1 DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,[email protected]:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.
September14,2017
Tech. Powered by Retail Week 2017, Day One: ASOS on Mobile Web vs. Apps and Google on the Emergence of Conversational Interactions Source:Twitter.com/RetailWeek
TheFGRTteamisattendingtheTech.PoweredbyRetailWeekdigitalretailingconferencethisweek,andtheseareourtoptakeawaysfromdayoneoftheevent:
1) AtASOS,themobilewebisanacquisitionchannel,whilethemobileappisanengagementchannel.
2) Googleenvisionsthatartificialintelligence(AI)willbecomeempatheticandvisualinthefuture.
3) Internet-onlyretailersareleadingtheadoptionofcontentincommerce.
Tech.PoweredbyRetailWeekFGRT’sLondonteamisattendingtheTech.PoweredbyRetailWeekconferenceonSeptember13and14.FGRTisamediapartneroftheevent,andourResearchAssociate,FilippoBattaini,hostedtheevent’sDiscoverystartuppitchsessionsonthemorningofSeptember13.Wewillwrapupthestartupsthatpitchedtheirideasacrossthetwodaysinoursecondflashreportfromtheevent.Here,wesummarizekeytakeawaysfromothersessionsonthefirstdayoftheconference.
ASOSonMobileCommerceAndreaTrocino,DirectorofTechnologyatASOS,gaveanoverviewofthelandscapeofthemobilewebandmobileapps.Onekeypointhemadewasthatthemobilewebisanacquisitionchannel,whilethemobileappisanengagementchannel.Onthemobileweb,ASOSseesdoubletherateofnewcustomeracquisitionasitdoesonitsmobileapps,butitsappsseedeeperengagement:itsappusersclockanaverageofeightusesand80minutespermonthontheapps.
2 DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,[email protected]:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.
September14,2017
TrocinonotedthreepillarsofmobileatASOS:
1. Customerengagement:ASOSoffersinspirationandexcitementtomobileusers.
2. Techinnovation:consumersgetexcitedaboutnewfunctionality—suchastheFaceIDlaunchedbyApplejustthisweek—andretailersmustoffersuchfunctionalitytoretainloyalty.
3. Shoppingexperience:ASOSstrivestoofferanenjoyableandfrictionlessshoppingexperience.
Source:FGRT
Trocinoconcludedbyrunningdownthetopemergingtechnologiesthatcouldimpactcustomerbehavior.Heratedmachinelearningandartificialintelligence(AI)aslikelytobethemostimportantforretailers.Inaddition,augmentedrealityandvirtualrealitywilllikelychangehowweshopforsomecategories,Trocinonoted,butitwilltakeconsumerssometimetogetusedtousingthehardware(suchasvirtualrealityheadsets).DigitalassistantssuchasAmazon’sAlexawillhavelimitedimpactinthenearterm,Trocinosaid,addingthatconversationalcommercehasmainlybeenusedforcustomerserviceratherthanshoppingthusfar.
GoogleonConversationalUserInterfacesAliceZimmermann,AssistantGlobalProductPartnershipsLeadatGoogleUK,outlinedsomeadviceandinsightsforbrandsandretailerslookingtodeployconversationaluserinterfacesenabledbytechnologysuchasGoogleVoiceanddevicessuchasGoogleHome.Zimmerman’skeypointsincluded:
• Thesmartphonewillremaintheprimarymeansbywhichconsumersengagewithconversationalmediasuchassocialmedia.Consumershave“outsourced”partoftheirmindsandemotionalmemoriestotheirsmartphones—forexample,theytendtorecordeverykeyeventthroughphotographstheytakewiththeirphones.
• Voiceinteractionwillbecomemoreintuitive.Forfutureconsumers,whoarecurrentlyjustkids,itwillbejustasnaturaltohearadevicespeakasitwillbetohearahumanspeak.
3 DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,[email protected]:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.
September14,2017
• Engineersworkingonconversationalinterfacesneedtohavestrongempatheticskills,asintuitionmattersandabadexperiencecanmakeconsumersangry.Ina2015Googlesurvey,fully54%ofrespondentssaidtheygetangry,irritatedorannoyedwhenvoicerecognitiondoesnotwork.
Lastly,ZimmermannotedtwokeytrendsinAIthatwillimpactconversationalexperiences:
1. AIwillbecomeempathetic,understandinghowconsumersarereactingandwhy.
2. AIwillbecomevisual,sensingthesurroundingworldthroughcameras.ThiswillenableAItounderstandusers’needswithgreateracuityandincontext.
ContentandCommerceInapanelsessionontheroleofcontentasamarketingtoolincommerce,weheardfromKarolineGross,FounderandCEOofshoppablevideoproviderSmartzer;CraigSmith,VPofCustomerSuccessatcontent-managementand-deliveryfirmAmplience;andThorbenSeeger,HeadofSalesatcustomer-generated-contentfirmDuel.
• Grossnotedthatimage-recognitionsoftwareismakingcontent—includingvideocontent—shoppable.
• Smithremarkedthatmanyretailersarestillproducingcontentthatisgeneric,oronlyslightlytailored.Companiesfaceachallengeincreatingvolumesofcontenttocatertomanydifferentcustomerprofiles.
• Seegeralsonotedthatconsumer-generatedcontenthasavaluableplace:customerscanbecomecontentcreators,helpingtoprovideonlineshopperswiththerichcontextualinformationthattheynormallygetwhenshoppinginphysicalstores.
• Smithfurtherremarkedthatstoreassociatescanbecontentcreators,too,andthatretailerscanleveragetheirstaffstocreatemarketingcontent.
• Seegerconcurred,sayingthatcontentneedstobemanageableatscale,andthatautomation,includingAI,canenableretailerstoachievethatwithoutmajorlaborcosts.
Thepanelwrappedupbynamingtheretailersthattheythinkarebestatdeployingcontent,whichincludedNet-A-Porter,ASOS,MissguidedandMade.com.Noneofthesearebrick-and-mortarretailers;withtheexceptionofafewrecentlylaunchedflagshipstores,allofthesenamesoperateasInternet-onlyretailers,suggestingthatlegacyretailersareonceagainplayingcatch-up.
4 DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,[email protected]:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.
September14,2017
DeborahWeinswig,CPAManagingDirectorFGRTNewYork:917.655.6790HongKong:852.6119.1779China:[email protected]
JohnMercerSeniorAnalyst
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