DMM Retail Industry e-News Issue #164
Retail is More than Buying Stuff – It’s the Experience
A technology consultant is bullish on retail, if technology is used to help them give their customers a great experience and incentive to return. Phil Wainewright is an authority on cloud computing, and blames companies where retail is in decline on, among other things, the “lack of imagination and investment on the part of store owners.” So, what does Wainewright suggest to succeed in the brick-and-mortar world of retail? He cites Best Buy as an example, which uses “showrooming” to encourage shoppers to examine products in-store and buy them there. “Building on the existing Geek Squad of in-store tech support staff, Best Buy launched an In-Home advisor program, sending these experts out to offer technology advice in consumers’ own homes and encouraging them to build long-term relationships,” Wainewright said.
New Project News: The Garrison at Stafford, North Stafford, VA
North Stafford in Virginia is getting excited for its newest project: The Garrison at Stafford is a pedestrian-friendly shopping center that will include 450 apartment units and a movie theater. The Pence Group’s president, Geoff Pence, told Fredericksburg.com phase one of the two-phase project will begin in the fall. “The initial build-out will be 200,000 square feet of retail and a little over 100 apartment units…[it’s a] town center-type project…I think it’ll be a great addition to Stafford.” The center will also feature a movie theater and, in phase two, a supermarket.
Case Study Revisited: King of Prussia Town Center
We first wrote about this place four years ago when it was still being developed. While your humble e-newsletter editor hasn’t yet hit the road for a cheesesteak at the King of Prussia Town Center, we thought it was about time we revisited the project. The center was profiled for a local website last year. Property manager Joseph Mancuso told The Philadelphia Inquirer most of the center’s parking spots are frequently filled. And their mix of retail, food and entertainment are “fairly Amazon-proof. Most of what we have here, whether it is food or health and beauty, are items that you can’t order online or most people don’t order online. We’re trying to create experiential retail.”
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DMM e-News - Issue #164
