The Chi Group The Chi Group

LUX Brands and Millennial Customers

It’s interesting to watch as brands embrace all the different generations from Millennials to Generation Alpha. As their consumer base changes and grows, so too …

It’s interesting to watch as brands embrace all the different generations from Millennials to Generation Alpha. As their consumer base changes and grows, so too do the brands. This also applies to the luxury industry, the highly coveted brands that create an experience unparallel to what everyday consumers know. Long ago when it came to luxury it was all about exclusivity and high-end craftsmanship filled with deep-rooted brand history. 

Today that’s not enough to impress the millennials not to mention the Gen Z’s. According to Diane Primo, Intralink Global’s CEO, “To win with millennial consumers, brands need to understand what they value.” Forbes also reported that millennials aren’t just the most powerful consumers; “millennials and Generation Z account for nearly 50% of Gucci’s total sales.” 

So what’s happening in the luxury world that is reshaping how consumers especially millennials and Gen Z are consuming these products? 

1. Fashion LUX meets Streetwear

This has been a trending concept for the last 3 years where brands are rethinking their offering alongside their distribution channels. Many fashion brands have been doing cross-collabos to help drive sales. 

Louis Vuitton partnered with Supreme, two of the largest LUX brands co-branding their products to reach millennials. This strategy is not only prevalent with LUX brands but it seems like fast-fashion giant H&M had also taken on this idea by partnering with big-name streetwear designers. The global sneaker brand VANS even partnered up with the late Karl Lagerfield. 

2. Marketing Strategy Is a Must 

In order to drive sales for LUX brands, it’s not enough to have a great product but millennials are expecting to see: 

  • Strong web presence 

  • Digital online ads 

  • An inspiring narrative behind the brand

3. Personalized The Experience 

Customers want to feel important so it’s not only imperative to personalize their experiences in-store but also online. A great example is Rebecca Minkoff’s website which updates its currencies automatically in 100 countries and 70 currencies by using IP geolocation. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Inner Success A Forever Brand That Changes Lives

As new brands enter into any marketplace it’s imperative that they set a strong foundation. Too often brands enter into today’s competitive market with a lack…

As new brands enter into any marketplace it’s imperative that they set a strong foundation. Too often brands enter into today’s competitive market with a lack of direction and vision. It is the lack of foundational boundaries that result in brands failing to launch or even obtaining sales. Creating a brand is a daily discipline of conveying your brand values, messages and benefits to an audience who may not necessarily know or want what you offer. 

This is the case for Inner Success Project, a brand to watch and rising star. They entered into the market fully ready to serve an industry that is already overcrowded. The personal growth space. But it was with a tremendous amount of preparation and strategic brand alignment that ISP was able to penetrate into the space making significant noise so early on in the game. 

Early adopters of the brand quickly learned about this brand, what they offer and why ISP is an important part of their customers’ lives. So how did this brand go from zero to hero in a very short span of time? Here’s what they did:  

1. VALUE

Value people bring value! It doesn’t matter if you are a big brand or a small brand, you must provide value to your customers. You see human nature is simply this, we ask what’s in it for me? The same thing goes for your customers, they want to know how will your brand change their lives. Specifically, how will you help them level up? That’s the ultimate question every customer has. Will your brand save them time? Or give them happy feelings? Or take away some sort of pain? Whatever value you’re offering make sure customers understand it in your initial interaction with them. 


2. BUILDING A TRIBE 

Without customers, you don’t have a brand period. So what ISP does so well is that they are continuously building their tribe, starting with social media. They share content that makes your life better. Let’s be honest here, your brand will not be for everyone and it shouldn’t. Every brand has it’s unique message and a unique tribe of people. Something to consider, if your brand is liked by everyone then you’re doing something wrong. It’s impossible for everyone to love your brand. Think about this, you have people out there who are loyal to Apple and others loyal to Androids. And it’s ok. 

3. TESTIMONIALS 

Testimonials are golden! It’s been proven that word of mouth works and not only that it’s the most powerful form of advertising. And here the BEST part! IT’S FREE. Potential customers want to know what other people have experienced with your brand. What are some of the best things about your brand and what are some challenges other customers have faced? By the way, a small secret for you all, if you have the ability to create video testimonies, it’s the most powerful form of testimonies. 

4. CREATING EXPERIENCES 

What Inner Success Project did was that they ultimately created an experience one that touched about all the emotions of everyone. Remember emotions have the power to create customer loyalty and that’s exactly what ISP did that created life long fans. They touched onto all the emotions of customers from happy, sad, inspiration, growth, and ultimately creating business opportunities for attendees. 


Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

3 Things We Learned About Brands During NYFW

Fashion Week in NYC just wrapped up with tons of cool new looks, celebrity sitings, and most importantly interesting brand experiences. The week-long fashion festivities brought people together from all over the world and it was also a chance for brands to showcase their newest product. Here’s what we learned…

Fashion Week in NYC just wrapped up with tons of cool new looks, celebrity sitings, and most importantly interesting brand experiences. The week-long fashion festivities brought people together from all over the world and it was also a chance for brands to showcase their newest product. Here’s what we learned at Fashion Week. 

EXPERIENTIAL POP-UPS ARE A THING

Brands are breaking tradition and looking for new ways to engage customers by inviting them to be part of an experience. For example, Showfields created a space where many Indie brands across a variety of industries had a chance to showcase their products. Each station had a story attributed to a brand that was part of a guided tour. Other pop-ups such as Shopbop and Mejuri were the most popular event influencers attended. These pop-ups made the experience available to influencers over a number of days in order to maximize social media presence throughout the week. 

