4 examples of inbound marketing to attract more customers!
Examples of inbound marketing are flourishing on the Internet. Indeed, brands are becoming increasingly inventive in improving their lead generation capabilities. Here, we explain the benefits of the 4 best practices in inbound marketing. We’ll also go over the exact definition of this concept, which is important for your brand’s awareness. But before that, we’ll review the key figures to understand the mechanics of...
Preparing for the recession: 9 concrete steps for your company
For those still in doubt, a major recession will hit the world. It could well turn into a depression worse than the one in 1929. Preparing for a recession is a matter of survival for companies. This article proposes 9 concrete actions to prepare for the recession. Far from being a theoretical article, this guide combines the actions we are already implementing at IntoTheMinds. Contact us if you have any questions Summary The 3 main...
Pedemontana: the worst user experience in the world
User experience (or UX) has become a discipline in its own right with the digitalization of our lives. But it does not only apply to online environments. The Italian highway A36, also called “Pedemontana,” offers an example of a catastrophic user experience in the real and digital worlds. Those who designed this highway seem to have wanted to bring together all the worst things in terms of transparency, ease of use, and...
Lego store New-York: personalization and phygital on the agenda
The Lego Store on 5th Avenue in New York was the retail sensation of summer 2021. It opened on June 24, 2021, at the foot of the Rockefeller Center. It is not the first Lego store (see, for example, our article on the one in London) but probably the most “experiential.” It also incorporates several new elements that will increase the average sales and further fill Lego’s coffers. Follow us for a dive into the new...
Customer experience: The Lavazza Museum, a place to be taken as an example
For a museum, creating an innovative customer experience is an essential element of success. So even though I don’t usually talk about my vacations, I absolutely have to tell you about my visit to the Lavazza Museum in Turin, Italy. When it comes to customer experience and interactivity, Lavazza has it all figured out. And when the customer experience is at its best, customer satisfaction is bound to follow. If you only have 30...
Experiential marketing: definition, interest, and advice
We have already detailed how the customer experience is a crucial aspect that impacts customer loyalty and your brand or your company’s notoriety. Experiential marketing is another way to create a unique experience to attract your prospects. Sommary Definition The benefits of experiential marketing Some advice Examples credits: Shutterstock Definition Experiential marketing (also called “engagement marketing“) aims...
StopAmazon: a movement that lacks meaning
A movement is developing, StopAmazon, in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, to denounce Amazon’s takeover of the e-commerce. This movement takes different forms, such as calls for boycotts or demonstrations against the establishment of new distribution centers. The #StopAmazon movement is vain, unfounded, and I’m afraid I have to disagree with the arguments put forward by the opponents. Why is this? The opponents of Amazon...
Customer experience: definition, measurement, analysis [Guide, 2021]
The customer experience has become an almost magical expression that is synonymous with marketing success and brand differentiation. But what is the reality behind the customer experience? While most non-specialists confuse customer experience with customer satisfaction, this guide takes stock of a concept evolving steadily since its invention nearly 40 years ago. Summary Definition of the customer experience Customer experience: more...
Reinventing the museum experience with eye-tracking
The customer experience in museums is mostly the same for everyone. It is linear. Our major cultural institutions do not propose differentiated customer experiences. The emerging use of Big Data in the museum space makes it possible to apprehend all the variations in visitor behaviour and to glimpse ways of improving it. In this article, I develop the idea of using eye-tracking to understand better how art is consumed and to propose...
8 factors influencing customer loyalty after a complaint
Good customer complaint management has proven its effectiveness in increasing customer loyalty for decades. Recent market research, published in September 2020 provides insight into how this efficiency varies according to your business sector. This is the first research to understand the economic, sectorial and relational effects on customer loyalty after a complaint has been processed. The authors study the differences between...
Rethinking the customer experience in museums with (Big) data
How can Big Data help museums reinvent themselves? How can data collection techniques be used to understand visitors better? How can data be used to build visitor loyalty? In this article, we propose a series of reflections on current and future museographic devices and on “data” initiatives that can be put in place to improve the customer experience and increase visitor loyalty. Summary Introduction Museums in the Age of...
Customer loyalty: 5 brands that create unforgettable customer experiences
Every brand wants to be remembered. They all want their customers to come back. But how do you make sure your brand is remembered and how do you increase customer loyalty? There are a lot of factors that influence consumer behaviour. I have reviewed my own experiences and identified 2 essential ingredients. Summary Introduction The 2 essential ingredients to make your brand unforgettable 5 brands that create unforgettable shopping...
25 million customers to satisfy per year: the mission of Veronique Vergeynst
Satisfy 25 million passengers a year. If this sounds like an impossible mission at first glance, Veronique Vergeynst is the right person for you. The Head of Corporate Marketing at Brussels National Airport was voted French-speaking marketeer of the year in 2019. The challenges are immense and multiple: managing and measuring customer satisfaction, creating a memorable customer experience, customer loyalty as well as innovation. In...
