Set against a backdrop of post holiday news from several brick and mortar retailers who announced plans to close hundreds of locations in 2017, NanoLumens today forecast a significantly rosier picture for those forward-looking retailers who integrate technology with design to create new kinds of compelling customer experiences. In fact, the industry leading manufacturer and marketer of indoor and outdoor LED visualization solutions is increasing its commitment to the channel and has recently appointed Matt Nurre to the position of Vice President of Global Retail Sales to lead the company’s channel development programs.
“The retail channel has emerged as a pillar of our long-term global growth strategy, and for good reason,” Nurre emphasized today. “While the traditional model of the stand-alone brick and mortar retail business is being challenged, the advent and widespread proliferation of digital technologies, anchored by a LED visualization solution, is opening the door to an exciting new kind of customer experience that is helping retailers around the world to reinvent themselves for a new generation of connected consumers.”
Indeed, according to Nurre, carefully themed visual displays have become the center of the complete digital retail experience that is actually revitalizing the brick and mortar concept. “Visualization, and all of the technologies that attach to it, are actually being used to define the essence of the retailer’s brand for the 21st century consumer,” he asserted, “and NanoLumens displays engage and hold the attention of consumers like no other solution out there.”
This idea of the store becoming the personality of the brand wouldn’t be possible without technology, Nurre explained. “Technology is what allows a retailer to combine content and space in ways that are unique to their brand. Technology is freeing retailers to design unique customer experiences that are totally immersive. It’s the experience that first attracts and then holds the interest of the shopper, resulting in a shopping experience that lasts longer, generates higher sales, and increases the likelihood of repeat customer visits to the store.”
In short, traditional stores, thanks to technology, have the unique opportunity to do what the Internet will never be able to do as well. “Stores can create a three-dimensional customer experience that combines interactivity, displays, AR/VR technologies, and, of course, the product being sold, into a totally new kind of experience that can’t be found anywhere else,” he said.
Nurre has been advocating for retailers to accept change and embrace the creative possibilities of technology for quite some time. He comes to NanoLumens from the Retail Design Source in Chicago, where he served as President of the boutique retail consultancy that focuses on retail store design, fixture development, visual merchandising, product engineering, interactive displays, strategic marketing, and manufacturing consulting. He also currently serves as the Chairman of the Great Lakes Chapter of the Retail Design Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes the advancement and collaborative practice of creating retail sales environments.
“A new year is now just getting underway,” Nurre concluded. “It’s time for retailers to understand that digital technology is not going to replace brick and mortar. It is going to reinvent it in exciting new ways.”