BRAND VALUES DO MATTER

The new generation of buyers is interested in fashion but more so they want to know how fashion will share in cultural moments and that is why socially-conscious fashion speaks to this generation. Many influencers are not only challenging mainstream fashion but also beauty brands and they are interested in representing brands that share their values and think about the greater picture of how these brands build their businesses. 

SUSTAINABILITY

Consumers have long been taking advantage of fast-fashion that’s dedicated to a balance of trending and affordable. Now more than ever with the rise of global concern for the environment, many consumers are turning to rental services to satisfy their fashion needs. While other consumers are selecting to spend their dollars with brands that are sustainable or brands that sport vintage merchandise. 

These trends aren’t just specific to fashion but across the board brands in every industry are starting to recalibrate the way they are building brands. The days of simply creating ads are long gone as marketing is a cohesive practice of implementing social impact strategy, building brand values and actively listening to what consumers want and need. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Photo Reviews Gaining Clout: 5 Reasons Why They Work

The idea of photo reviews isn’t something new to the marketplace. Matter of fact it was made popular by Rent The Runway back in 2012. The online retail giant …

The idea of photo reviews isn’t something new to the marketplace. Matter of fact it was made popular by Rent The Runway back in 2012. The online retail giant encouraged customers to post photos of themselves in the dresses to help other shoppers get a real sense of the dress. From there, the company built out photo walls that helped shoppers pick dresses and catered to different body types. This concept of social listening has turned into a major tool for fashion retailers to boost sales and also cut down on the calls coming through their customer service centers with questions from customers. 

Are photo reviews a hype worth considering? Does it even have clout? Here are the 5 reasons why they do. 

1. Data Collection

Today businesses are always on the pry for data with the sole purpose of getting to know their customers better. In turn, driving more sales. Rent The Runway has 17 million data points that they collect from photo reviews. If you’re wondering what they can do with it, well here it is. 

  • They use it to understand which items are popular and not among their customer base. 

  • Quality control if customers are saying things about the fit of the outfit or if the garment doesn’t hold up through dry cleaning. These are all concerns they bring back to the designers to let them know. 

2. Inclusivity 

Our bodies come in all different sizes and shapes. Photo reviews help customers visualize how an outfit could potentially look before they purchase. If a customer had a curvy or pear-shaped body they can see how it would look and how it could be styled. 

3. Cuts Down on Returns 

When customers get to visually see an outfit before they purchase it cuts down on the returns. They can virtually experience the outfit see how it would look from different angles and how it would fit them before they make a final decision. 

4. Styling Inspiration 

It’s a great add on value for your customers when they can get inspired to see how others have been styling your clothing. This will be an attractive selling point for many for Gen Z’s since they are the most creative generation to date. 

5. Getting Your Customers Involved 

We’ve said this over and over again that customers want to be part of your brand journey. This is another great way to get them involved and build a community around your brand. Glossier is an example that does this well. They are heavily involved with customers and are constantly employing social listening.

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

What's Hot In Wearable Tech

We’ve heard it over and over again that wearable tech is the next hot industry. In this category, there’s going to be some of the most interesting innovators and brands born. But with all the new products…

We’ve heard it over and over again that wearable tech is the next hot industry. In this category, there’s going to be some of the most interesting innovators and brands born. But with all the new products out there it feels like product whiplash as consumers are exposed to more and more new tech brands. So we’ve narrowed it down to the hottest and most interesting wearable tech in the market. These rising stars are a must watch as they disrupt the marketplace and create new pockets of consumer needs. 

1. ORII Ring

This cool “James Bond” spy-like ring is dubbed “the world’s first voice-powered smart ring,” It utilizes bone conduction technology transforming your hand into a smartphone essentially. According to ORII CEO, Kevin Johan Wong, ORII is “designed to become an integral part of your life,ORII paves the way for a more screen-free lifestyle while giving you an instant on-the-go connection to your smart devices…our inspiration came from my dad who has been visually impaired from a young age. Wong set out to develop voice and text-based technology to help others like him and is a pioneer in his field with eight patents to his name. The device integrates the same technology used in hearing aids. ORII uses bone conduction to send sound discreetly to your ear which creates a device that allows freedom from screen-based interaction.

2. Alterego

MIT media lab developed an AI headset called Alterergo this brainchild was created by Arnav Kapur. The headset picks up on neuromuscular signals triggered when you subvocalize or better known as talking in your head in layman’s terms. The system is a wearable device and computing system that transcribes words that the user internally verbalizes and doesn’t need to speak aloud. 

3. Lumi by Pampers 

We can now outsource and track our kids' pee. Yes you read it right, Pampers created a new category “smart diapers,” the waitlisted product comes with an activity sensor for the diaper, an app, and a smart video monitor for real-time monitoring. Not only can Lumi track your baby’s pee but it can also track their sleep patterns. 

4. Reon Air Conditioner by Sony 

The answer to sweaty weather is here. Sony is currently crowdfunding Reon a wearable thermoelectric cooling system and in the winter it serves as a heater. It can supposedly cool a user’s body temperature by 13 degrees celsius or raise your temperature by about 8 degrees Celsius. This Bluetooth device is actually the size of a card wallet and fits into a special shirt that allows users to control the temperature through their smartphones.  

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

7 Ways To Build Do Good Brands

In today’s competitive marketplace it’s not enough to just have a product and hope it sells. Marketing your brand has become a multi-channel marketing strategy that includes …

In today’s competitive marketplace it’s not enough to just have a product and hope it sells. Marketing your brand has become a multi-channel marketing strategy that includes offline and online components. Customers are looking for brands that will change their lives, therefore, brands are building themselves around causes that the world is passionate about. Whether is sustainability to cruelty-free or inclusivity there’s something for everyone. 

