| September 19 – 25, 2022
 A shopping center owner in Spain is further investing in mall-based delivery. Klépierre and Glovo are partnering to facilitate delivery from stores in three malls within 30 minutes. Both partners acknowledge the importance of malls themselves becoming omni-channel and rising to the needs of consumers, regardless where they emerge–online or offline. As we’ve said (maybe you’re even sick of hearing us say it? Nah…), this is going to soon be table stakes for mall operators around the globe, and we are excited to hear about the success of this specific partnership in Europe.
This week we also heard about others making big investments in fulfillment, and what Amazon is doing to try and retain fulfillment clients. The topic of holiday is only ramping up more with additional predictions released, and yet another entrant to the non-traditional tenant space. For more each week, be sure to follow us over on Twitter or LinkedIn!
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Digital Meets Physical
How Web3 Is Creating Space for a ‘Phygital’ Experience [AdWeek]
“If you look at your life today and you’re at a concert, everyone is on their phones watching their concert through the phone.” As real and virtual experiences become increasingly dependent on each other, Kaplan believes they will eventually become one and the same, which is why brands need to start thinking of their brand experiences through a “phygital” lens.Meta Launches New ‘Collaborative Ads’ to Facilitate More Direct Sales Activity [SocialMedia Today]
Meta has released a new ad type that enables brands to collaborate with local retail partners that sell their products in order to maximize direct response to their ads. Called ‘Collaborative Ads’, the process enables a brand to promote its products, with the subsequent sales process then re-directed to a partner in the consumers’ local region. |
Lowe’s tests ‘digital twin’ of two physical stores [Chain Store Age]
Lowe’s is leveraging technology from Nvidia to create photorealistic digital replicas of the stores to enable store employees to visualize and interact with nearly all of a store’s digital data. Built by Lowes Innovation Labs team and leveraging Nvidia’s Omniverse metaverse environment, Lowe’s digital twin is currently live in two stores (in Mill Creek, Wash,. and Charlotte, N.C.).Walmart Canada Brings AI to Shelf Edge [Progressive Grocer]
After a successful pilot program at 70 stores, Walmart Canada is expanding its partnership with software company Focal Systems to bring a computer vision artificial intelligence (AI) solution to stores throughout the country. The technology will help the retailer detect low-stock or out-of-stock products in real time. |
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Micro & Last Mile Fulfillment
Klépierre Promotes Delivery In Its Centers Through An Agreement With Glovo [JustRetail]
Klépierre and Glovo have created an alliance to continue betting on the development of omnichannel in shopping centers. The objective of this agreement is to increase the sales of the brands; as well as adding more services to the shopping experience of consumers in Klépierre shopping centres.Walmart Canada to spend $1 billion on new fulfillment center, store updates [Chain Store Age]
The Canadian subsidiary of U.S. discount giant Walmart is investing $1 billion in infrastructure this year as part of what the retailer says are efforts to speed up and transform the business for its customers. The investment includes more than $100 million to build a high-tech sortable fulfillment center near Montreal in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, as well as $330 million to revamp and refresh more than 80 stores across Canada. |
Will electronic carts help Kroger fulfill curbside pickup orders more quickly? [RetailWire]
Kroger is introducing a temperature-controlled electronic cart to speed up its curbside fulfillment. The cart, called the BrightDrop Trace Grocery cart, was originally piloted in Kroger stores in Lexington and Versailles, KY, and is marked for a broader rollout since the pilot yielded a noticeable improvement in both customer and associate experience, according to the Detroit News.Amazon offers sellers free software to speed fulfillment [RetailDive]
Amazon announced it would offer sellers free access to shipping software designed to speed fulfillment and lower delivery costs. Amazon sellers in the U.S. and U.K. will no longer need to pay the $450 delivery fee for Veeqo, which the e-commerce giant bought earlier this year. The software helps sellers find discounted shipping rates from major carriers such as UPS and FedEx, according to a news release. |
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Restaurants & Ghost Kitchens
The State of Restaurants: Demand, Price, and a Race for Loyalty [QSR Magazine]
Rewards Network sent a survey to more than 1,000 restaurants varying in revenue and cuisine type to take the temperature of today’s climate. The company also leveraged data on the overall sales of restaurant customers to conduct a same-store sales analysis for foot traffic and average ticket amount on thousands of restaurants. |
How Are Ghost Kitchens Evolving Post-Pandemic? [Forbes]
Many ghost kitchens can no longer capitalize on the demand for food delivery services caused by covid. A likely solution would be for many of these ghost kitchens to evolve into a hybrid model. An example of a hybrid model is for full-service restaurants to partner with a ghost kitchen to help with their takeout order. Ghost kitchens may also evolve to become a way for full-service kitchens to expand into new locations. |
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Mall Talk
eBay: Online holiday spending will hold steady [Chain Store Age]
According to the recent eBay Ads Annual Holiday Survey of 2,000 online shoppers and 1,500 eBay shoppers in the U.S., seven in 10 surveyed online shoppers (71%) said they plan to spend the same or more during the 2022 holiday season than they did the prior year. Surveyed eBay shoppers showed a similar trend, with 68% planning to spend the same or more on their holiday purchases compared to 2021.You could soon receive even more emails after shopping on Amazon [CNN Business]
Amazon announced at its annual sellers conference, Amazon Accelerate, that US merchants will soon be able to send free marketing emails to reach some of their existing customers on the platform. This includes repeat customers, recent customers, and high-spend customers. |
Why shopping center developers must continue to be innovators [Chain Store Age]
Today there’s a reinvigorated appetite for innovation and experimentation. Owners and operators are doubling down on immersive and engaging tenants and embracing inspired new brands that inject life into lifestyle center environments. Undaunted by a historic disruption, they exhibit renewed enthusiasm for experiential concepts and are using different uses and new tenants to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.To Expand, Arts Centers Seek to Build Their Own Community [The New York Times]
Hoping to firm up finances or secure a permanent home, museums and theater groups across the nation are teaming up with developers to add housing, retail and restaurants to their sites. |
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