Dylan’s Candy: Using Data Well

Posted on February 24, 2016 by bermanevansretail
As noted at its Web site, 
“In 2001, Dylan Lauren [yes, the daughter of Ralph] pioneered creating the world’s largest confectionery emporium and lifestyle brand, Dylan’s Candy Bar. By merging the worlds of art, fashion, and pop culture with candy, Dylan’s Candy Bar has innovated the way we see candy today. With a mission to awaken the creative spirit and inner child in everyone, Dylan’s Candy Bar surrounds its customers with the most imaginative, state of the art decor and product mix.”
“Dylan’s Candy Bar transports its guests to a modern day version of Willy Wonka’s factory the moment they enter. Its pop-art installations such as the iconic oversized lollipop tree, candy cane columns, dripping chocolate shelves, kaleidoscopic candy wallpaper and candy-embedded staircases embody the pinnacle of “retail-tainment”. The ultra-sensory experience is enhanced with delectable smells, a candy timeline and a vast milieu of candy songs and commercials, giving its customers not just a sugar high but a sweet lasting euphoria. Dylan’s Candy Bar houses over 7,000 confections making it have the largest, unparalleled selection of candies and candy-related gifts from around the world.”
Today, Dylan’s Candy Bar has stores in New York City (where the first store is located), Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, East Hampton (NY), and several other locales. Some stores are at airports.
As a forward-looking retail business, Dylan’s Candy Bar is a big believer in using data well. Consider these observations by Judith Aquino, reporting for 1to1 Media:
“Until recently, a peek into the company’s inventory management system that supplies the many different sugar-coated confections would have revealed an aged legacy system struggling to keep up with Dylan’s recent growth. The company handled inventory management across a number of different platforms along with separate sales platforms for each of its channels including its retail stores, E-commerce, and wholesale division. Application silos limited visibility into the business.”
“Dylan’s Candy Bar now operates a central database where it stores all of its customer information from across multiple channels, and uses the data to deploy personalized marketing campaigns. For example, the company delivers personalized E-mails about local store events and product updates based on a customer’s zip code and purchase history. The platform also makes it easy for associates to sign consumers up for the company’s loyalty program, Sweet Rewards, from the retailer’s point-of-sale systems.”
Click the image to read more from Aquino.

 

 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 4: Store Location Planning, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Part 8: Putting It All Together | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Visa Being More Retailer Friendly

Posted on February 23, 2016 by bermanevansretail
As part of its initiatives to expand its retailer base — and to grow greater retailer loyalty, Visa is enacting several tactics. Here is one of them: the Visa Commerce Network (VCM).
Here is a synopsis of VCM, as reported by Tome Ryan for RetailWire:
“Visa has come up with a new way to reward customers at the point of sale: providing discounts to other places. Through the Visa Commerce Network, shoppers are sent targeted offers and rewards on their mobile phones that can be redeemed at other merchants’ locations. For example, a hotel can provide its guests with offers from local restaurants and, with cardholder consent, track engagement and even issue rewards. Qualifying purchases are recognized at the point of sale and rewards seamlessly applied to cardholder accounts, eliminating the need for coupons or points systems.”
“To-date, more than a dozen leading businesses, including Dunkin’ Donuts, Regal Entertainment Group, Shake Shack, and Uber, have used Visa Commerce Network.”

 

Take a look at this YouTube video from Visa: “Our merchant partners have the need for tools and services to help drive growth. The Visa Commerce Network gives merchants a way to create new customer experiences that grow sales and build loyalty.”


 

Posted in Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Video Clips (non-career) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Better Measure Online ROI

Posted on February 22, 2016 by bermanevansretail
Many companies find it difficult to measure the ROI (return on investment) of various activities, including those activities conducted via the Web.
Marketo has recently published an E-book titled: Solved Mysteries: Tracking Your Content Marketing ROI:
“Is your content’s ROI a mystery? You won’t need a detective to solve the case! In this E-book, we’ll walk you through our tried-and-true process for finding the ROI of your content marketing, and give you the metrics you’ll need to measure.”
See how you can:
  • “Sync your content with your organization’s goals”
  • “Define your key metrics before you create content”
  • “Align with internal stakeholders — especially the C-suite”
  • “Design your programs to be measurable”
  • “Use early and late-stage metrics to solve your ROI mystery”

 

Click the image to access a free PDF of this E-book.

 

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 8: Putting It All Together, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment