retail stores. They reviewed data from the group to identify which consumers were the most likely to showroom, who was using the loyalty programs that include things like free shipping, and also to see who was most likely to use vouchers or price matching apps. After looking at all the data, the study showed that there are five specific types of M-Shoppers. Each group has similar traits and behaviors that retailers can use to target them specifically.

There were a few surprises in the data they collected. The article claims to “debunk the myth” of showrooming as it is not as prevalent as at first retailers feared. The vast majority of consumers (over 60%) use the mobile technology simply to get more information if they use it at all. Additionally, these are not just the millennials as was originally thought. The facts are that 74% of M-Shoppers are over the age of 29. Also, price is not the only value of M-Shoppers; they are also driven by immediacy and convenience. Finally, loyalty programs are motivating members to buy the product in store, even if the price is the same or less online.

In my post, "The Rise of Mobile Shoppers and How You Can Reach Them", I gave some tips on how to reach your customers through mobile technology, which includes online vouchers, information apps, loyalty programs and mobile payment processing. I have suggested specific activities that will help retailers target each of the five groups.

This infographic captures the concept perfectly.

The 5 Types of M-Shoppers and how you can use mobile technology to reach them:

1. Exploiters: These are the smallest group of M-Shoppers currently (6%). They are the most likely to showroom. But retailers would be wise to try to entice this group to still buy from their organization by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their website. Apparently, this group is almost as likely to buy it from their site as they are from a competitor.

Mobile Strategy: Vouchers, Mobile Payment Processing

2. Savvy's: This group knows what they want and how to look for it. They are the second smallest group (13%) but the best group for targeting with mobile experiences. Because they are comfortable with their technology, the savvy's are the best group for testing loyalty programs, offers and new programs through their mobile devices.

Mobile Strategy: Vouchers, Information Apps, Loyalty Programs, Mobile Payment Processing

3. Price Sensitive's: Slightly larger than the Savvy's (at 19%), this group responds to both types of experiences: retail and mobile. They do not always use their mobile devices when shopping and usually respond well to store promotions. This is a group to target with x and Y.

Mobile Strategy: Vouchers, Loyalty Programs

4. Traditionalists: This group poses the least threat of showrooming of all the groups. That’s because they are mostly using the phone to consult with friends and family or to look up online reviews (sound like anyone you know?). Traditionalists are likely to interact with your company in the store, on the website, and through an app. They are also likely to respond to a QR code. Generally, however, this group (which is about 30% of the market) is going to buy in the store.

Mobile Strategy: Information apps, loyalty programs

5. Experience Seekers: As the largest group in the study (at 31%), the experience seekers value the customer experience more than price. The group shows retailers that there are lots of opportunities to expand the mobile experience with their shoppers. But they also show that retailers must also provide an excellent in-store experience.

Mobile Strategy: Loyalty programs

The retail experience has changed in recent years with the introduction of mobile technology, to be certain. According to the study by Columbia Business School and AIMIA, however, it is not a threat to the retail business but an opportunity to engage your customers on another level. And of course, another way to enhance their customer experience with your brand. Retailers that can segment their customers and target them with specific mobile enhancements can use this new opportunity to increase their repeat business and loyalty from their consumers, in the store and otherwise.

I would be really interested to hear how are you enhancing your retail customer experience with mobile technology?

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Saks OFF 5th launches outlet e-commerce site

SOURCE: MarketWatch NEW YORK, Sep 30, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) 

Saks Incorporated's SKS +0.13%  Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, a premier destination for top designer shopping at extraordinary prices, is proud to announce the highly anticipated launch of its online store, saksoff5th.com on Monday, September 30. With up to 55% off year-round, Saks OFF 5TH offers carefully curated, off-the-runway trends, exceptional service, and unbelievable savings--now available anytime, anywhere.

"This is a significant milestone for Saks OFF 5TH as the company rounds out our omni-channel offerings. In addition to our 70 nationwide stores, the e-commerce site is yet another platform through which we can provide our curated off-price shopping experience. We want it to be the Saks of the off price world, a true extension of the brand," said Robert Wallstrom, President of Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH.

"We designed the site to be a sleek, modern online reflection of the elevated design of the OFF 5TH stores with a strong value message. We think it will become a best in class off price fashion destination online," said Michael Burgess, President of Saks Direct.

Along with our expanding base of stores, customers can now shop 24 hours a day--with round-the-clock assistance from our customer care team. Mobile and tablet enhancements for shopping will be part of the evolution of the site interface.

Saks OFF 5TH online will offer the same great men's and women's collections as in-store. Shoppers can discover our expanded collections of new designer labels, the latest fashion and trends, and high-quality merchandise at an extraordinary value ranging from men's and women's ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, accessories, jewelry, watches and beauty.

Online customers will have visibility and accessibility to shop all of the top designer brands that may have limited distribution and only in select stores nationwide. Additionally, the e-commerce site will offer customer's access to Salon Z, a plus size women's program not available in all stores.

The site is designed to reflect the experience of in-store shopping and modeled after the loft like, bright, open atmosphere of Saks OFF 5TH stores. The online store will be best in class with superior functionality. Customers will have more control over their filter options, they will be able to hover over product images animated through multiple views of the item, and full-screen zoom is available for all products, among other innovative features.

