A few weeks ago I attended the #CultHosts Retail Revolution event hosted by Cult LDN in an awesome little pop-up space located below the Shoreditch railway line. The exposed brick architecture was a welcome sight although the topic quickly changed to the nature of technology and how it’s transforming the retail landscape before our very own eyes.
Cat Turner and Cara Parish from Cult LDN led the discussion on future thinking of digital retail and the importance of integrating digital innovation into the retail space, alongside, Kathryn Ferguson (Film Director at Selfridges), OJ Deady (Global Social Media Analyst at All Saints) and Gemma Lacey (Content Creator and Marketer).
As brick and mortar stores become less relevant in the digital age it was interesting to hear how some brands (such as AllSaints and TopShop) are adopting a ‘digital first’ approach with their stores acting as just another medium through which to interact with customers.
The internet and more recently social media has had a huge impact on the conversion funnel and brands that don’t interact with customers outside of the store are sure to get left behind. It’s not always about a sale and digital services (think video, virtual reality, social media) are great at building up a brand image and it’s recognition.
Overall the event was heaps of fun and it was great to hear how some of my favourite brands are staying ahead of the ever changing digital curve. Getting the chance to test out some revolutionary retail tech from beacons to VR headsets to digital displays (by our old favourites Inition) was also very beneficial as these products will be changing the retail landscape a lot sooner than one might imagine.