Brands have to figure out ways that they can build some sort of social good to harness the power of their tribe. When customers gather around a cause that your brand is backing it helps to build a community and starts a conversation with a common goal. 

If you’re looking to build a socially impactful brand here are 7 ways you want to look into.

1. Think People 

When we treat our customers as simply consumers there’s a lack of depth and conversation that we have alongside them. But when we treat them simply as people who have a variety of passions, desires, goals, and concerns you’ll be able to build a deeper relationship with them. It starts to feel meaningful to customers as opposed to simply transactional. 

2. It’s Time To Be Cool 

Long gone are the days of simply having a product and an ad. Customers are looking for “cool” brands. Cool in the way of story, design, and it must be something that they want to help shift consumer behavior. Warby Parker has this concept nailed down. The brand not only touts that when customers buy a pair of glasses they donate a pair to someone in need but it has chic, modern designs along with great pricing. 

3. Know Your Mission 

Brands that have a purpose have a direction and common goal to work towards. Disney, their sole purpose is “We create happiness by providing the finest entertainment for people of all ages everywhere.” Nike’s is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” These goals are much greater than profits and ones that customers can be easily inspired by.

4. Find Your Tribe 

It’s important to find allies with a common goal and a great place to start looking is at non-profits. In today’s marketplace, there are new non-profits constantly popping up with different missions. This is a great way for brands to address global challenges collectively. 

5. Word of Mouth Is Still Golden 

Even in today’s digitally connected world people still buy from other people. Think of yourselves, how many times have you made purchases based on recommendations from friends and family? Marketers should focus on creating brand experiences that are so amazing that people simply just want to tell others about it. 

6. Solve Problems 

Add value to your customers, they don’t want to be sold to anymore. What problems are you solving for the world and customers? Are you looking to help end world hunger, more clean water initiatives, equal pay or clean air? Whatever you choose to work on it has to align with your brand values, purpose and goals.  

7. Show Don’t Tell 

Make sure you’re backing up your brand promise with actual tangible evidence of the good that your brand is doing. Otherwise, consumers will know it’s simply empty promises that your brand is making. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

3 Happiness Strategies for Brands

Happiness is somewhat of a quest for humanity no matter where you go in the world. That is also true when it comes to brands. Today when brands create …

Happiness is somewhat of a quest for humanity no matter where you go in the world. That is also true when it comes to brands. Today when brands create moments and experiences that bring joy to our customers it has the potential of having our customers coming back to us over and over again.

We all know what happiness feels like but how can we as brands create happiness at scale? Is it even possible? We’re here to tell you it’s possible. But if you’re wondering if having a happiness strategy is it even worth the trouble, well it’s worked for global brands from Target to McDonald's.

Here are 3 strategies to create happy brands.

1. Make Us Feel We’re Part of Something Bigger

These brands know how to get consumers to feel connected to a global good. According to Ned Russel, Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, “These are brands aligned with a purpose. It’s not something you need an MBA to understand-more a promise or a mantra of virtue. Those virtues are built into the product and the experience.” Let’s take Prius drivers for example, they are part of an environmentally-friendly group of consumers, helping to change the world one mile at a time. Russell believes that “In helping consumers to support something they believe in by making a purchase, brands with a mission are making their customers happy people.”

2. Make Us Feel Like a Kid

Some companies know that they have a certain smell, taste, or feel that consumers can attribute to their childhood. This nostalgic memory reminds them of a time in their life that was worry-free, which relates to Proustian Memories. Brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Campbell’s Soup, Coca Cola, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese remind us of our childhood. Let’s take Campbell’s Soup the ultimate “Make Us Feel Like A Kid” brand. Many of us remember coming in from the cold and having a warm bowl of Campbell’s soup. How about Coca Cola, we all have some kind of fond memory that we’ve associated with holding a cold can of Coca Cola.

3. Help Us Escape

Who doesn’t want to escape the harsh reality of job responsibilities and adulting stress? Great examples of brands that do just that are Apple and Starbucks. If we look at the Apple Airpods it allows users to almost escape into their own world. Starbucks also allows consumers to escape, but it’s more of a physical escape.

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Sincerely Silver Customizing Experiences

The new way to connect with customers today is through customization and it’s becoming more and more prevalent across industries. No matter if you’re …

The new way to connect with customers today is through customization and it’s becoming more and more prevalent across industries. No matter if you’re a global brand, start-up or indie brand customization is something that’s worth taking a look at. It’s the way to attract new customers and keep your current ones coming back to you over and over again. 

In fact, this is a great example of a woman's lifestyle jewelry brand, Sincerely Silver which has mastered customization that has women clamoring over their pieces. They create a collection of simple and classy jewelry for everyday wear as can be seen in the handwriting disc pendant. The personalized jewelry company offers customers the opportunity to have their own personal messages engraved onto jewelry pieces to add a more meaningful touch

As a brand primarily focusing on personalization, Sincerely Silver is highly invested in the modern movement of feminism as it encourages the stories of women everywhere. They want to be a source of inspiration for all, and to encourage women to tell their stories in various ways, whether through personalized jewelry or social media stories.

This small, family-owned business is setting out to create personalized pieces that hold as much meaning as possible for the wearer while being versatile. So their pieces could be for long-distance relationships, memorial pieces, or just a special piece to have forever. According to the brand spokesperson, Kayla Stefaner “We make everything custom made to order by hand and go through a multi-step process to make sure each piece will be perfect for the recipient. We are also constantly looking to inspire and empower women through our pieces & their stories.” 