Online promotions for saksoff5th.com will mirror in-store promotions with new product offerings daily. There will also be the specialized offers and exclusive merchandise for top customers to enjoy. Additionally, the site will include FashionFix events, which will migrate from Saks.com to saksoff5th.com. FashionFix is an additional space that provides exceptional deals on non-outlet premier designer products through curated flash sales.

Customers will also be able to sign up for emails to learn about current promotions, in store events and connect to social media channels, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

The Saks OFF 5TH More! Program will be offered on the e-commerce site. It is a free membership that gives customers access to additional savings in stores and online. Members will receive advance notice of special events, special coupons and invitations to private sales.

During the launch all shoppers of saksoff5th.com will receive free shipping on all orders during a limited introductory period. SaksFirst members will be honored with free shipping on all orders, all of the time. Other services on the site include shipment tracking, SaksFirst Card management and the opportunity to purchase and redeem gift cards.

About Saks Incorporated and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH

Saks Incorporated currently operates 41 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 70 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores, and saks.com.

Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH is a world-class, full-service destination for value-priced clothes and accessories for men, women, children and the home. The retailer's 70 nationwide stores and online store, saksoff5th.com, combine the two great joys of shopping: the delight of discovering the very best and the thrill of the deal. A carefully curated off-priced shopping experience, we feature highly coveted designers alongside exclusive Saks brands you won't find anywhere else, all in a luxury-in-a-loft environment. Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH simply offers more style, more savings and more service than any other value retailer.

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Top 5 Online Retail Strategies for Holiday 2013

By FIONA SWERDLOW, HEAD OF RESEARCH, SHOP.ORG | Published: AUGUST 8, 2013

Shop.org recently asked retailers how early they start planning their online holiday season. Half of the respondents said they’ve been preparing for the holidays since April or May. This is one takeaway in the 2013 Shop.org Pre-Holiday Retailer Survey, conducted last month with Prosper Insights & Analytics. This year, retailers are investing in a multitude of site features and services, marketing programs, mobile initiatives and more to maximize Q4 results.

Five highlights from this year’s survey:

1. Mobile weaves its way into all aspects of digital retail. Over half of retailers surveyed said that a mobile-optimized website is one of their most important investments this year. Smartphone and tablet adoption continue to rise, meaning that web sites need to work well on all touch points.

2. Search and email are key ingredients for holiday marketing. Close to half (46 percent) of retailers are investing in Google Product Listing Ads for this holiday, while another third (38 percent) want to deliver personalized emails to their customers. As consumers open more marketing emails on their smartphones, retailers are smart to think about using location information to customize messages.

3. Free shipping will be alive and well again this holiday. In late 2012 Google found that nearly half of shoppers will leave a site if it doesn’t offer free shipping. Retailers are approaching this problem head-on. Over one-third (38 percent) of retailers surveyed are analyzing and investing in free shipping offers that include a minimum purchase threshold. As SeeWhy has found in its research, offering free shipping at just the right hurdle rate can significantly reduce cart abandonment, meaning retailers should test those threshold rates carefully.

4. Product detail page enhancements are key. Retailers are gearing up for the holidays by enhancing cross-selling on the product page (51 percent); customer ratings and reviews (42 percent); and suggested items (34 percent). However, as we learned at the recent Shop.org Merchandising Workshop, the concept of “best practices” is hard, as what is “best” for one retailer may not work for another. Instead, it all comes down to testing everything. Read more about the approaches National Geographic Store, Coach, and WiderFunnel CEO Chris Goward have taken toward website enhancements.

5. Video’s “break out” year is here. The e-tailing group’s 2012 Mystery Shopping study found that 70 percent of retailer sites offered product video on their site, up from 59 percent in 2011. As consumers watch more videos for a wide range of products, retailers are embracing new short formats such as Vine and Video by Instagram. Brands are leveraging both to unveil new products, promote sale items, provide “behind the scenes” insight, show consumers “how to” demonstrations, and more.

The full results of this pre-holiday retailer survey are included in the Shop.org 2013 Holiday Strategy and Planning Guide, released today to Shop.org members. Shop.org’s Holiday Planning 2013 webinar covered the highlights of the planning guide and much more. Members are invited to also listen to the playback of Wednesday’s webinar available on demand.

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Tesla to debut "supercharger" in San Marcos Premium Outlets

Superchargers offer about half a charge or about three hours worth of juice in 20 minutes.

Aug 16, 2013, 2:53pm CDT Robert Grattan Staff Writer- Austin Business Journal

Tesla Motors Inc. announced Wednesday the San Marcos Premium Outlets will be the first to host a supercharger station in Texas.

The station will allow the car maker's all-electric Model S cars to charge quickly — and for free. The stations provide half a charge in 20 minutes. That's about three hours of travel time.

The station will be one of 18 across the country, though the Palo Alto-Calif.-based car maker has plans to open four more stations in Texas by the end of 2013. The second is to open in Waco in the coming weeks.

Previously, the company had selected Dallas for the first supercharger station, but changed to San Marcos after permitting held up completion in Dallas, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Previously, Tesla had wrangled with lawmakers over how it could sell its cars throughout the state, but a bill that would have allowed the car maker and CEO Elon Musk to sell directly to consumers was defeated.

