Retail maestros reveal their insights

I spent this week speaking at a major conference attended by two international retail experts: one from London, the other from New York. Both were keynote speakers presenting to, and engaging with, some of the top retailers in Australia.

Howard Saunders is joint CEO of Echochamber (www.echochamber.com) and works with major retailers and mall operators looking at retail trends from around the world, though predominantly across Europe. Howard Davidson is Vice President and Executive Creative Director of MARS Advertising, the largest pure shopper marketing agency in the world (www.marususa.com). MARS focuses on working with retailers and manufacturers alike to create excitement in stores.

I haven’t got time here to share some of their amazing careers but suffice to say one of them designed the ASDA logo in the UK which is still in use 20 years later, and the other helped Rupert Murdoch enter the US print market. These two were seriously credentialed gentlemen.

Hearing the two very different but very engaging speakers opine on what is right and what is wrong in retail in the two biggest retail markets was enthralling.

Howard Davidson’s calm New Yorker creativity highlighted that data sharing, detailed shopper insights, clear planning and outstanding execution of a calendar of events in store is what is driving growth among retailers (like BestBuy) in the US. That growth stems from having a clear focus on the shopper both in the store and online. And it is the outcome of manufacturers and retailers working more closely than ever to make the shopping experience the best it can be.

Howard Saunders’ manic and confronting London style challenged us by asking what the High Street is even for now in Europe? Council parking restrictions make us rush around, taking away the pleasure of shopping so much, that stores are boarded up in many suburban high streets. He tells us that everything we actually need – food, shelter, clothing –we can easily buy at low prices in Europe but it’s the passion and love of shopping that is driving the growing retailers and all their focus is on creating amazing visually engaging stores irrespective of price point of the products they are selling.

And tales of how we react to the recession are very telling of how true it is that really engaged shoppers will always shop. He showed a photo taken the day the Bank of Scotland was closed in the UK – the defining moment in the GFC cycle in that country. It was a photo showing shoppers queuing around the corner to buy limited edition “Dirty 30” Diesel Jeans.

The bank had just collapsed, and they are queuing to buy denim and they are wearing… denim!! They didn’t need the jeans, but these jeans fell into the category of “must have”.

Hearing the two of them presenting, seeing the examples and then having the unique benefit of having them discuss together their different interpretations was a great source of insights.

Perhaps if many more manufacturers and retailers brought these “marriage guidance counsellors” into their sometimes adversarial relationships, many more innovative and exciting retail experiences would be created for all of us shoppers to enjoy.

In his role as CEO of CROSSMARK, Kevin Moore looks at the world of retailing from grocery to pharmacy, bottle shops to car dealers, corner store to department stores. In this insightful blog, Kevin covers retail news, ideas, companies and emerging opportunities in Australia, NZ, the US and Europe. His international career in sales and marketing has seen him responsible for business in over 40 countries, which has earned him grey hair and a wealth of expertise in international retailers and brands. CROSSMARK Asia Pacific is Australasia’s largest provider of retail marketing services, consulting to and servicing some of Australasia’s biggest retailers and manufacturers.