Often hyped as the “next big thing” for improving productivity or driving sales, technology can sometimes get in the way of progress.
Windows 8 is a recent example that Microsoft has fortunately (and some might say, mercifully) corrected.
Yet, sometimes, technology that vows to make our lives better, our jobs easier or our companies more profitable actually lives up its promise.
Case in point: Rebecca Minkoff’s flagship store in New York City’s SoHo District. Described as a “hotbed of consumer data” in a recent Digiday story, this designer brand has tripled its clothing sales by making very effective use of multi-channel retail technology and consumer data analytics.
As Digiday reports: The “connected store,” which is the first of three to open in the U.S., has given the designer brand some key takeaways: The team can find out which items are taken into the fitting room, what’s being purchased or left behind, and what new directions it should be heading in as an emerging name in retail.
Among the key components in the store are touch-screen displays that look like mirrors when they’re not activated. Placed throughout the store and inside fitting rooms, the displays enable shoppers to (among other things) browse through an online Minkoff catalogue, order a complimentary glass of champagne or ask a sales associate to find a purse to match an outfit the shopper is considering.
As Minkoff tells Digiday: “We’re predominantly known for our handbags. Since opening the store, we’ve seen a huge sales boost in clothing. We’ve made triple the amount of clothing sales than we thought we would.” Minkoff added that 30 percent of customers who try things on request, via the fitting room’s touch screen, additional items to be brought in by an associate.
Even though 3D TV royally bombed and Clippy annoyed just about everybody he ever encountered, the Minkoff story shows how technology can work magic. Keep that in mind the next time you’re in the market for a new technology.