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 As students prepare to head back into the classroom, electronic devices are topping the list for many buyers, reports CNBC's Courtney Reagan.

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Saks Off Fifth and Other Discounters Figure Out How to do E-Commerce.

By Phil Wahba

NEW YORK | Sun Aug 4, 2013 9:04pm EDT
(Reuters) - Low-price retailer T.J. Maxx plans to open an online store this year, as does rival Saks Inc's Off Fifth outlets, making 2013 the year technology may have caught up with the speed of fashion.

For such chains, which feature clearance items, last-year's fashions and overruns, their fast-moving and often unpredictable inventory has made selling goods over the web complex.

"Retail is chaotic. Off-price retail is even more chaotic," said Fiona Dias, a leading e-commerce expert and chief strategy officer at ShopRunner.

A cardinal sin in e-commerce is to tell customers something is available when it's not, and conversely, having an item in stock but not having it on the website. That is why the retailers are investing in software that manages inventory, tracks it in real time, and continuously updates the websites.

This will be TJX Cos Inc's, owner of T.J. Maxx, second stab at e-commerce after a 2005 failure. It abandoned its first attempt after only a year following poor sales, turmoil in the corner office, and challenges at its smaller chains. That failure cost TJX $15 million.

Now, TJX is one of the fastest growing retailers, and T.J. Maxx one of the most popular brands. In 2011, it hired Elaine Boltz, a leading e-commerce executive. Last year, it spent about $200 million to buy online retailer Sierra Trading for its technology and expertise.

The revenue potential is huge. Avondale Partners thinks TJX, for instance, can quickly garner annual online sales of $1 billion.

The company declined to comment beyond what its chief executive has said on investor calls, but Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz thinks TJX will carve out space at its current distribution facilities to handle e-commerce, rather than spend millions on a fulfillment center.

Saks Inc's Off Fifth is following Barneys New York's recent launch of a discount site and will use existing facilities to keep costs in check.

Saks, which has closed some department stores while expanding its Off Fifth chain, is carrying out a three-year, $95 million overhaul of its computer systems to upgrade its e-commerce. It spent an extra $6 million to push up the launch of the Off Fifth site to this fall instead of next year.

Saks Chief Executive Steve Sadove told Reuters that the online selection at Off Fifth would be limited, and focused on better selling items, given the expense of taking quality photos and editorial content.

"Ultimately, what you have to weigh is the cost of putting an item up online against the incremental sales that'll be generated," Sadove said. "It's not free."

Attracted in part by the e-commerce potential, Hudson's Bay Co struck a $2.9 billion deal to buy the New York-based luxury retailer late last month.

Nordstrom Inc has an embryonic e-commerce site for its Rack outlet chain, but said it will build it out in the coming years as part of a $1 billion online overhaul.

Not everyone wants to let shoppers buy discounted items online. Gap Inc, Nike Inc and VF Corp's The North Face are sticking with brick-and-mortar stores for their discount businesses.

Steve Rendle, a VF executive, said it is important not to get shoppers hooked on deals, lest they stop paying full price.

Ross Stores, a fast growing rival of TJX's, told Reuters it has no plans for e-commerce, saying there is still plenty of growth potential for its stores.

But as far as TJX is concerned, CEO Carol Meyrowitz said more than a year ago that "e-commerce is clearly in our future."

E-commerce is growing at a clip of 10 percent a year through 2017, Forrester Research has projected.

"You don't want to lose out. If people are shopping the channel, you don't want to leave money on the table," said Morningstar's Katz.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba in New York; Editing by Jilian Mincer, Ed Tobin and Leslie Gevirtz)

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Artk 10 Best Practices For Successful Plm Evaluations from Art Krulish

Art Krulish is the Principal at ARTK Consulting,LLC

Art Krulish

Top 10 Activities of Smartphone Users.

The top 10 activities smartphone users engage in are 

1. e-mail (78% of respondents checking e-mail on their phones)
2. web browsing (73%)
3. Facebook (70%)
4. maps/directions (64%)
5. games (60%)
6. general search (57%)
7. share/post photos (53%)
8. local search (46%)
9. read news/sports (44%)
10. watch TV/video (37%)

According to IDC

SOURCE:

Bill Siwicki Managing Editor, Mobile Commerce -Smartphones are spearheading a commerce revolution, April 1, 2013 www.internetretailer.com 

What's driving digital success at Brooks Brothers?

By Artemis Berry, Senior Director of Content and Community, Shop.org | Published: January 14, 2013

SOURCE: blog.shop.org 

The first Brooks clothier store, at Catherine Street in Manhattan, 1845. (Source: Wikipedia)

   

“We are not good because we are old, but rather, we are old because we are good.” – Claudio Del Vecchio, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brooks Brothers

As the oldest retailer in America, I would describe Brooks Brothers as a legendary retail establishment driven and shaped by those it serves. And while that may be true, what has been amazing to watch over the years with this iconic brand is a culture breeding generations of innovation for the entire retail and fashion industry.

