Campaign corner
Friendsgiving. To commemorate the 18th anniversary of the theatrical release of “Just Friends” on November 23, the same day Thanksgiving is celebrated this year, Reynolds and Smart collaborated to create an advertisement titled "Just Friendsgiving." Viewers have the opportunity to witness the current status of the characters' relationship. The commercial opens with Reynolds positioned in a holiday-themed living space adorned with a Christmas tree.
Become more Christmas. The supermarket giant Tesco tasked BBH with the goal of 'Embracing the Christmas Spirit' this year. The primary insight behind this initiative was the recognition that, for numerous individuals, the festive ambiance extends well beyond the actual holiday itself. Tesco’s ad highlights the joy of “Becoming More Christmas” with the retailer’s help.
Retail technology updates
Holiday shopping tool. Just like various other retail enterprises exploring AI applications, Simon, the retail and mixed-use real estate firm, has developed "HolidAI", a tool employing artificial intelligence technology to assist customers in discovering gifts, as stated in a press release on Thursday. The firm is unveiling this technology at its Roosevelt Field property in Garden City, New York, and Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, California, on November 24th.
AI principles. Retailers are increasingly incorporating AI tools, prompting the National Retail Federation's Center for Digital Risk & Innovation to unveil its "Principles for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Retail Sector". These principles are categorized into governance and risk management, customer engagement and trust, workforce applications and use, and business partner accountability.
Experts share their knowledge
Sampling. Do you think free samples have a significant impact on customers’ shopping experiences? Should more companies be offering free samples of their products in some way, shape, or form? Why do you think free samples haven’t been as consistently successful at stores like Target? These were the questions that various retail experts answered in one of RetailWire’s discussions. Here’s what Gary Sankary mentioned:
Online fulfillment. How would you rate the pros versus cons of using stores for online fulfillment? Where do you see the biggest opportunities to drive efficiencies and reduce costs within the ship-from-store process? Many retail experts shared their opinions regarding this topic in one of Retail Wire’s discussions. Bob Amster mentioned this:
In other news…
Black Friday sales. Retailers are expected to experience significant gains during the upcoming Black Friday-Cyber Monday shopping events, as per new data. A consumer survey conducted by Deloitte reveals that respondents plan to spend an average of $567 during this period (Thursday, Nov. 23 – Monday, Nov. 27). This reflects a 13% increase from the same timeframe in 2022, during which sales rose by 12% compared to 2021 levels.
Reusable packaging. A study conducted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation indicates that the widespread adoption of returning and reusing plastic packaging has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 69%. The research, which involved over 60 organizations including national governments and major consumer goods companies like Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo, and Unilever, highlights that these initiatives not only decrease companies' emissions but also have the potential to lower costs for certain products.
