Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Matthew Brown is the owner of the London creative agency Echochamber, which since its founding in 1999 has been following innovations in world’s trading markets and the evolution of consumer trends. He is a regular keynote speaker at global retail conferences. He was a guest speaker at the Anuga 2017 food show held in Cologne last year, and this April 12 he is coming to Sarajevo for the 4th FMCG Summit.
Echochamber points to global examples of good practice and offers creative analysis to customers in all spheres of commerce, helping them develop or adapt to world standards based on the most significant consumer trends.
The agency, headed by Brown, closely collaborates with marketers such as Westfield, Marks & Spencer and Tesco for more than ten years, helping them develop new concepts and get informed about the current industry innovations. Among the clients of the agency are brands such as Nike and Ikea, as well as giants in the CPG sector, Unilever and Johnson & Johnson, followed by global retail chains and others.
Media Marketing: What is your job and how much has it changed and adapted to the new conditions, both in trade and in consumer behavior?
Matthew Brown: My job is to travel around the world and observe the retail sector. In nearly 20 years, I have visited cities and shops all over the world with my camera, to analyze and record the experience of retailers. A lot has changed in that time, and especially after the global crisis of 2008 and after the emergence of iPhone. The trade sector is changing faster than ever, and the future of brick and mortar stores is being rewritten every day. My job had to adapt, because my clients wanted to understand these changes, to understand what they meant for them and how they could adapt and survive. So my job is to present trends at conferences and workshops, to consult with clients about specific projects, and to organize a retail safari in which I take my clients on tours to the world’s best cities for trade.
Media Marketing: What were the key trends in retail for 2017?
Matthew Brown: The key trend for 2017 was the renewal of convenience store formats, with the aim of providing truly “pleasant” products and services, whether it is online or offline. This applies to food trade, but can also be applied to other sectors. As an example, we can list Amazon and Alibaba, but there are also many start-ups, from Hello Fresh, via Blue Apron, to Uber Eats.
Media Marketing: Was this trend expected, or did it catch you by surprise?
Matthew Brown: Amazon was a huge surprise in 2017. Amazon Go, the cashierless store, where you pay with your mobile phone, will be a revolutionary change (if it ever opens to the wider public), but their Whole Foods acquisition and entry into Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pick up and Amazon Books – this is a real retail revolution.
Media Marketing: How does Digital affect the retail scene and consumers?
Matthew Brown: The smartphone has changed retail forever, because it can provides a truly personal touch with the consumer in a whole new way. Augmented reality will be the next innovation that will be used by retailers. Very scary innovation will be the Shazam of retail – where you can point your phone at any product you’ve seen anywhere in the world, the phone then recognize it, and you can buy it. The Bixby technology developed by Samsung is very close to achieving that.
Media Marketing: In what way should retailers respond to the challenges of the digital era, i.e. online vs. offline consumer?
Matthew Brown: Retailers need to enable consumers to shop and to seamlessly and quickly connect to any channel of shopping they want. Retail facilities are increasingly becoming places where consumers develop shopping experience, and are no longer just a place where they can buy some product.
Media Marketing: Consumer is king. But that consumer is changing, and their shopping habits as well. What should traders do to satisfy these evolved, more sophisticated and more challenging needs?
Matthew Brown: They should offer solutions, not products, and they should make their stores into places where they will surprise and delight their consumers.
Media Marketing: Your agency collaborates with a number of globally renowned retailers and producers. What kind of advice do they seek from you most often, and do they accept them?
Matthew Brown: Echochamber works with FMCG companies, such as Unilever and Johnson & Johnson, to help them build their shops and pop-up stores, because retail is becoming a very important channel for brands to connect with customers, given that traditional advertising is becoming less significant. Some of our other clients, such as Ikea and Marks & Spencer, are using our services to determine the best business practice at a global level. We look at their competitors and help them plan the future by showing them how to adapt to new trade and consumer trends.
Media Marketing: You spoke at the Anuga fair in Cologne. What was the main impression you got from this event?
Matthew Brown: The fair provides an incredible opportunity to see what’s best in this sector from around the world, and the conference I talked at was a great opportunity to share experiences with colleagues from other countries.
Media Marketing: How can we catch pace with more developed countries?
Matthew Brown: If you want to catch up with other countries, then you have to travel around the world and see what’s going on or listen to someone like me, who can show it to you. Going beyond the borders of the country and observing the real world of trade in the best shopping cities in the world is like looking at a crystal ball. These trends will come to you, even faster than you think.
Media Marketing: Do companies from this market follow global trends in retail?
Matthew Brown: My FMCG clients think globally, and they apply key trends in each market they enter. Regardless whether it’s a developed or developing market.
Media Marketing: You will speak at the coming FMCG Summit in Sarajevo (www.fmcg-summit.ba). What can delegates expect from your lecture?
Matthew Brown: An inspirational shopping journey through the entire world. I will show them the key trends in retail across sectors, and what can they learn from all that in order to prepare for the future.
Media Marketing: Finally, can you tell us what are the key trends predicted for 2018?
Matthew Brown: Digital will move more and more towards mobile and we’ll see more and more retail services that are adjusted to mobile. Personalization of products and services will continue to grow across sectors. Also, we will continue to see greater kindness, communion and incredible experience in brick-and-mortar stores.