By staying true to its brand value, Sincerely Silver continues to create innovative designs, unveiling its newest collection, the fingerprint jewelry line. So if you're wondering what can we expect to see in the future of jewelry customization when it comes to this little powerful brand? Customers can expect this brand to continue to push forward in the realm of customization while staying true to their ethos of women supporting women in ways that truly touch the human spirit. 

This is a brand that utilizes inspiration and customization to really capture the hearts of customers. When brands master these strategies they become powerful brands in the marketplace that have staying power. Customers today want to know that they have options while standing alongside a brand whose values align with their own. So how will your brand customize in the future?

 



Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Co-Branding Is Trending Again

There always seems to be a new marketing trend on the horizon so is co-branding the next “it” trend? Whether you call it a partnership, collaboration or anything in…

There always seems to be a new marketing trend on the horizon so is co-branding the next “it” trend? Whether you call it a partnership, collaboration or anything in that realm it all falls under the marketing concept of co-branding. So what exactly makes co-branding the next it thing? 

As more brands clamor into the marketplace, the competition will become stiff. In order for newcomers to quickly scale their brand, they’ll adopt co-branding as a way to build brand awareness and customers. The idea is to work with another brand that reaches a similar customer as your brand yet doesn’t compete for the customer’s attention.

What exactly are the benefits of co-branding and how do you even start looking for a brand partner? 

1. Reach New Customers 

When you partner with the right brand you will have an opportunity to reach new customers that you wouldn’t have reached alone. This also allows your brand the opportunity to engage with these new customers to not just potentially make a sale but also get inspiration to better your brand. 

2. Create Unique Marketing Campaigns 

This is an opportunity to allow you to come up with unique marketing strategies with your partner brand. Here you can test different marketing campaigns to see what will resonate with customers. Cross promoting contests on social media is a sure way to gain eyeballs for both brands, as well as increasing followers. 

3. Be Clear on Your Brand Values 

It very important that you are clear on what your brand values are because you want to make sure these values also align with your partner brand. If they don’t then the partnership won’t work. Brand values are simply what your brand believes in and that usually comes from the founder or CEO. 

4. Authenticity With Your Partner Brand 

Be clear with your partner brand what you’re looking to gain for the partnership. Is it sales? Profit-sharing? Or maybe it’s something else. Make sure it's spoken about early on before you launch a campaign together. 

5. Platform to Beta Test 

This could also be a great opportunity for your brand to have a platform to beta test any new product or services on a small scale. 

We listed some of the benefits, but how do you go about finding the right co-branding partner? Well, it’s actually quite easy. 

1. Be Clear on Your Brand Values 

It very important that you are clear on what your brand values are because you want to make sure these values also align with your partner brand. If they don’t then the partnership won’t work. Brand values are simply what your brand believes in and that usually comes from the founder or CEO. 

2. Getting Clear With Your Partner Brand 

Be clear with your partner brand what you’re looking to gain for the partnership. Is it sales? Profit-sharing? Or maybe it’s something else. Make sure it's spoken about early on before you launch a campaign together. 

3. Look Within Your Industry 

Find other brands that are within your space but always make sure that the products or services they offer don’t compete with yours. You want to make sure that you both create a unique end product together. 

4. Dare To Be Bold  

Sometimes you can even look outside of your industry for co-branding partners. The most important part is that you need to figure out how both products will complement each other. It has to make sense or there’s no reason to create co-branding partnerships. 

5. Be Honest About Money 

When you create co-branding opportunities be courageous and have that uncomfortable conversation about money. It’s important to set the expectations early on in the game. This allows both sides to really know what to expect whether it’s the cost or the profits. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

7 Marketing Trends Brands Can't Ignore

The marketing landscape is changing at what seems like lightning speeds. It seemed like it was just yesterday when banner ads seem to be the hottest thing. Fast forward and we’re now debating …

The marketing landscape is changing at what seems like lightning speeds. It seemed like it was just yesterday when banner ads seem to be the hottest thing. Fast forward and we’re now debating all types of different content and if they are still even relevant to consumers. 

As we shift in the way we as consumers consume content, brands need to be nimble enough to shift alongside their customers to meet their needs. If all this seems daunting or scary to you don’t fret, technology can not and will not take over the human to human interaction. Matter of fact human interaction will still be key but technology will just be a conduit or complement to human interaction. 

So what’s really shaping up to be some of the marketing trends that we no longer can ignore? Here are the top 8 marketing trends brands need to pay attention to:

1. Voice Search 

This category isn’t going away, a matter of fact it’s going to be growing even more so. Think Alexa and Siri. With the increasing popularity of voice search make sure your brand is optimizing all or part of your content marketing. So what do you optimize for search? Well to start with, the important aspect of your business, the short blurb that shows up on search results. 

2. Relevant and Creative Content 

Consumers are still interested in content that will relate to them. Relevant content is shown to increase sales and create original content that positively engages your customers. 

3. Different Content-Length To Better Connect 

Today our customers will connect with you differently so by making sure that you have content at every length and style is going to be key. Some customers are still into the old fashioned reading a blog post while others want to listen in on a podcast driving to work. Or maybe they want to watch a 15-second video. Whatever content you create keep in mind that different customers want different types of content. 

4. Engagement Is The New Metric 

It’s easy to buy followers now and brands are starting to get hip to the game so they are now using engagement as one of the measures of success. Based on recent study brands across industries are stating that look for 3% or more engagement rate when working with influencers. 

5. Social Media Stories 

Lately with all the algorithm changes on Instagram has many of us a bit lost in the sauce. But do start to take a look at integrating social media stories into your marketing campaign. It’s a fun and quick way that customers get a glimpse of your brand. 

