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Caution: Code Work Ahead

Information is empowering; human interaction is vital

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Here we are, knee-deep in the 21st Century – but, the new century isn't very new anymore. Can you say 2020? That's right, the “soaring twenties” are just around the corner. And as the retail industry’s grand evolution continues to unfold, it brings with it new catch phrases, tag lines and buzzwords. Our ever-changing industry vernacular now bandies about terms such as omnichannel (ad nauseam), showrooming, brick-and-mortar, click-and-mortar, and now the latest addition to retail-speak, code-and-mortar. Wait, what? I just figured out what omnichannel means.

The debate over brick-and-mortar verses digital retailing is over. Stores aren't going away anytime soon, and neither is technology. While it must be recognized that 90 percent of purchases are still made in stores, the times, they are a-changing, as Amazon continues to rev its engines, as it were, with their point-of-sale software and the collection of tens of thousands of hours of data. But in addition to integrating the latest digital wizardry into store environments, in the hope of cementing an indelible connection with the customer, true visionaries angling for market share will also use plugged-in platforms and systems to amass data and information. While the goal is to connect, customer relationships are ephemeral at best. Today, the consumer is the boss. Traditionally, the burden of fulfillment has always been on the customer, now it is squarely on the shoulders of the retailers.

What measures have been employed by the retail industry to add value to the in-store experience? Will they sufficiently maintain the right balance in this omnichannel environment of tactile and virtual messaging? Sure, we’re seeing a plethora of mobile apps, smart dressing rooms, virtual closet organizers and 3-D scanners. And now adding to the mix is Apple’s new iBeacon technology that will flood cyber-space with coupons, announcements, messages and sales information.

In today’s market, the customer wants what they want, when they want it and wherever they want it. And while the integration of technology is vital for survival, the future of retail is in analytics and the collection of data – hence the term “code-and-mortar.” Although this may seem like nirvana for statisticians and bean counters, this next phase, much like visual merchandising, is an art and a science. The art is asking the right questions, and the science is the analysis of the responses – are there meaningful patterns and what information garnered is relevant to the brand?

So the caution flag is hoisted along the road of retail evolution, or revolution, depending on your perspective, as retailers scramble to morph virtual reality and three dimensional possibility into successful business strategies. There remains however, a missing component. Technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum, rather, it must be seamlessly integrated into physical environments that are designed for human consumption at human scale.

Technology and analytics will thrive in environments large or small, whether in the cavernous power-architectural edifices along Fifth Avenue and the Champs-Élysées, or in Main Street’s box and slab formulas, if retail design considers human interaction. So as we negotiate the bumps in the unpaved road ahead, we must remember to add the human touch.

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Eric Feigenbaum is a recognized leader in the visual merchandising and store design industries with both domestic and international design experience.  He served as corporate director of visual merchandising for Stern’s Department Store, a division of Federated Department Stores, from 1986 to 1995. After Stern’s, he assumed the position of director of visual merchandising for WalkerGroup/CNI, an architectural design firm in New York City. Currently, he serves as the chair of the Visual Merchandising Department at LIM College (New York), and was also an adjunct professor of Store Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In addition to being the New York Editor of VMSD magazine, Eric is also a founding member of PAVE (A Partnership for Planning and Visual Education). Currently, he is also president and director of creative services for his own retail design company, Embrace Design.

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