[podcast] How this different restaurant became number one on TripAdvisor.
In this new podcast, we will talk about the exciting story of a gastronomic restaurant (the 65 degrees) that employs people with Trisomy 21 and other mild disabilities. Its co-founder, Adelaide Aymer, takes stock with us of the first year of operation which, in addition to extensive media coverage, has also enabled 65 degrees to win the award on TripAdvisor. Indeed, 65 degrees has become the N°1 restaurant in Brussels on TripAdvisor,...
Pagani’s attention to details creates a unique customer experience
Last month I had the chance to visit the Pagani car factory in San Cesario Sul Panaro near Modena. In the heart of the Italian “Motor Valley”, Pagani has been producing coveted hyper-cars all over the world for almost 30 years at a rate of 40 units per year. The base price of the latest model: €2.2m (excluding VAT and excluding options). Horacio Pagani, the creator of the eponymous brand, has developed a company of 150...
Customer Experience: Polette puts sex toys in a shop window display
Last week, a shop window display aroused my interest as I walked through the streets of downtown Brussels. I was not the only one to stop in front of the Polette store, rue du Marché aux Herbes. How could it have been otherwise when moving sex toys were displayed in the window? In the series of interactive store windows, this one is at least, quite remarkable. Market research is also about that: observe trends. We have interviewed...
Major Retail Outlets in City Centres
After many years of focusing on opening stores on the outskirts of major cities, Ikea opened this week in Paris, on May 6, 2019, 23 Boulevard de la Madeleine in the 1st arrondissement, its first retail outlet adapted to city centres. Summary Ikea in the city centre Retail outlets located far from the outskirts of the city What are the main advantages? Ikea relocates to the city centres This unique concept launched by Ikea is similar...
Customer experience: This Lisbon store uses a magical recipe to make you buy
Rarely have I seen a store that used marketing so efficiently to unconciously make people buy. “O Mundo Fantastico Da Sardinha Portuguesa” is a a store located on Praça Rossio (Rossio square) in Lisbon which seels sardines in box. Boxes are colorful, bear the mention of a year and a few facts about that year. Different colors are associated to different decades. O Mundo Fantastico Da Sardinha Portuguesa uses several...
World Packaging Organisation: our eye on the Awards
The well-known World Packaging Organisation (WPO) will announce the winners of the World-Star Packaging Awards 2019 next month, on the 15th of May. Considering the role of packaging on purchase decisions, we have chosen some of the finalists and analysed their packaging for you. Country Designer / Manufacturer Product Originality Packaging trend 1. Finland Jospak Oy Food trays 100% recyclable and customisable Eco-friendly...
Marketing research: the 4 dimensions of online customer experience
There is a lot of debate around the definition of customer experience. Despite intense marketing research there is for instance still no valid scale to measure it. Seeing a paper on online customer experiences published in the Journal of Marketing was therefore an exciting event for me. It’s entitled “Creating Effective Online Customer Experiences” and is authored by 3 scholars : Alexander Bleier, Colleen M....
Audi e-tron : a track to test it at Munich airport
The new Audi e-tron is the first 100% electric SUV of the Ingolstadt-based brand. It’s quite unique and competes head-to-head with the new Jaguar i-Pace (which just got the prize of Car of the Year 2019). Audi promoted its new vehicle in a very clever and spectacular way at the Munich airport. While on business trip in Bavaria I was pleased to discover a temporary installation outside the airport terminal. Audi had installed a...
Delhaize Fresh Atelier: analysis of a retail concept and new openings
In November 2018, the Ravenstein Gallery, near Brussels Central Station, saw the emergence of the new retail concept of Delhaize, the Belgian mass retail company belonging to the Ahold group, called “Fresh Atelier”. The city of Louvain (Leuven) has also hosted a Fresh Atelier in the Diestsestraat since December 2018. This new store concept aims to refocus on consumers’ expectations, both in terms of their consumption...
Interactive showcases: the innovative tool that retailers have always dreamed of?
The creation of attractive storefronts is an integral part of the marketing plan in the retail sector. In the digital age, retailers are moving towards interactive displays. Storefronts that adapt to their environment and create interaction with this environment while keeping essential functions such as displaying the brand’s new products, promoting ongoing discounts, and much more. In this article, we will review the status of...
Customer experience: this restaurant offers a digital detox
During a dinner with a customer, I witnessed an unusual but nowadays widespread scene. A couple, sitting a few tables away from us, spent their evening on the phone. Even though they were sitting opposite each other, the conversation only took place via their smartphones. An unfortunate time, when nothing is shared, except for his or her solitude. The smartphone becomes a mediator, the digital reflection of a very real solitude. What...