NRF and Shop.org are proud to have two leaders from the phenomenal Brooks Brothers team involved at Retail’s BIG Show this week in the world’s headquarters for retail – New York City. To help introduce one of our most involved members to our community we were fortunate enough to talk with both their chairman and CEO and NRF Board member, Claudio Del Vecchio, and Executive Vice President for Direct and Omnichannel, Ken Seiff, for a look into the class act that is (and runs) Brooks Brothers.
Personalization has become a top action item for retailers given its significant influence across every customer touch point: online, email, in-store, mobile. How is the Brooks Brothers team bringing personalized shopping experiences to the online and in-store shopper?

CDV: I think our perspective on personalization needs to reflect our 194-year history of personal service. For Brooks Brothers, the real key to personalization is to make sure that the customer sees what they want to see. The challenge is that many of our customers have grown accustomed to working with sales associates who introduce them to a lot of items, which they may not have known we made. So our goal with personalization is to build an intelligent strategy that doesn’t lose any of the sales associate knowledge or the surprise of showing them something new. If we can do that well, we will remain true to our heritage of providing both outstanding personal service as well as innovation.

KS: There is a lot of science to getting personalization right. For example, if a customer has purchased a custom suit, we have a pretty good idea which shirt fit and size makes the most sense for them even if it is their first visit online. And if the customer has a history of replenishing their shirts or suits every season, we can assume our algorithm will have a pretty good idea of their preferences for color, collar, style and much more. But, as Claudio said, there is a real art to personalization. Last month we launched our first efforts at personalization. The early results have been very exciting. And for me the best evidence that we are heading in the right direction with our customers isn’t just from the sales lift, it’s also from a customer email that asked “How did you know I liked stripes?”

Mobile optimized website or mobile app? What’s next for Brooks Brothers?

CDV: Our customers have computers, phones and iPads and they use all of them to shop and search. The proliferation of these devices creates an opportunity for us to service our customers more effectively. We don’t think about it as an either/or; we start by addressing what our customers want.

KS: The vast majority of our mobile customers access our website through iPhones and iPads, so for starters we are going to build an extraordinary experience for them through a mobile optimized website. But we aren’t simply building a website optimized for smart phones; we decided to build a site with responsive design. What our customers experience on a large monitor will differ from what they experience on a laptop, an iPad or a smartphone. When this launches in the spring, customers shopping or searching on any device will have their experience optimized for the size of its screen.

Many retailers (including Brooks Brothers) are operating in a borderless, global marketplace both online and with store expansion into both established and emerging markets. What are you keeping your eye on in the global retail industry?

CDV: After 194 years serving many generations of customers, we are America’s oldest retailer. Today we are a global company with over 300 retail stores worldwide, and almost half of them are international. Our renown as a global brand has been earned the old fashioned way. There is great demand for Brooks Brothers and we open in markets where there is anticipation for our arrival. We have earned credibility for our products and service and view ourselves as the steward for the American Dream.

Ken, as a veteran of the retail e-commerce industry you’ve been a founder or CEO of a number of pure-play retail organizations. What’s the most exciting thing about bringing the legendary Brooks Brothers customer-driven reputation to the digital realm?

KS: Brooks Brothers has this incredible and legendary reputation for serving its customers. The company also has an innovative history going back almost two centuries. Our predecessor teams introduced to America many innovations including ready-to-wear clothing, the button-down collar, the non-iron shirt and much more. That combination is a powerful force in any business, but it is the linchpin of building a great digital experience. Unlike any startup I have been a part of, this is powerful brand with vast resources. And Claudio has been the first to push us to take chances, to innovate and to invent. That makes working here as compelling as any startup.

The Brooks Brothers site has undergone a major site reinvention embracing personalization, stunning photography and storytelling. What are some of the most exciting new features of the website?

CDV: Thank you. We are very excited by what we are building online. It’s been a colossal commitment of almost every department. But if there is one thing that I am most proud of, it would be that we have been able to put our customer first in everything we are trying to do. It is our expectation that our customers will feel excited and inspired about the Brooks Brothers experience no matter which channel they shop.

KS: I think for me the most exciting feature is the all of the stuff we haven’t launched yet. We are working on a lot of really exciting innovations.

What are some of the most common mistakes you’ve seen digital retail leaders make over the last 20 years in the business?

CDV: I think perhaps it is assuming that everything that they are doing needs to be reinvented from scratch.

KS: I think that is right and I am definitely guilty of it. I am learning that a lot of what has been done in the past doesn’t need to be reinvented. There are so many best practices that have already been established in the traditional retail environment and we are trying to build them into our process and practices.

As an investor and entrepreneur you have constantly been ahead of the curve in the digital retail industry. What should we keep our eye on in 2013?

KS: I think that online businesses have now reached the size and scale where the basics are going to matter a great deal more than they have in the past. Effectively planning and managing inventory, creating an easy shopping experience, managing for return on investment and delivering world class customer service will be even more important than any single new technology innovation.

Which retail companies do you find most fascinating to watch?

CDV: I am more interested in hearing from our customers than watching other businesses. We have a mandate to lead not watch.

Mobile apps, e-commerce, mobile checkout, omni-channel retailing and social media

Vincent Quan
Associate Professor Fashion Merchandise
Management, Fashion Institute of Technology

Mobile apps, e-commerce, mobile checkout, omni-channel retailing and social media…These are just a few of the big industry buzzwords in wide use going into 2013.  Retailers have started to integrate one or more of these solutions and concepts into their retail strategies for next year and beyond. The ultimate retail challenge is how to use technology to solicit, engage and satisfy consumers. The goal is to deliver increased traffic, conversion and market share with faster inventory turns, higher sell throughs, and healthier gross margins.