6. Choose The Right Influencers 

There are plenty of influencers out there who create all types of content. Make sure your brand is picking the right influencer(s) to align with your messaging. Do some research about your picks. 

7. Rise of AI

AI is a growing category as it can collect large amounts of data for businesses. If left to humans it would take a lot of manpower and not to mention hours to collect all the information. AI is also a tool that businesses are using to create lead generation. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Organic Marketing, 7 Things to Know Before Starting

Organic marketing has been as close to word of mouth these days. So what exactly is it and why does it matter? Well for starters organic …

Organic marketing has been as close to word of mouth these days. So what exactly is it and why does it matter? Well for starters organic marketing has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than paid marketing. Not only does it tout better results but it also harnesses a community of customers who provide feedback or start a conversation about your brand. 

If you’re wondering how to create a successful organic marketing strategy here are 7 things to consider before starting: 

1. Company Soul Searching 

Take a look at the competitive landscape get to know who are the players in your space, get to know your brand and make sure you can honestly answer these questions before you delve into organic marketing.  

  • What are your brand’s strengths and weaknesses. 

  • What is your brand known for? 

  • What are your competitors doing differently? 

  • Is the market saturated or open? 

  • Who are the market leaders? 

  • What is your share of the market? 

2. Your Audience 

Are they B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Consumers). It will be helpful to have a demographic profile of your customer, gender, age, race, location etc. 

3. Setting Goals 

Are you looking to increase web traffic or social media reach? Maybe it’s increasing sales of a particular product or even a new product. 

4. Define Your Methods and Tactics

Brands need to consider how are their customers being motivated. Is i by greed? Fear? Or maybe it’s something else 

5. Your Platform and Content 

Here you want to ask what do I want to say, and who do I want to say it to? Where do you want to deliver this message?

6. Budget 

The ultimate marketing question that makes or breaks. You want to be honest and really know what you can spend when it comes to organic marketing. 

7. Evaluate and Improve 

Like anything else in business, there’s no perfect formula that fits with every brand. So it’s going to be about testing, validating and being flexible in your approach. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

6 Types of Frictionless Retail Experience

One of the biggest retail pain points is the check out lines. The perfect example is checking out of the supermarket on the weekends. It’s seems like …

One of the biggest retail pain points is the check out lines. The perfect example is checking out of the supermarket on the weekends. It’s seems like the lines are never ending and you wait forever. These days more people are abandoning the brick and mortar shopping experience and moving to online shopping and because of this reason retailers have started to focus on building experiences along with relationships with their customers. 

Frictionless retail has become an emerging trend where it removes all barriers that are in front of the customer. Many might assume that it’s humanless checkout but brands such as Apple and Macy’s has now armed their staff with mobile devices for simplified check out. 

A report by Global Data provided by the 4A’s identifies six types of frictionless retail that are poised to change the customer experience forever:

 1. Ease Of Access: Focuses on how fast the customer finds what they are looking for and how quickly they can pay for it. Apple Stores are a great example of this. 

 2. Fulfillment: Online has shifted the responsibility of order fulfillment to retailers and it’s all due in part to Amazon. 

 3. Multichannel Alignment: Providing customer options with how they would like to purchase. 

 4. Payment Options: The instant 1-click payment such as Apple/ Android Pay is also a form of frictionless retail that many stores are now making available to customers.  

 5. Personalization: This is going to be a continuous trend into 2020 where retailers tailor services to customer needs. A great example is Under Armour’s embedded chip inside show that can measure how much a person runs. 

 6. Positive Friction: Enhancing or adding to the purchasing experience such as recommending complementary products which is a strategy many luxury brands use. 

 In order to be successful at frictionless retailing you have to consider what will slow down the customer from completing the purchase and this goes for both online and offline experiences. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Happiness Branding WTH?

It’s by popular misconception that branding is simply about a snazzy website, cool looking logo and some fancy fonts. We’re here to tell you that branding is far from …

It’s by popular misconception that branding is simply about a snazzy website, cool looking logo and some fancy fonts. We’re here to tell you that branding is far from just those touchpoints. In fact, your website, logo, and fonts are just triggers that help customers remember your brand. 

What allows brands to become brands is the kind of experience you deliver to your customers both online and offline. It starts from the inception of where you first meet your customers all the way to post-sale customer support. That’s the reality of it and the reason why brands need to create an all-encompassing approach when it comes to branding. 

The best way to have your customers coming back to you over and over again is by creating positive experiences because when we have the ability to change our customers’ lives they engage long term. That’s the reason why brands need to carefully think about how they create “happy experiences”. Let’s face it who wants to have an unhappy experience especially if they’re going to spend their hard-earned cash with your business. 

Scientific studies around happiness have shown that the body releases dopamine, for pleasure-seeking, Oxytocin for bonding which by the way also correlates to romantic attachment and Endorphin, the body’s natural pain killer. Now with all these natural chemicals flowing at once throughout the body, it’s no wonder why so many of us seem to be on this unending quest for happiness. This idea spills over to brand experiences that we curate for our customers, it’s important to always create happiness if we’re looking to make repeat sales. 

Here are four things to consider when it comes to happiness branding: 

1. Pleasure: How can brands deliver immediate reward that allows customers to savor the experience over time? 

2. Flow: Help customers achieve new skills or goals. Make sure the goals feel challenging for most people but also still attainable. 

3. Deep Satisfaction: Create ways that our products or services make a positive and lasting impact on our customers’ lives. 

