On the menu of this week's 10 ideas: Walmart and Delhaize are developing their ambitions in retail media, Nike, JCrew, and Charlotte Tillbury are launching new loyalty apps, while Puma still believes in the metaverse and Alibaba and Shein are seizing new territories.
Walmart strengthens its retail media offering
Just a few days after generating excitement among many customers with the announcement that digital price tags would be widely used in its stores, Walmart is unveiling another aspect of its digital transformation strategy: the retailer has joined forces with NBC Universal to offer advertisers using data and targeting from Walmart Connect, its retail media platform, the opportunity to do so directly on the sports channel's live streaming inventory. This will extend the reach of Walmart Connect, which already integrates TikTok's social media and Roku's connected TV inventories. Targeted advertising using Walmart's data is said to perform two and three times better respectively on these two channels.
Read on pymnts.com
Retail Media: Delhaize has reached half of its revenue target
Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize, told Reuters that the company was "about halfway" towards its target of generating €1 billion in advertising sales revenue from its retail media networks by 2025. These revenues will be reinvested in the responsible transformation of Delhaize, in order to offer its customers "healthy and sustainable" products, according to the CEO. Ahold Delhaize already owns a retail media company called Peapod Digital Labs in the US and plans to set up a sister agency in Europe.
Read more on money.usnews.com
IKEA trains employees to become interior designers
Moving from selling products to selling services: IKEA is no exception to this trend in retail either. The brand is banking on its interior design consultancy offer, whether by opening a dedicated studio in California or setting up a specialist call centre in the UK. For a fee of £25, Britons will be able to talk to a designer over the phone for an hour to get advice and receive a selection of products by email, which they can then buy online. For £125, they will also have access to a higher level of advice, as well as the production of 3D plans. More generally, the retailer wants to turn all its call centre staff into budding designers: 8,500 advisers have already been trained since 2021.
Read more on retailwire.com
Google adds virtual try-on to its search results
Since 14 June, Google users searching for fashion items have been able to see how a selection of tops from brands such as Anthropologie, Everlane, and H&M look on models who look just like them, thanks to photorealistic images generated by an AI. All they have to do is mention the "try-on" option in their search and select a model to discover the result. Eventually, Google wants to use all the images in its Shopping Graph, its database containing billions of product images, to roll out this functionality on a large scale.
Read more on chainstoreage.com
Charlotte Tillbury launches an app to keep it in your pocket 24/7
Charlotte Tilbury has launched a new app under its eponymous brand, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty. Designed as an interactive hub and powered by machine learning, the app promises a myriad of features, such as providing skincare and make-up recommendations tailored to the complexion and needs of each skin, all in just 60 seconds and straight from the designer's expertise, according to which, this app is a way of always having her on hand.
Read more on 365retail.co.uk
Exclusive benefits of the new JCrew app
Fashion retailer J Crew's new mobile app allows users to order new products online 48 hours before they are launched on the website and in-store, as well as offering users personalised recommendations and a self-checkout feature. "We successfully launched our J.Crew Passport loyalty programme two years ago. This application is an extension of that programme. It is also designed to attract new customers who do most of their shopping online," says Derek Yarbrough, the store's CMO. Two collections will be launched in July to illustrate the use cases of this new application.
Read more on glossy.com
Nike unveils joint digital programme with Pro:Direct Sport
Following on from the bridges created between its loyalty programme and that of Dick's Sporting Goods in October 2021, then the tie-ups with Zalando and JD Sports, the American equipment manufacturer is unveiling a new partnership with marketplace Pro: Direct Sport. Launched first on the Pro: Direct Sport mobile app in the UK and on the web in France, this online programme will allow members to unlock personalised digital experiences, exclusive products and the chance to be employed by both partners.
Read it on retailgazette.co.uk
Puma celebrates 75 years in the metaverse
To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Puma has launched Black Station 2, an extension to Unkai, its metaverse launched last September. The platform offers two worlds, one inspired by the Shibuya district of Tokyo, and the other by Unter, the Berlin club culture. Puma plans to use the platform to unveil new pairs, the first being the Fast-RB running shoe. Visitors to Unkai will be able to purchase NFTs representing Puma shoes, and either collect them in their digital form, or exchange them for physical versions. Purchases on the platform can be made with cryptocurrencies or credit card.
Read more on retaildive.com
Shein takes on home decoration and household appliances
Last week, Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Shein announced its expansion into new product categories, including household appliances, home automation and DIY products. This expansion will take place via partnerships with well-known brands, as well as through its marketplace, which was recently launched in the United States and Brazil.
Read more on fashionnetwork.com
Alibaba wants to speed up its expansion in Europe
The Alibaba group is making Europe a priority, with the forthcoming launch of Tmall in Europe, which will focus on marketing local brands, explained its CEO at Vivatech. "We have started with a pilot project in Spain, which we are going to extend to the whole of Europe", he said. Six national subsidiaries will soon be launched, financed by fund-raising or IPOs.
Read more on retailnews.asia