However, is technology the ultimate panacea for consumers and retailers alike? The answer is an affirmative “not yet.”

During a visit to one of the newer stand-alone cosmetics and beauty specialty stores in New York City that has pioneered mobile POS, several customers who were in the process of being checked out with mobile devices were getting frustrated. The reason was that the mobile checkout devices were freezing in the middle of their transactions.  Needless to say, the customers weren’t the only ones getting annoyed.

Meanwhile, back at the mall…A visit to the branded denim bar (within a department store) demonstrated some wonderful technology. It had two iPads that allowed consumers to flip through their preferred cut, fit and wash while seated at the “bar.” 

However, why would a time-sensitive consumer exhaust precious minutes to play with an iPad if the product was within sight or displayed at the “bar”? Touching the product beats touching a screen any day. But this is not the end of the story. Two sales associates were observed discussing among themselves that the two mobile checkout devices (iPads equipped with credit card scanners) were not working.

Here is a conversation overheard at an eclectic specialty store between a sales associate and guest. Sales associate: “Hi, would you like to check out via a mobile device?” Guest: “That would be great, but how do I know that you’re not scanning my credit card on your phone?”

In the end, retailers must realize that technology is just an enabler. Technology does not supplant the need for great product, terrific service, a personal connection or security.

SOURCE: Retail Info Systems News

Online sales may bring holiday fear for some U.S. malls

By Ilaina Jonas-  (Reuters)

When it comes to the internet, David Simon's kids can look but not buy.

"They are not allowed to shop on the Internet or I won't pay for their room or board," Chief Executive and Chairman of Simon Property Group Inc, the largest U.S. owner of malls and outlet centers joked at a the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts investor forum in June.

Although his kids and their generation still go to the mall, Simon worries what the habits of his grandchildren will be.

If online sales continue to grow and take away a bigger and bigger slice of the U.S. consumer spending pie, the future doesn't look good for some malls. Yet in a weird twist, it looks brighter for others.

Last week's starting gun for holiday shopping speaks volumes.

For the first time, online sales could account for more than 10 percent of holiday sales this year, according to Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, which helps merchants sell more on websites, including Amazon.com and eBay.com.

Online sales on Cyber Monday jumped 30.3 percent, according to International Business Machines Corp, which analyzes transactions for 500 U.S. retailers. Even more threatening are the sales from pure online retailers.

For the five-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, client sales on eBay.com rose 38.3 percent compared with the same days in 2011, according to ChannelAdvisor, which helps merchants sell online. Sales at Amazon.com jumped 37.7 percent.

Meanwhile, foot traffic malls, shopping centers and power centers -- the home of big box stores -- rose 8.2 percent this year from Thursday though Sunday and sales increased 2.7 percent. Though store sale still account for the lion's share of shopping dollars, online sales are sky rocketing.

However, much of the online sales have come from brick-and-mortar stores, such as Macy's, the Gap, Costco and Target. They have embraced the Internet as yet another channel for sales, which benefits the stores. A large chunk of online sale returns occur at the store, giving shoppers a chance to avoid shipping costs, store owners a chance to make another sale, and the mall additional foot traffic. The same is true for consumers who order online and pick up their merchandise at the store.

"We would be very reluctant today to do business with a retailer that did not have a multi-channel strategy that would involve the internet," Daniel Hurwitz, chief executive of big box mall owner DDR Corp. "The issue with retail is merchandise. And the best merchant wins, and great real estate cannot bail out a bad merchant."

Online shopping presents its biggest threat to power centers, where stores like Best Buy and stationery merchants selling commodity goods are located. These retailers have started matching online prices but the strategy's success remains to be seen.

Many mall companies, such as Simon and Westfield Group also have embraced technology with mobile apps and QR codes that send messages and information to shoppers directing them to sales, events and offerings at the mall.

Still the new competition will widen the divide between stronger and weaker malls, and likely will accelerate the demise of weaker malls as they become less attractive retailers, shoppers and investors.
"If you're a fourth mall in a market, it's just not a compelling investment," Diane Wade, senior analyst of dedicated REIT manager CBRE Clarion Securities.

Meanwhile, stronger retailers will continue to flock to the better properties allowing owners to raise rents.

"If you're an owner of a lower quality asset that's not competitive with the other properties in the market, well that's an issue for you. But it benefits the guys with the stronger properties," Green Street Advisors analyst Andrew Johns said.

This accelerated trend will likely benefit the publicly owned real estate investment trusts who own about 70 percent of the best performing U.S. malls.

Despite incorporating technology, malls and their retailers cannot ignore the pure internet retailers, such as Amazon and eBay. To compete, they will continue focus on what online can't offer: an actual living experience, such as dining entertainment and a place to gather.

"You can't take your family to the Christmas lighting at Amazon, but you can do that at a mall," Johns said. "You can't go to Amazon to visit Santa but you go to a mall to do that."