4. Meaning: Help your customers make their lives meaningful through your products. 

Happiness branding isn’t just some fun hippie term, it’s something that brands need to live by. If you take a look at the brands that have gained massive success across industries from beauty to even life coaches you’ll see that the one thing they all have in common is that they bring on the happiness and its authentic happiness. So how will your brand design it’s next happiness experience? 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

What We Know About Gen Z's

The ever growing marketplace is preparing to usher in the newest generation with massive buying power- Gen Z. This is a generation that grew up on …

The ever growing marketplace is preparing to usher in the newest generation with massive buying power- Gen Z. This is a generation that grew up on social media, 13-22 year olds are already taking note of generations of the past by monetizing their content therefore driving the influencer marketing industry even further. 

JWT calls this generation, “Super Creatives: the supercharged multidisciplinary future of creative talent. And your new consumers.” This generation is extremely comfortable in the digital arena and know how to navigate around it. 

Brands need to learn how to co-navigate with this generation utilizing creative marketing to not only engage them but to also invite them to share their creativity as part of your brand experience. Keep in mind that Gen Z’s are raised by millennials so they are used to being heard, notably their voice matters as this is one of the values instilled in them since birth. 
According to a survey by JWT Intelligence  

  • Over half (51%) of Z’s feel they are more creative than the previous generations 

  • More than half (55%)  Z’s say they find social apps and the internet are more creative spaces than what they experience offline 

  • 56% use social apps to creatively express themselves

  • Among Gen Zers, 27% have hacked or adapted an app or website’s features to do something that isn't typically available, such as using separate apps to add sound, video, imagery, or music

Reaching Z’s have become a whole new set of marketing rules as 33% of them want brands to reach them through email. What’s interesting is that Gen Z’s are interested in cool products versus cool experiences compared to Millennials who are interested in cool experiences.


The ultimate place for Z’s to gather information seems to be YouTube.  As many experts have expressed that video is will be the wave of how content is delivered. Across social media platforms such as Instagram, Linkedin, and Facebook video still continues to be an all time favorite. 

 
Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Fantasy Experience Meets Real World Brands

There’s something about a fantasy experience that has us all mesmerized. But what happens when the fantasy experience meets real-world brands? It’s a concept that …

There’s something about a fantasy experience that has us all mesmerized. But what happens when the fantasy experience meets real-world brands? It’s a concept that not far-reaching as brands bring to life some of our most beloved digital fantasies. According to a Nielsen report, “US adults now spend 11 hours a day interacting with media, and for those aged 18-34 over half (57%) this time isn’t spent with passive media (TV and radio) but with interactive digital media.”

Still not convinced? Let’s take a look at what’s trending in the fantasy world which is now part of our lives.

Emoticon Pillows
Many of us are have seen these hanging at retail stores, different emoticon pillows from a smiley face to winky eyes in the form of bright yellow plush squeeze pillows. These pillows have also transformed from home decor to dog toys.

E-Sports
This is a category that colleges to mainstream stadiums are embracing. Players get to interact with each other digitally through video games. Its also become a spectator sport that has brought together people from all over the world.

I-Robots
This lifelike robot has the ability to now become a real-life companion and perform daily tasks. Hotels have started to experiment with i-robots for room service in order to create a cost-effective and efficient guest experience.

Hotels
Lisboeta hotel in Macau recently announced that they will be recreating a theme around Line friends. Line is the Japanese messaging app that has grown wildly popular with the Asian community. The Casa de Amigo’s room will feature designs around various Line Friends as part of enhancing the guest experience. The brand is looking to reach more Millennial families. Line Friends derived from the cute stickers that are sent between users.  

In order to create brand experiences that really speak to your customer brands need to be aware of what cultural trends are happening right now. Experiences that also incorporate these trends attract customers who want to be part of your brand journey while creating a community. So major cultural trends will your brand be embracing?

Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Emotional Experiences Create Memories

Brand experiences that tap into the emotions of our customers have the ability to create memories. Emotional experiences speak …

Brand experiences that tap into the emotions of our customers have the ability to create memories. Emotional experiences speak to the core of who we are as humans. If you think about this, emotions are a very universal language. You go anywhere in the world if we see someone crying we know that they’re sad. If they’re smiling from ear to ear we know that they are happy. Emotions are the same driver that has many of us chasing after love, happiness, freedom, peace and more.

When brands tap into these positive emotions they create a bond with their customers. Remember when you first saw Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches commercial? Did it make you cry or maybe it was a moment of realization for you? The powerful video had the world talking and till this day it’s probably one of the first commercials that really spoke to us on a humanistic emotional level.

But today’s there’s something happening in our oversaturated hyper-data world, customers are being bombarded with billions of messages which means their emotions are being pulled in many directions. It’s because of this very reason that brands need to be deliberate in designing their experiences. They need to be aware of the type of emotion or emotions they want customers to experience in order to craft the right experience.

In creating experiences there are 2 key questions we must ask at every step of the experience. One is am I saving my customer time and two am I seizing their attention. Your experience design must start precisely the first place you meet your new customer. Maybe you’re meeting them in person, online, social media, through a blog or even an email but wherever you meet them you must start asking those questions.

Here’s how these experiences would look like:

Collectible Experience (Seizing Their Attention)

Think of it as doing it for Instagram. Essentially these are experiences customers can easily snap and post onto social media. A perfect example of this would be Refinery 29’s, 29 Rooms.

The drivers of collectible experiences are:

1. Broken rules of engagement -When brands operate out of the normal parameters. The Beer Dog Brewery opens up a beer-centric hotel in Ohio called The Dog House. It features an interactive beer museum, beer-infused spa treatments, and an in-shower minibar.

2. Status- social media platforms have allowed people to upload live experiences and share it globally where it’s seen by billions.

