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Retail 2016: From Amazon To Pokémon, The Surprises Kept Coming

2016 has been a memorable year for retail (as well as the nation and the world).  As we gear up for a (hopefully) thrilling New Year, the Retail TouchPoints team reveals their take on the year’s most influential, important, and often surprising retail companies, people, events and trends.

Debbie Hauss, Editor-In-Chief: The Pokémon Go phenomenon really took me by surprise, but not so much delight, during 2016. The immediate impact it had on people’s behavior was impressive, surprising and a bit scary. I think it took off too fast for its own good, motivating criminal behavior, unsafe conditions for some players and inappropriate activity in certain venues. But it certainly highlights the potential value of augmented reality and provides a lot of lessons to learn for retailers looking for new, innovative ways to reach target shoppers. But, as Retail Systems Research (RSR) pointed out, think through a strategy before jumping in: “Don’t make engagement hard or have lots of hoops.” I, for one, will be paying attention to this phenomenon in 2017 and beyond.

Adam Blair, Executive Editor: In a year when general news stories surprised (nay, shocked) me almost every day, it’s tough to pick out a retail industry story that really raised my eyebrows. I mean, it’s difficult to be surprised by anything Amazon does any more, since I’m convinced Jeff Bezos gets his kicks by calculating the exact thing that will give every other retailer on the planet night terrors. Let me identify a small but hopeful trend: like a number of retailers, the Mall of America decided to close its doors on Thanksgiving Day to give employees time to be with their families. Good karma happened almost immediately: Black Friday proved to be the mall’s busiest day on record.

David DeZuzio, Managing Editor: Is there any doubt that Amazon has been 2016’s most consistent retail show-stopper? It seemed as though every week the retail titan was coming up with new ideas and solutions that set the retail world on its ear. Every time I see a news alert for Amazon, I have to admit, I get giddy. What have they done this time? It’s no secret that Amazon is on the verge of taking over every single aspect of retail whether it’s through Amazon Go, drone delivery, or their own private label brand of shirts. And with its recent Golden Globe nominations, even Hollywood has to watch out. Everything Amazon does is geared for providing the ultimate in customer convenience and seamless experiences, and has a huge potential for impact on retail. Everything they do is newsworthy. Do they plan on opening 300 or 400 bookstores or 2,000 stores or a pop-up store on every corner in every city? Who knows! The fact is this: Amazon is coming to a town near you and no matter what they decide to do, it will be big news and put pressure on other retailers in 2016, 2017 and beyond.

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Glenn Taylor, Senior Editor: It was hardly surprising in 2016 that traditional retailers didn’t fare as well as their more omnichannel-focused counterparts, but seeing longtime powerhouses flat out fold can surely be termed an eye-opener. While Sports Authority’s demise appeared to have been in the cards for months before the company filed for bankruptcy in March, the brand’s inability to make any turnaround effort work – while at the same time chief competitor DICK’S was setting a blueprint for sporting goods success – was jarring. The sporting goods sector’s overall weakness, combined with the dilution of the Sports Authority brand, was so bad that by the end of its run DICK’S was the only company that ended up buying a handful of its stores (31 of 450+), along with Sports Authority’s intellectual property. After the purchase, DICK’S essentially put the Sports Authority brand on the shelf rather than finding a way to revive it. Throughout the 1990s, Sports Authority had long set the standard for this vertical, but its complete inability to adapt to changes in consumer behavior cost the brand dearly. If anything, the collapse shows the rest of the retail industry just how easy it can be to fall into irrelevance if a brand’s overall strategy falls out of touch.

Klaudia Tirico, Features Editor: One of the biggest surprises of the year for me has to be Snapchat. More specifically, how brands and retailers leveraged this unique form of social media to engage with consumers. While I always understood how Twitter, Instagram and Facebook were beneficial, I never thought about how a platform like Snapchat — where content disappears after 24 hours — could generate success for brands. But to my surprise, it did! From sponsored posts from influencers to fun Snapchat geo-filters to shoppable e-Commerce ads, it turns out that Snapchat has a lot to offer. Some retailers and brands that have utilized the social media network include Taco Bell, Target and Lancôme. I’m sure there will be plenty more where that came from in 2017. Especially if Snapchat does go public in the New Year.  

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