Additionally, tenants at stronger properties will likely start using their stores as a form of advertising and as a marketing component, instead of being solely concerned with how profitable the store is.

"If I have a store in the best mall in town and I get tons of foot traffic though it, that's really valuable," Johns said. "Those people, they might not buy today, but maybe they'll go online or maybe they'll go back to their hometown because they're visiting, and buy at my other store."

(Reporting By Ilaina Jonas; editing by Andrew Hay)

Tanger Factory Outlets builds mobile database via Thanksgiving text-to-win effort

By Chantal Tode - Mobile Commerce Daily


As part of its marketing activities for Thanksgiving weekend, Tanger Factory Outlets is running a text-to-win sweepstakes giving shoppers a chance to win a shopping spree worth $1,000.

The mobile sweepstakes is part of a broader Thanksgiving effort that includes an app giveaway, with shoppers who download the Tanger app for iPhone or Android receiving a free holiday compact mirror between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30. App users will also be able to access special offers from Tanger Factory Outlet stores throughout Thanksgiving weekend.

“SMS is a fun, fast and effective way to engage our customers leading up to and during the busiest shopping weekend of the year,” said Quentin Pell, director of public relations and communications at Tanger Outlet Centers, Greensboro, NC. “Using a text-based opt-in entry method gives them a quick way of entering a contest vs. a traditional long form.

“Other than entering the contest our main goal is to grow out Tanger Text Deals database,” he said.

“Last year we increased our list by 30 percent over the holiday weekend.

“With a 95 percent read rate on text messages our Tanger Text Deals program has become a very important and growing digital channel.”

Building a list
Shopping events such as Thanksgiving weekend are a great time for retailers to build their mobile opt-in databases because foot traffic increases significantly. Then, once shoppers have opted in for the mobile text messaging program, retailers can continue to message them throughout the year to drive additional foot traffic.

For the Text To Win Moonlight Sweepstakes, customers using mobile devices will have the chance to win one of four $1,000 Tanger Shopping Sprees during the After Thanksgiving shopping weekend.

To enter the sweepstakes, shoppers 18 years or older can text SHOP4ME to 74700 to join Tanger Mobile Deals and automatically be entered.

Winners will be chosen by 9 am every day from Nov. 23-26, with instructions on how to pick up their gift card at the nearest Tanger shopping center.

When shoppers enter the contest, they receive a response text that drives them to the Tanger Outlet mobile site, where they will find additional offers and sales.

Year-round strategy
Tanger Factory Outlets will open at 10pm on Thursday, Nov. 22. A Moonlight Madness Sale will offer shoppers the opportunity to take advantage of savings before the Black Friday rush. All Tanger Outlet stores will offer special deals beginning Thanksgiving night and continuing throughout the weekend.

Shoppers can also take advantage of additional savings by downloading Bonus Savings Passes from the Tanger Factory Outlet Web site by Nov. 21.

There is also a social media promotion encouraging shoppers to help Tanger Factory Outlet reach 700,000 fans on Facebook by Nov. 20 for a chance to win a shopping spree.

“Our mobile channels have become very important to our overall strategy throughout the year not just over the holiday weekend,” Mr. Pell said. “Our goal is to provide an engaging, consistent experience across all our digital channels.

“Using our mobile Web site or our custom smartphone and iPad apps our shoppers can access the latest sales and coupon information, access center information or locate a store on our interactive maps,” he said.

Tesla's Model S Supercharger puts a buzz in Gilroy

By Mike Cassidy - Mercury News Columnist

As if the outlet mall, Gilroy Gardens and garlic weren't enough to put Gilroy on the map, the Silicon Valley suburb has a new claim to fame that may eventually eclipse the rest: Within weeks it will be home to one of Tesla Motors (TSLA)' high-powered, space-age electric car Superchargers.

Yes, I'm serious. A Tesla Supercharger. One of only six in California and the only one in the Bay Area. This thing comes with a buzz you can't beat, and Gilroy is the place to see it. The station means a quick charge for those who blow $50,000-plus on an all-electric car, which in turn means they can take real road trips in the things instead of just tooling up and down I-280 flaunting their gasless engines in the face of Prius drivers.

The charging station is a look into the future. That in itself gives it Silicon Valley star power. The station, under construction along a back alley of the Gilroy Premium Outlets, is destined to become a must-see shrine for a certain group of geeks who are gaga over technology and equally obsessed with the latest in automotive progress. (Remind you of anyone you know?)

"I was excited. I really was," says Gilroy Chamber of Commerce President Susan Valenta, who got the news a couple of weeks ago. "Tesla has really been becoming a strong presence. To select Gilroy for the charging station really shows a lot of foresight on their part, because the outlets get a tremendous amount of traffic off the freeway."

OK, it's not going to mean many more cars coming off the freeway anytime soon. The station is designed to refill the juice only in Tesla's Model S sedan -- adding 150 miles of range to the battery every 30 minutes. And there are fewer than 150 of the cars on the road today, according to the company's latest security filings. But this is about looking ahead to a time when presumably electric cars will be commonplace.

And in that sense, the new Gilroy station is the sort of thing that deserves a christening or a ribbon-cutting, or something, though nothing has been planned yet, Valenta says. (She also says she just might work on that.) So I took matters into my own hands Tuesday and drove down to the charging station in my all-gas Corolla.

