Brands are getting lost in-store while online e-commerce sites are even worse for the brands. An online shopper can pull up product comparisons or go to the brand page, but when scrolling through pages of product listings and product detail pages how can the brand stand out? SYNQY technology can make your CE product stand apart from the competition. Typical Product Detail … [Read more...]
The Death of the Brand at Retail For CE Products
In a market where there are many similar products, such as in consumer electronics, how important is the brand? I want to say it is VERY important. However, it is difficult for any brand to stand out in-store or online in this ever-evolving retail world. This blog explores how online shopping has changed how brands present themselves and the retailer's role in downplaying the … [Read more...]
What CE Independent Retailers can Learn from the Corner Bicycle Shop
My son has a dream of owning his own bicycle shop. I figured there has to be a book about how to start your own retail bicycle store and sure enough I found one: "Leading Out Retail: A Creative Look at Bicycle Retail and What All Retailers Can Learn From It" by Donny Perry. (Published in 2014). Perry foreshadows a lot of what is happening to independent retailers today and … [Read more...]
How Not To P!#$ Off Your Dealer Network If…
So what are some of those things that can cause conflict between a dealer network and the CE manufacturer? ...you both want to drive traffic to your website. A marketing director for a manufacturer of high performance car audio equipment, shared with me his frustration that he needs to raise awareness for products outside of their own core competency. After 45 years in … [Read more...]
What is Hindering Your Product’s Success in Retail Outlets?
I asked many of my LinkedIn connections in the CE industry what is hurting the success of consumer technology products at retail outlets. I received several insights and I thought they are worth sharing to a larger audience. High Costs, Low Margins, Counterfeit Products, and Amazon are Major Obstacles at Retail Outlets An EVP of Sales & Marketing and Operations at a … [Read more...]
The Independent Dealer Can Prosper in the Age of Amazon
There is a place for independent dealers (regional and local) in the consumer technology world. Some chains have failed or are trying to restructure such as HHGregg and Radio Shack. Best Buy is making a comeback and doing battle with Amazon and Walmart. Can the independent dealer claim their place in the evolving retail world? I think they can and in fact, they may be able to … [Read more...]
4 Pain Points for Consumer Technology Marketers: Brick-and-Mortar
Having worked on the agency and client side, I can identify several pain points that are universal for many marketers of consumer technology products today. In this blog I will explore a few of these issues as they relate to selling product at a brick-and-mortar store. Pain Point 1: Store sales reps don't know my product's features and benefits. I often go to my clients … [Read more...]
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality and the Future of Retail
If you haven’t lived in the woods for the past couple of years you know that these days Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are all the rage in Silicon Valley. The potential implications of these two technologies can’t be overstated as they might transform many facets of modern society from how we browse the web to how we will work in the future. For the purpose of this … [Read more...]
Ice-Watch Wins at Retail with Great Merchandising
I was in Macy’s several months back and the "Ice-Watch" display and packaging made it impossible to walk by without checking them out. This is exactly what great merchandising should do. I had never heard about Ice-Watch before this day. The Importance of Color and Merchandising At first it was the color overload that stood out from the conservative jewelry counters. Then … [Read more...]
Brick-and-Mortar vs Online Retailers: Is one the death of the other?
When online stores started becoming a more popular way to shop, pundits predicted the death of all brick-and-mortar stores. Here we are, more than a decade later, and we still have physical stores. There are some brick-and-mortar retailers that became giants on-line and there are some on-line brands that have opened a physical store. Some of the brands that opted to … [Read more...]