Nudie Jeans builds a community around upcycling and quality
On my recent tour of the Berlin retail scene (see for instance my other posts on New Era and Soho House) I discovered Nudie Jeans, a Swedish brand whose store is located on Münzstrasse, next to the Levis store. Today’s article is short and will quickly walk you through the positioning of this brand and my analysis of the customer experience. Eventually I’ll also touch customer satisfaction and loyalty in this context....
Customer experience: this Aesop product is a disaster
Aesop is a great brand. I respect it a lot and often cite it in example as far as customer experience, branding and retail strategy are concerned (not mentioning their great store designs). Read also One Day One Idea : Aesop’s technique to get customers in the store But for once I’m disappointed. Very disappointed. I was having lunch in an upscale restaurant in France during my holiday and was shocked to discover one particular...
Customer experience: is Soho House Berlin the future of concept stores?
Soho House is known as a group of private members’ clubs around the world. Of English origins the concept has spread into continental Europe too. Berlin has its Soho Club too and the non-private parts are worth a visit, especially the concept store on the ground floor which is in our opinion a model of what the future of retail will look like. Before we report on our visit there, let’s have a brief introduction on the Soho...
Renault opens 100% electric vehicles store in Berlin
Car manufacturers are betting on alternative energies to sustain their growth. As on our market research revealed, the market for electrical cars is growing at different paces in Europe with Germany being one of the top markets in 2016. Logically manufacturers are trying to communicate more on the advantages of these vehicles and Renault, as market leader for electrical vehicles with a market share of 23.7% in Europe in 2017, opened a...
Customer experience : finally a scientific scale to measure it
How to measure customer experience? This question has led many researchers on the path to developing scales to quantify something that is highly subjective by nature. Read also Yet most customer experience scales were until now limited to one particular domain or one particular moment of the customer experience (to get an overview of those moments please read our article on the subject). At the EMAC 2018 conference one research...
American Eagle makes your pair of jeans and the customer experience unique
How to create a unique customer experience and differentiate you from the crowd ? This is a recurrent topic on this blog (see for instance our analysis of the Sonos and Flying Tiger customer experiences). Today we’ll analyse the in-store customer experience offered by an American fashion brand : American Eagle. Make your pair of jeans your very own : a unique customer experience The concept behind American Eagle is that each...
Flying Tiger: here’s how a unique customer experience is created
If you are looking for the quintessence of customer experience, look no further. This store counts only on its customer experience to drive its sales : it’s called “Flying Tiger Copenhagen“. And believe it or not I visited one store of this Danish brand for the first time a few weeks ago. I paid a visit to the store located next to the Flatiron building in New-York. A store full of 1$ and 2$ stuff This store proposes...
Sonos flagship store offers a unique customer experience
Sonos is a high-end brand of audio equipment for the home. The Sonos flagship store in New-York is a model of outstanding retail customer experience. Follow us for an inspirational tour of this retail space located at the heart of SoHo, one of New-York’s most fashionable retail districts. How Sonos creates a unique in-store customer experience Unlike any other store the products are not prominently displayed in the Sonos...
A qualitative market research of the Hollister & Co. brand perceptions
How do you explore customers’ perceptions about a brand ? Which methodologies should you use to elicitate brand images ? A recent research published in the Journal of Retailing explores consumers’ perception of Hollister and Co. and uses for this aim a vast array of market research techniques. Market research methods The methodologies used by the authors to explore consumers’ feelings, unconscious thoughts are...
Sonia Rykiel store in London : what a customer experience !
This is not a store. This is a home. In London Sonia Rykiel welcomes you in a red-painted Parisian salon, one that you may have dreamt of but never had a chance to visit before. Everything in this boutique recreates a very special atmosphere, one that belongs to the DNA of the Rykiel brand. Sonia stands for France; Rykiel conveys a certain image that customers want to attach to themselves. Rykiel is not a passe-partout brand....
Christmas windows : Louis Vuitton’s partnership with Jeff Koons
If you love luxury you’ve probably heard about the latest limited edition of bags created in partnership with American artist Jeff Koons (we even wrote an article about them that you can read here). To promote those bags the partnership extends also to the store windows. Discover those works of Art (literally) in the pictures below taken in London on New Bond street this week. The products are not embedded in a more...
Single-Sign-On : a game changer for public broadcasters
On 17 and 18 October 2017 I was pleased to organize, as Chairman of the EBU Big Data initiative, a 2-day conference dedicated to Single-Sign-On (SSO). This workshop was hosted at RTBF and welcomed participants from 30 organizations and 10 countries, mainly from the media world (TV, radio and press). Single-Sign-On has been widespread in all sectors for years (it’s instrumental to e-commerce for instance) but the media world has...