I congratulated the work crew, who gave me funny looks. I stood and stared at the coming station, which is positioned between the Gilroy Inn and a row of shops including The Luggage Factory, American Apparel, Cole Haan and others. And I asked passers-by if they'd like to say a few words about this leap into the electric-car future.

"All I heard is that it is solar and it's Tesla," said Michael Taubman, the manager of a nearby store he preferred not to name while sharing personal views. "And I think that's great to have emerging technology here in Gilroy."

Any thoughts, I asked, about why Tesla picked Gilroy?

"I have no idea," he said. "From a demographic point of view, it wouldn't be the first place I would have thought of."

Never mind that Taubman is now off the chamber's speakers list for the official ribbon-cutting, it turns out Tesla has its own way of figuring out where to put these stations, which are also open or opening at Harris Ranch along I-5, Tejon Ranch farther south, Barstow, Folsom and Los Angeles. Tesla doesn't put its stations in places where its customers are from, or even where they're going. It figures out how they're likely getting from one place to the other and sticks the stations along the way, about 100 miles apart, says Tesla spokeswoman Shanna Hendriks.

"One of the things we want to make sure with every location," she added, "is that there is something for Model S drivers, or Model S owners, to do while they're charging."

Which is no doubt why the Gilroy station will be a few thousand steps from an In-and-Out burger. Nothing like scarfing down a double-double and an order of animal fries while your S slurps down a few kilowatts. It's how a charging station becomes a tourist destination.

In fact, the tourists already were showing up Tuesday. Yakoob Dal and daughters Seema and Sara had come all the way from Toronto to see the whiz-bang charging station. OK, they had come all the way from Toronto to see Los Angeles and were now on their way to San Jose. "They heard about the outlet," Yakoob Dal, 64, said, "and they said, 'Let's check it out, Dad.'"

But the Dals were impressed when I told them about the station. And other tourists will be, too.
Really. You'll see.

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Tesla to debut "supercharger" in San Marcos Premium Outlets

Nordstrom Rack launches ads in Words With Friends

February 21, 2012 -By Rachel Lamb - Luxury Daily

Nordstrom Rack banner ad on WWF

Department store chain Nordstrom is targeting aspirational consumers through mobile banner advertisements for its Nordstrom Rack locations in the popular gaming application, Words With Friends.

Nordstrom is promoting a sale in its discount chain that will serve to drive consumers in-store. It also provides a location-based map so that users can find the closest Rack.

“Gaming app inventory can bring value to a luxury brand, but a brand must chose the right game – one that matches the quality and audience of the luxury brand,” said Elena Perez, director of marketing at Medialets, New York.

“Likewise, it’s important that the ad placement is integrated in such a way that it complements rather than disrupts the game experience,” she said.

Words with Nordstrom
The Nordstrom Rack banner ad appears at the bottom of the Words With Friends screen.

Nordstrom Rack banner ad
The “clear the rack” sale offers up to 75 percent off of designer goods at Nordstrom Rack stores Feb. 14-20.

When it expands, the banner ad includes an option to find a Nordstrom Rack store using the mobile device’s GPS.

The content on the landing pages are optimized for mobile.
Since Words With Friends is a game, it is likely that Nordstrom is trying to attract younger consumers.

Younger consumers are less likely to be able to buy from Nordstrom. Therefore, drawing these types of consumers to Nordstrom’s outlet Rack locations may help the department store establish relationships with younger consumers who may grow up to shop at full-price Nordstrom locations.

Expanded banner ad
Racking up points
Nordstrom is not the first luxury department store to use banner ads on Words With Friends.

In fact, New York-based department store Bergdorf Goodman used Words With Friends to drive foot traffic to its store with a location-based banner ad promoting an in-house event.

Bergdorf’s banner ad at the bottom of the screen endorsed a meet-and-greet with designer Nancy Gonzalez at the brand’s store that consumers could RSVP to on Facebook (see story).

However, Bergdorf’s content post-banner ad was not optimized for mobile, which could have made it difficult for consumers to RSVP to an event or even spend time with the brand.

Meanwhile, Nordstrom helped consumers further by offering to scout out the nearest Rack location for them and optimizing the content.

Nordstrom Rack map
“Mobile-optimized landing pages are important to any brand that wants to drive mobile audiences to their Web site [and] luxury brands are no exception,” Ms. Perez said. “For a consumer, a non-optimized mobile landing page will be difficult to navigate and easy to abandon.

“A non-optimized landing page appears broken and will undermine the experience and value of the campaign,” she said. “That said, brands that don’t have a mobile-optimized Web site or landing page are not out of luck.

“Mobile rich-media ads allow them to integrate the same type of content and interaction within the creative, sparing the time and cost of development on the Web site.”

Jersey Gardens’ Solar Power System Completed

source: NJToday

ELIZABETH – This week, Glimcher Realty Trust announced the completion of a 4.8-megawatt SunPower rooftop solar system at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth. The project, which is among the largest rooftop systems in North America, broke ground in June 2011 and began producing power this week.

The rooftop solar system is comprised of more than 15,000 high efficiency SunPower panels, and generates approximately the amount of power required for 564 New Jersey homes. It is expected to generate the equivalent of 11 percent of the mall’s electrical demand.

