Retail stores keep their eyes on the prize…you

im-watching-youretail pic

Retailers are pushing the boundaries of in-store Wi-Fi and camera surveillance to capture data about their shoppers. Wi-Fi signal tracking and facial analysis helps stores monitor their consumer’s behavior and movement to evaluate, and more importantly enhance, the in-store shopping experience. How might they enhance the customer experience? Quite simply. If a customer’s phone is automatically set to search for Wi-Fi networks in the area, a retailer can pick up the phone’s unique ID code. This technology allows the store to track the customer’s journey (within a 10 foot radius). Many stores have begun to capitalize on this technology by creating branded apps. Although the shopper voluntarily enters their personal information, stores are able to track and target them based on location. If the customer is wandering around the shoe department, the app recognizes their location and can then send them coupons for shoes. Retailers rolling out this technology have experienced mixed reviews. Some stores have reported increased efficiency and optimization of their floor plans while others have received customer complaints about violating their privacy.

What sparks our fire: Relying on technology to better understand the customer’s shopping experience.

How do we draw the line between enhancing the in-store experience and invasion of privacy?

Enjoy!

-Canopy Team

Positive you know what’s influencing you? Think Again

Brain

Beautiful-Peacock-Feather

Brand awareness is the ultimate objective for most marketers. However, Douglas Van Praet, a marketing and neuroscience expert, recently discussed why traditional research misses the mark on what actually drives consumers to purchase. Ever heard of the term “gut reaction” ? A consumer knows they like something but they are unaware of what, or how, they were influenced. Simply put, we can’t explain what we don’t know, which has been credited as the, “I like it, but I don’t know why” effect. Praet goes on to discuss another psychological idea that effects consumers, learning without knowing. Our brain’s emotional side has the ability to function independently from our cortex, the epicenter of consciousness. This enables us to attribute a positive and/or negative association to a product without knowledge or reasoning.This concept proves why Coke Clear and Crystal Pepsi were huge flops in the 1990’s. Consumers were unaware of the positive association they subconsciously made with the dark brown color of both soda brands. Eloquently put by Praet, “We see with our brains not just our eyes.”

You must be asking, so what does this mean to the marketing world? Praet has constructed a seven-step process to break through the clutter.

  1. Interrupt the Pattern.
  2. Create Comfort.
  3. Lead the Imagination.
  4. Shift the Feeling.
  5. Satisfy the Critical Mind.
  6. Change the Associations.
  7. Take Action.

What sparks out fire: The unconscious level of thought involved in the consumer’s decision-making process.

How will this change the way companies market to their consumers?

Enjoy!

-Canopy Team

Real Life Lego Houses, How Fab!

blog pix 1 blox pix 2

Architects Gluck+, a NYC-based architecture firm, is using a unique style of construction to build Broadway Stack, a new residential apartment complex at 4857 Broadway in Manhattan, New York. GLUCK+ won a Bloomberg-sponsored competition that challenged architects to design micro-units using prefabrication to solve the city’s housing shortage. Dating back to the early 1920s, prefab construction has not gained traction until recently. This technique forces architects to make design decisions ahead of time; pieces are factory-made, shipped to the construction site and built much like a Lego house. This method is gaining popularity across metropolitan areas because it is more efficient and cuts down on on-site operations. From beginning to end, the entire process takes ten months, a full six months less than traditional methods. Broadway Stack residents will be able to move into these moderately priced apartments by October of this year.

What sparked our fire: The endless ways to construct a building, cleaner, quicker, and smarter.

What innovative designs are ahead of their time today?

Enjoy!

-Canopy Team

 

Turn your iPhone into a 3D camera

blog pix 18

The iPhone is quickly becoming the camera of choice to document people’s lives. This trend, which was demonstrated in a recent Apple commercial, has spawned a number of gadgets that bring the smartphone’s features to the next level. Meet Poppy, a $49 device that will turn your iPhone into a 3D camera. The design is very simple, no buttons and no batteries, just an iPhone. Designer Ethan Lowery and Joe Heitzeberg’s goal is to allow consumers to capture their own lives (family, sports, etc) in 3D. The project has been on KickStarter since late June and already has three times its pledged goal. Shipping should begin in early 2014, but given the online popularity, it could happen later this year.

What sparked our fire: The transition from one dimension to another… and back again.

When will the mobile photography bubble burst?

Enjoy!

– Canopy Team

Hands on creativity

Honda Logo

Honda Motors is celebrating 65 years of history and tradition. To highlight this accomplishment, Wieden + Kennedy London has created a 2 minute video to  demonstrates Honda’s rich culture and creativity. The video is focused on hands to celebrate Honda engineers’ curiosity.

What sparked our fire: Celebrating a brand through toys, tools and magic.

What’s your favorite Honda moment?

Enjoy!

-Canopy Team