CCR (Consumer Convergent Retail)

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Our study will explore the context of the converged retail environment through investigation of consumer bahaviour scenarios and their relationship with the store, its objects and devices. Within the retail sector there is a growing trend towards exploring the convergence between the store, personal devices and online (social networks and brand websites). However, retailers are failing to retain, analyse and utilise consumer data that is either passing through their doors each day or present across social networks and connected personal mobile devices. Partially the fragmented nature of the operational structure across retailers - divorcing physical and digital - is at fault but it is also a lack of appropriate use of technologies in store. Both areas will be addressed in the project, bringing process, technical and behavioural expertise and tools to remedy some of the problems and suggest new approaches to interrogating consumer data across environments. In addition to the technical and cultural isssue to overcome to scale the application of real time data in store with personal preferences across networks, there are trust and privacy issues to be reconciled for both retailer and consumer. The use of technologies to track and analyse consumer behaviour and the subsequent use of such data by the retailer presents certain legal, regulatory and ethical questions. Part of the project will be dedicated to examining these issues with input from all partners, having touched on these areas previously and understanding what is required to take such applications live. From this work will come a template for how in store data can be utilised by the retailers, in the first instance, but also by the wider online development and services sector - across social networks, coupon discounts, market intelligence etc..The practical strategies that could be followed to edge closer to the converged scenario would require an analysis of the challenges presented above across the value chain, highlighting the opportunities through case studies utilising specific applications using real time data from consumers in store. This would lead the project to define event based architecture prototypes that could be trialled with retailers known to the project team.Data Access - We will have access to data pertaining to the latter through the research work undertaken by i2media under the CEEDS programme, involving large consumer brands such as Electrolux and including some of Europe's leading retail reseach unviersity departments. Data from Simply Tap relates to the mobile purchasing patterns connected to the real time retail experiences, whilst Goodstuff Communications have relationships with brands and retailers in terms of key decision makers - so, feeding in relevant data from the project to challenge and instigate process change. Additionally the project consortia will be able to access data, through its client newtork and research base, from key UK and international demonstrators, pilots and research hubs. Including Addidas' Addiverse interactive walll (currentlylive in Beijing and Oxford street in November), E&M Commerce data from retail brands, CEEDs pilot scenario test research and our connections to international research groups such as the Mobile Interaction in Retail Environments (MIRE).Our Approach: Focus Innovation and i2 Media have experience in user centric design process and application build and this is an area which is core to the convergent space in retail in particular i2Medias FP7 research to develop intelligent stores that react to and enhance the consumers wants. What is reqired for to uncover the highest potential for practical applications of the research is for the consortia to explore scenarios for linking technologies to match in store technology with the consumer. The challenge will be to uncover the appropriate mechanisms for multi way exchanges of information, throught connectivity between devices, objects and people. Certain aspects of these mechanisms we expect to be easily identifiable such as how we can connect mobile devices containing personal avatars to clothing sizing information held within stores data bases. However when we start to explore the reaction of the environment to in store consumer behaviour and preferences we start to identify cultural and technical challenges. The concept e of Emotional Intelligence I.e. how the environment reads the consumer through their reaction, personal device tracking, behaviour and expressions will provide a strong context for exploring practical applications. The key aspect from this point would be the engagement with a wider group of through focused group sessions with key decision makers in the sector. This will be facilitated through Goodstuff Communications, given their close ties to both digital and physical customer facing decision makers in retail. The organisational challenges are due to the separation of digital, mobile and marketing teams and the disparate nature of object, sales and consumer data. The legal issues regarding data exploitation are, on one level, simple to identify as brands wish to explain their products. However it is the hamronization of this data and the opening of more closed data systems that is the challenge. Exploration of these issues against a context of well informed connected consumer services we belileve is the key to solving many fo these challenges as they will be based on driving footfall and spend through increased customer satisfaction. Please refer to annex 2 for more information on business case