*By Michael Teich*
Sparkling water and fancy coffee may not be enough to lure consumers into struggling brick-and-mortar shops. But creating uncontrived experiences in stores will help retailers survive the transition to a digital economy, said Rima Reddy, a principal at innovation accelerator XRC Labs.
"The key is to not make them so that they feel like they are forced," Reddy said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar. "That's really hard. They really have to be perfectly on-brand."
Retailers could benefit from Bonobos' strategy of designing stores like showrooms and shifting the focus away from just selling, she said. This would save stores money by reducing expenses on real estate.
Beyond an improvement in the real-life shopping experience, retailers need to invest judiciously in the right technology. Reddy said stores should integrate tech that adds value to shoppers ー not just flash for the sake of flash.
Tech, above all, should make shopping more efficient, Reddy said. And in her view, that means augmented reality.
"AR has really practical implications for customers," she said. "VR, when you have to wear a headset, it's just novel. It's not really helping the customer in any way."
For full interview [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/unoriginal-in-store-experiences-wont-save-retailers-says-expert).
Where you live can dictate how much you pay for housing. Danielle Hale, chief economist with Realtor.com, joined Cheddar News to discuss where the hottest markets for real estate are and how you can find a home in a current difficult market.
Financial stress can take a mental toll on people. Dr. Regine Muradian, clinical psychologist and member of the National Debt Relief Financial Wellness Board, joined Cheddar News to discuss strategies to ease those worries over money.
The continued resilience of the U.S. economy could require further interest rate increases, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday in a closely watched speech that also highlighted the uncertain nature of the economic outlook.
As the Federal Reserve prepares to hold its annual economic conference in Jackson Hole on Friday and Saturday, its policymakers are trying to guide the U.S. economy toward something akin to what's happening in Jackson Hole.
Anyone in the U.S. who had an account at any time between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, is eligible to receive a payment. The 2022 settlement resolves a lawsuit alleging that Facebook allowed millions of its users’ personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