3. The rise of expert- customers are picking easy and cheap products such as Pandora or Spotify “Music on tap”.

 

Saving them time

This is an automated experience, it’s seamless and happily forgotten. Financial institutions frequently use this type of experience. In the beginning, customers will love this experience, take it away from them and they become irritated.

The drivers for this kind of experience are:

1. On-demand economy- customer are getting used to instant gratification. That is why brands such as Uber, Netflix, and Amazon are wildly successful, with one click customers can fulfill their needs.

2. Verbal Intelligence- using voice-activated products such as Google Home, Alexa, Siri

3. Cool to be busy- being too busy is a status symbol now. If we go onto Instagram and look up #hustle #workhard #workhardplayhard, you’ll see billions of posts attributed to these hashtags.

Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Start-Up Brands Love Guerrilla Marketing

When it comes to startups and creating experiences it can be a huge challenge due to a lack of cash flow. Which means many startups fail …

When it comes to startups and creating experiences it can be a huge challenge due to a lack of cash flow. Which means many startups fail to create those experiences that truly connect with customers. They function primarily on a very basic means of building brand awareness which is just social media but it doesn’t have to be this way. Startup brands must have a love for guerrilla marketing in order to succeed.

The concept of guerrilla marketing has been around for many years. By marketing your brand in this way it can build awareness. Guerrilla marketing is a very grassroots hybrid way of getting your business out into the world. It’s one that focuses on having a dialogue with your customers, encouraging them to engage with you. Versus traditional marketing which is very much a one-way dialogue, where brands tell the world I have this product, buy it.

One of the key components to building brands is to really ask yourself, “what do I want to do?” What solution(s) is your brand offering to solve a problem in the world? By creating this core concept it provides your brand a Northstar and streamlines a lot of your efforts when it comes to marketing as well as creating brand experiences. The idea is to start with one sentence, cut it down to 7 words and then finally 3 words that describe what you do.


So the question becomes how do we use guerrilla marketing to encourage a conversation with our customers? It simply starts with these:


Asking Customers to Register For Something

Maybe you want them to register for a demo of your product or a chance to meet the founder of your company. This is also going to be a great way for you to start collecting email address of those who are interested in what you have to offer.  


Newsletter Signups

This is the most common ways of encouraging a conversation. Those who sign up for your newsletters find some kind of value in what you’re offering. They want to know more and this is the chance for your brand to shine and educate those qualified customers.

Giveaways and Contests

We see this a lot on Instagram these days where brands ask you to follow, tag a few friends in order to win something from them. If you want new followers for social media this will be the quickest way to do it.

Online polls

Is another way to get the conversation going. It’s also a great market research tool where you really get a glimpse into the mindset of your customers. Feedback is always great and this is a very non-invasive way of getting it.

With all these options which one really works? That’s going to take trial and tribulations because not every brand will have the same goals nor will the audience respond in the same way. It will depend on how you craft these experiences and what your goals are. You need a marketing combination, it’s no longer about just about a singular channel of marketing.

Startups with limited budgets can try creating a website, canvassing, telephone marketing, circulars, brochures, signs on bulletins, personal letters, classified ads, direct mail, outdoor signs, billboards (ask for remnant inventory it’s cheaper), demonstrations, seminars, event sponsorships, trade shows, Public Relations, T-shirts, free gift giveaways, newspapers, magazine ads, radio, or television.

Yes, some of these sound like dinosaur advertising methodologies, but I invite you to think about if a marketplace is very noisy, where you’re aggressively competing for attention would your brand be seen? So why not try an area where not many people are playing in.

Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Cutie Con, Cuteness Overload

Cuteness, who can resist it? The cute industry is one that is experiencing exponential growth. It’s quite prevalent that it isn’t going away anytime soon. In NYC alone there are …

Cuteness, who can resist it? The cute industry is one that is experiencing exponential growth. It’s quite prevalent that it isn’t going away anytime soon. In NYC alone there are cute retail stores popping up left and right. Line Friends launched the first flagship store in Times Square just two years ago. Smaller brands like Rilakkuma has opted for a pop-up shop while rumors swirl of a flagship retail store located in the Hudson Yards, NYC. Even more recently news broke that Japanese dollar store, Daiso which offers a plethora of cute items will also be making its mark in the New York City area.

Brands are looking to make their mark in NYC capitalizing on the expected population growth of up to 9 million by the year 2040 as reported by NYC. So it’s no wonder the cute industry is in a race to capture the NYC market share. But with all these cute retailers popping up is there any more room in NYC for yet another cute store? Most definitely!

Meet the newest player in the cute market that’s making its splashy debut Summer of 2020. Cutie Con Expo touts that it will attract over 100K in global attendees, influencers, and media while featuring 300+ exhibitors from food, beauty, media, film, books, accessories, fashion, toys, tech and more. In addition to new cute brands launching for the first time at the expo, Cutie Con will also showcase expert speakers in the cute industry.

This new expo is already planning its stay looking to expand overseas within the next five years. There are no specific details yet as to which countries they are looking to target. To date, the expo hasn’t officially announced where it will showcase this massive event but we suspect that it will take place either in Manhattan or Brooklyn. A representative from Cutie Con stated, “We are currently in the planning stages looking for sponsors and locations that can offer at least 125K sq. feet in order to house the event. The goal of Cutie Con is to bring a nostalgic, impactful, and joyous experience to global consumers and give brands an opportunity to network and elevate business endeavors within the cute market.”

So what exactly is the deal behind all things cute? There’s actually scientific evidence that proves cute objects bring feelings of joy to the users, hence so many brands use some sort of cuteness as part of their marketing initiatives. According to Google trends, the worldwide cute interest has exponentially reached its peak and popularity over the last 10 years.

