The Fix — a newsletter for ecommerce managers | June 2022
Hello again! It’s that time of the month where I bring you a selection of the latest news and trends across the ecommerce and retail world.
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🛋 Home furnishing retail news
The thread that ties these stories together is that now that the pandemic has somewhat subsided, retailers are thinking again about physical locations and their place in the customer journey.
Wayfair Unveils First AllModern Physical Location With Tech-First Approach
🛋 Wayfair, the digital-first ecommerce furniture retailer, has opened its first AllModern physical location.
It is experimenting with blending brick-and-mortar and digital approaches to retail through a “high-touch omnichannel strategy that includes a smart-technology-first model”.
I think that just means you can use an app in the store… 🤔
Ikea to invest about $3.15 billion in new, existing stores
🏪 Ikea is making big investments in brick-and-mortar stores…
Inside Ikea’s first cashless downtown store at Yonge and Gerrard
💳 …and is experimenting with smaller store formats and more frictionless customer experiences.
🏡 John Lewis names sites for its ‘more than four walls’ newbuild flats
John Lewis has chosen Bromley, Ealing and Reading as the pilot locations for its venture into building branded homes for the rental market, as the staff-owned retailer tries to create new communities around its stores.
I guess that’s one way to increase your market size as a retailer!
🛒 Ecommerce
Apple Pay Later is the company’s take on a buy now, pay later service
🗓 Apple is launching a new feature for Apple Pay to let you pay for purchases in installments over time without interest. Apple Pay Later will be available wherever Apple Pay is available.
I’m wonder how well the folk at Klarna and Affirm slept on hearing this news. 😬
Lady Gaga’s Beauty Brand Gives Up on Amazon
💄Three years ago, Lady Gaga launched a cosmetics brand Haus Laboratories to be sold exclusively through Amazon. However, the brand flopped and is set to relaunch at Sephora.
My takeaway: Amazon is an undeniably powerful business, but for non-commodity products (such as beauty, fashion or home) other retails can still out-compete by providing a more compelling and personalised shopping experience.
The end of free returns looms as Zara follows Next with £1.95 charge and firms count cost of serial refunders
📦 Zara has paved the way for other retailers feeling the squeeze to start charging customers to send back clothes in the post.
🕶 Augmented Reality
Why do I dedicate so much of this newsletter to AR? Well, I believe it’s an emerging technology that has become super important for ecommerce, especially home and garden ecommerce! Being able to see how a piece of furniture will look in your room before even buying it is becoming the norm.
This month saw Apple’s worldwide developer conference (WWDC) which typically focuses on new versions of their operating systems. There was expectation that they would reveal, or at least hint at, a new Augmented Reality headset or glasses product, but nothing was announced. Will there be a dedicated event later this year, or maybe we will have to wait another year. Either way, something is cooking…
Meanwhile, the other tech giants (Amazon, Meta & Google) all have some news to share about AR, some good, some less so:
Apple Shows Headset to Board in Sign It’s Reached Advanced Stage
🍎 Apple execs previewed its upcoming mixed-reality headset to the company’s board last week, indicating that development of the device has reached an advanced stage, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
For years now, Apple have been training their customers how to use AR with their phone, allowing users to view virtual objects on the device’s screen. An AR headset or glasses will take the experience to the next level and open up a load of new opportunities for retail and beyond.
Meta is reportedly scaling back plans for its AR glasses
👎 Meanwhile, Meta is scaling back its plans for its augmented reality glasses according to a new report from The Information.
This is a head scratcher, given that Mark Zuckerberg has bet the whole company on the ‘Metaverse’, pivoting away from the Facebook social network.
Google wants to bring more “inspiration” to shopping online
🔎 Google has teased a new AR feature in home & garden search results. “People are starting to behave more online like they did in the physical world where you were shopping for exploration, not just to get to a purchase,” said its president of commerce.
Amazon makes shopping easier with Virtual Try-On for Shoes
👠 Virtual Try-On for Shoes provides customers a convenient way to visualise how a pair of shoes will look on themselves, creating more immersive experiences while shopping for fashion online.
Everything Your Brand Needs To Know About Augmented Reality With Zappar’s CEO, Caspar Thykier
🎧 Listen to this podcast episode from Marketing Trends: Augmented reality is becoming a very real reality for marketers in every industry. So what do you need to know to successfully play in this space of “spatial storytelling,” as today’s guest likes to call it?
📈 Data & trends
B&Q publishes ‘Slice Of Home Life’ Report
🔨 In new research released by UK DIY store B&Q, it’s been revealed that 63% of people are currently unsatisfied with their homes, as their lives change and their homes fail to keep pace.
The research reveals that not being up to date with the latest tech, falling short in general décor, or lacking storage space is contributing to the dissatisfaction.
What’s more, 8 in 10 people in the UK want to upgrade their home, and over 50% of the nation have DIY tasks that are unfinished.
Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022
👷♀️A yearly report from Rated People on the continued shift in home improvement trends they are seeing on their platform.
👋 That’s it for this issue. If you have any thoughts, ideas or feedback for this newsletter just hit reply and let me know.
And if you’d like to receive this monthly, direct to your email inbox for free, sign up here.
About me
I’m James Lewis, the Chief Operating & Product Officer at Fixtuur, a Visual Commerce platform for home furnishing retailers & brands.