Anchored by tenants like Gap Outlet, H&M, Lord & Taylor Outlet, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Nike Factory Store and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Jersey Gardens is the largest outlet mall in New Jersey. The mall was built by Glimcher Realty Trust in 1999 on the site of a former landfill.

“There has been a significant commitment to collaboration by all of the entities involved in this project as well as the City of Elizabeth, which is evidenced by the completion of the project in just seven months,” said Marshall Loeb, president and COO, Glimcher Realty Trust.

The solar power system at Jersey Gardens was made possible through a partnership with Gerding Edlen Development, Inc. and Gerding Edlen Sustainable Solutions.

According to Christina Skellenger of Gerding Edlen, “We are excited to see this monumental project come to fruition.”

This project is the result of a power purchase agreement between Glimcher Realty Trust and Clean Focus Corporation. Under the agreement, Clean Focus financed and owns the system. All solar renewable energy credits and environmental benefits associated with the system will be owned by Clean Focus. Jersey Gardens will buy the electricity at a predetermined, predictable price, providing a long-term hedge against rising power prices with no initial capital investment.

“This project is a perfect example of how working with the right partners can create a model for success. Because of the experience our partners — Glimcher Realty Trust, Gerding Edlen, SunPower, and PSEG — we were able to successfully work through the challenges of installing a very large solar project on the mall’s rooftop. We are pleased to be a part of a comprehensive sustainability program at the mall,” said Stanley Chin, president and CEO of Clean Focus.

The Jersey Gardens solar system was designed and installed by SunPower Corp., which will also operate and maintain the system. The system uses the SunPower®T5 Solar Roof Tile, which is the solar industry’s first non-penetrating rooftop product that combines a high-efficiency SunPower solar panel, frame and mounting system into a single, pre-engineered unit. Tilted at a 5-degree angle, the system will approximately double the energy generated per square meter compared to other systems that are mounted flat onto commercial rooftops.

“Only with SunPower high efficiency technology is the Jersey Gardens roof accommodating this 4.8-megawatt system, which will reliably generate power over the long term, maximizing savings on monthly electricity costs,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, regions. “We applaud our project partners for their leadership in installing this significant system, and helping New Jersey meet its renewable energy goals.”

The Jersey Gardens solar system was financed in part by the Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) Solar Loan Program. The Solar Loan Program can help qualified PSE&G electric customers finance from 40 to 60 percent of the total cost of their solar system. The loan can be re-paid using Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) generated by the solar system, with a minimum value for each credit guaranteed by PSE&G.

“We’re always happy to see one of our solar loan projects in service,” said Al Matos, vice president – renewables and energy solutions for PSE&G. “But it’s particularly rewarding when we can help finance one of the largest rooftop solar systems in North America at a premier location like Jersey Gardens.”

LED Lighting Saves Money

Article submited by Sean Lathrop from MyLEDLightingGuide.com

Light is an integral part of the business strategy of successful retail stores. Light is
needed to provide the right mood for shopping, highlight items the store wants to sell,
illuminate display cases and to create a unique identity in the shoppers mind.

“In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” Aaron Rose – photographer

Lighting electricity bills are an important component of a retail store’s cost structure. US
Department of energy estimates that lighting bills make for 42 % of the electricity bills of
US retailers.

According to the DOE Energy Information Administration, United States has close to 10
billion square feet of retail space. 90 Billion KWH of electricity is used every year by
these mercantile establishments. Of this, over 37 billion KWH is spent on lighting alone.
LED lights are revolutionizing the cost structure of retailing and are creating new
paradigms in competitiveness.

Cost savings with LED Lighting

Starbucks has long been the source of next generation retailing strategies. Starbucks
realized the importance of lower operating expenses. In a strategic initiative Starbucks
has ensured that it will benefit from much lower utility and maintenance bills by shifting
to LED lights. Starbucks has changed 1000 US stores to this energy efficient
technology. It plans to switch 8000 stores globally to LED luminaries. The lower
environmental impact of Starbucks stores besides significant cost savings and
efficiencies made LED's a compelling proposition for this retailing giant. After all there
are few cost cutting measures that can deliver more than 80% return on capital
employed.

If the Starbucks example is anything to go by, retail stores can expect a 7 to 10%
reduction in energy bills. A Philadelphia based 8000 square feet retail store that
invested in LED lighting technology reported savings of $660.44 per month in electricity
bills. These results are delightful but hardly surprising given that a 9 watt light can
replace an 18 watt CFL or a 65 watt incandescent bulb. In per square foot terms annual
savings will work out to around 7 KWh per square foot per annum or $ 0.7 per square
foot (at $.10 per KWH). For a 10,000 square foot retail store energy savings could thus
be close to $7000 per annum. For the 37 billion square feet of retail space that United
States has this will work out to a whopping 26 billion dollars.

LED bulbs can help a store cut down on its lighting and air-conditioning costs and help
reduce the carbon footprints of the store. They make a great investment because for
every dollar invested in these cost saving lights, $10 or more can be saved over the life
span of the bulb! These savings come from significant reductions in energy bills, air
conditioning costs, replacement costs and maintenance. Calculations show that each
par 65 bulb can potentially save $30 every year.