If you’re wondering what else is in store for Cutie Con, we’ll just have to stay tuned to find out what cuteness they will be bringing to NYC. But we’re positive that whatever cuteness they have in store will have us all saying “awww that’s so cute!”


Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

6 Winning Elements of Customer Experience

Our customer’s experience has the ability to make or break our brands. In fact, without winning elements of customer experience your brand will not be able …

Our customer’s experience has the ability to make or break our brands. In fact, without winning elements of customer experience your brand will not be able to create that connective tissue to customers. In today’s marketplace, it’s not enough to have a winning product but experiences that inspire and make our customers’ lives easier have a greater staying power. Customers are demanding experiences that are meaningfully tailored to them.

It’s imperative that you get to know your customers, not just who they are on paper but also what are their pains, wants, needs, desires even before they realize it. Experiences that keep our customers engaged is mostly due to brands truly understanding and listening to their customers.

What exactly are the elements that create a positive experience for your customers?

1. Personalization

Customers want experiences that connect with them. It needs to have some sort of meaning for them. Whether it’s saving them time, making their lives easier or even automating a decision, it needs to be relevant.

2. Meeting Customer Expectations

Our customers have set expectations when it comes to brand loyalty. When a customer first meets a new brand they are asking themselves two critical questions. One can I trust this brand? Two can I respect this brand? In their minds, they have already decided what they would like to experience with a certain brand.

3. Addressing Conflicts

Conflicts will arise, not every customer will love your brand. In today’s e-comm society a bad review can quickly ruin a brand. It can also have the ability to boost a brand to the next level as we’ve seen countless times with Influencer marketing. When it comes to conflict you must address it right away, don’t let that angry customer simmer and stew. You also want to make sure that if the conflict is on an online platform that you utilize the 2 message rule. First apologizing and second asking the customer if they’d be willing to continue the conversation offline.

4. Building Rapport

Relationships are the key to retaining customers, that is why so many brands are carefully curating their social media experiences with their customers. When you build a strong rapport with your customers or tribe you increase brand loyalty. You'll also be able to get honest feedback about your brand.

5. Creating Seamless Experiences

Experience both online and offline has to maintain some fluidity and flexibility that creates a cohesive experience for customers. It’s also the way in which customers will remember your brand. It allows them to quickly pull your brand from memory.

6. Brand Trust

Customers want to know that they can trust the brands that they are using. They want to know that brands are transparent, honest, and have their well-being in mind. Trust is also another crucial component for brand loyalty. Once the trust is broken it is very difficult to mend or even get back.

Read More
The Chi Group The Chi Group

Marketing to Chinese & Japanese Luxury Consumer

The Asian consumer market has always been an interesting area for many brands, especially luxury brands. As brands look towards expansion efforts and …

The Asian consumer market has always been an interesting area for many brands, especially luxury brands. As brands look towards expansion efforts and marketing to Chinese and Japanese luxury consumers there are key differences to consider. These are two of the strongest Asian countries that have the highest luxury consumption.  


According to consulting firm McKinsey, Japanese consumers spend about $33 billion on luxury goods each year, making it 2017’s second largest luxury market in the world. Meanwhile, China’s consumer only spent $7.4 billion.


There are some key mindset differentiators between the two groups that brands must take into consideration when designing a marketing strategy and brand experience.


Digital Laggards vs. Early Adopters

Japanese luxury consumers place a high value on in-store interactions, as this indicator has high expectancy among this group. Salespeople who are kind, easy to talk to, have vast product knowledge, receiving personal and exclusive attention, attribute to in-store satisfaction according to McKinsey.


The Japanese market also lacks in a robust e-commerce market which is reflected in consumers payment habits. 93% of consumers preferred credit card payments in Japan, while WeChat accounts for only 1% of sales. Interestingly, personal beauty products such as makeup and skincare are frequently purchased online by Japanese consumers more than any other type of luxury goods.

Chinese consumers’ perspective greater differs when it comes to online payments. This group of luxury consumers relies heavily on Internet-based payments for efficiency. Total e-commerce sales in China hit $598 billion in 2016. This number is larger than the e-commerce markets of the United States and the United Kingdom combined. Chinese buyers see mobile payments as more secure than in-store purchases.

Rational vs. Experiential Buying

Japanese consumers have a rational mentality as they seek products which are of quality and durability. They tend to associate luxury with “expensive” and “high quality” and less likely to respond to social influence or status. They are also less likely to respond emotionally. This according to a report from Agility Research & Strategy on Affluent Insights from Japan. In fact, these consumers are motivated to buy for craftsmanship (56%), design/style (40%), and service (26%)

On the other spectrum, Chinese consumers have elevated to simply buying to invest in luxury lifestyles which include an expansion into health, travel, and art.

When it comes to social media influencers/ KOL (Key Opinion Leaders), Chinese consumers rely heavily on social media word-of-mouth for many of their purchasing decisions. But their Japanese counterparts place very little value on social media and influencers when choosing their luxury brands. Instead Japanese consumers’ place more value on direct interactions with brands (33%), online ads and content (excluding social media), and traditional media, including TV, radio, print and outdoor ads (20%).

Pessimistic vs. Optimistic Consumers

According to Agility’s report, Japanese consumers have a pessimistic view on wealth as one in three Japanese consumers think they will have more disposable income and have confidence that their investments will increase in the next 12 months. While one in four Japanese consumers plan on purchasing more luxury goods which are lower when compared to other Asian-Pacific markets.

In China, the luxury consumer is expected to spend more this year with incremental spend from already wealthy consumers. This will create over half the anticipated growth in Chinese luxury spending from 2016 to 2025, according to McKinsey.

 
Read More