Center for Retailing Excellence Blog

2010 Emerging Trends in Retailing Conference

2010-05-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Registration is open now! To register,visit The Center for Retailing Excellence webiste at http://cre.uark.edu.

2010-05-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Proceeds from this event will support students at the University of Arkansas in the Sam M. Walton College of Business and Women's Athletics. Our goal is to raise $35,000 in 2010.

June 23rd, 2010

Stonebridge Meadows Golf Course

Cost: $375/person or $1,500/team of four

11:00 am

Global Trends in Retailing 2009 Fall Conference

2009-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Click below to find out more about our 9th Annual Fall Conference! Registration is still open for the October 1 event! Speakers include Doug McMillon (President and CEO of Walmart International) and Andy Murray (Global CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi X), among several others.

Guest Posts Are Always Welcome

2009-06-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hi there frends of the CRE!

We are always open to guest posts on our blog! If you have a topic or idea for a post, just send an email to Pam Styles at pstyles@walton.uark.edu or just send us a tweet (@theCRE)!

Vendors FORE Education Golf Tournament

2009-05-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

July 17, 2009

Check out more information about the annual Vendors FORE Education Gold Tournament!

http://cre.uark.edu/428.asp

Why Use Twitter?

2009-04-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

This post is an excerpt from an April 7 blog post by Lucretia Pruitt, "GeekMommy."

The Basics of Twitter’s Appeal

The thing about Twitter is that it’s so powerful as a tool, it’s almost daunting. Because you "can" do so much with it, it’s often hard to know where to start. I liken it a bit to a Swiss Army Knife - the uses are endless - unless you don’t really have a goal in mind, then it’s just a series of complex little do-hickeys that pull out and push back in.

For me, I primarily use Twitter on a number of levels:
1) Networking
2) Information
3) Sharing
4) Socializing

1) Networking — I’ve met so many people via Twitter that I would never have had ‘access’ to under normal working situations. From “A-list” internet folks to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to “celebrities” - people that I couldn’t just walk off the street and say “Oh hi! I want to meet you!” and have that become a reality. Additionally, I’ve found that I have formed bonds with many of these people despite geographic distance.

2) Information - You know that little news ticker at the bottom of CNN? In a way, Twitter is like that for me - only customized. I don’t get repetitive news about something I don’t find important - but rather I get breaking news, industry relevant news (like upcoming conferences!), information that is coming out of a specific conference, information about people and their current experiences. The wealth of information in one place is amazing - but it’s tailored to my interests, because if I don’t think someone provides value? I simply don’t follow them.

3) Sharing - If I’m somewhere and someone says something I think should be shared with my network, a few keystrokes and a send and it’s shared. Rather than thinking “oh! I have to remember that so I can tell everyone later” and running up against “how did she say that? I forget” - I’ve already shared it and I can reference it myself later. Anything that I think would be useful, entertaining, or informative. It gets tweeted.

4) Socializing - Sometimes, it’s more conversational - not necessarily earth-shattering information, or work relevant even. Just touching base with my friends and being social. A lot of people take issue with this use, saying it shouldn’t be used “as a chat room” - my reaction is simply “then don’t use it that way.”

The thing about Twitter is that everyone uses it to the ends that best suit them. A lot of folks will tell you how they think you “should” use it (or shouldn’t), but in the end, it’s always a customized experience.

There’s no right or wrong way to use Twitter - there are just ‘more effective ways’ to use it to get out of it what you want.

Follow @GeekMommy on Twitter!

Spring 2009 Issue of CRE8 is Ready!

2009-03-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

Great articles from John Andrews, Kenny Tomlin, Nina Brackeen, and more! Download the newsletter from the CRE homepage here: http://cre.uark.edu/716.asp. Drop some commments and let us know what you think!

The Psychology of Color at Retail

2009-03-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Patricia Beks • 20 Mar 2009

The one major psychological influence that all retailers can — and do — make use of is color. Color can be everything to a successful store, if the palettes work well across the whole shop and complement other elements such as product displays and lighting. The point, according to retail designers, isn't about creating the most beautiful shop, but one that has coherence.

Color is central to coherence because we react instinctively to it. Red means "stop" and green means "go." Our brains are hot-wired to respond to color and, for modern retailers, the trick to using color is to understand both its physiological and psychological influences.

We react fundamentally to colors because they help us make sense of our surroundings; indeed, some 80 percent of information reaches our brains via our eyes. It means that we are instinctively more comfortable when colors remind us of something familiar — for example, a soft shade of blue triggers associations with the sky and a psychological sense of calm. Prisons and hospitals now use color to influence the behavior of inmates and patients.

In children, by contrast, those color associations are still being formed, which is why youngsters respond best to bright primary colors. Those bold colors are the color of most toys, clothes and children's books — and the color schemes of the most successful kids' retailers.

Color psychology perhaps explains why people are allegedly more relaxed in a green room and why weightlifters perform better in blue gyms. It's certainly the reason why some paint manufacturers now have color cards setting out the therapeutic aspects of each color, and why some cosmetic companies have introduced "color therapy" ranges.

We all share similar responses to color, although some cultural variations exist. For example, white is the color of marriage in western societies but is the color of death in China. In Brazil, purple is the color of death. Yellow is sacred to the Chinese, but signifies sadness in Greece and jealousy in France. People from tropical countries respond most favorably to warm colors; people from northern climates prefer cooler colors.

Our heart rate and blood pressure rise when we look at intense reds; conversely, we can become tired or anxious by looking at large areas of bright whites or grays. In a retail environment, understanding those responses can be crucial to enticing a customer inside, and then enticing her to open her wallet or purse.

To make things more complicated, the success of a retail store isn't so much influenced by the chosen color scheme but by how their target customers react to it. Is the store aimed at teenagers? Thirty-somethings? Senior citizens? The success of the store depends on how the customer reacts to both the products on display and the sales environment. Younger people like the energy of bold colors; older people prefer more subtle palettes. Get those colors wrong, and a retailer will find that their customers simply won't relate to the brand.

Color association also extends into food retailing. For example, most fast-food restaurants are decorated in vivid reds and oranges. These are colors that encourage us to eat quickly and leave — exactly what the fast-food operator wants us to do. Luxurious brands, on the other hand, favor softer colors that appear more sophisticated. In classier restaurants, those are the colors that encourage us to linger — and to order another drink, another coffee.

Some retailers are now using carpeting to influence patterns of travel around a store — particularly from the crucial zone just inside the shop entrance, often referred to as the compression or transition zone — the place where customers first orientate themselves with what's inside. Here, carpeting is being used to subtly direct shoppers deeper into the store or, by using different colors and patterns, create subconscious walkways that shoppers will tend to follow.

By recognizing how color influences us, retailers are better able to induce feelings of warmth, intimacy or serenity — or, by using more vibrant palettes, to excite or stimulate. It's about understanding target markets, the product lines to appeal to them and the kind of brand the retailer wants to convey. Lastly, it's about conveying that brand though color and design.

Patricia Beks is a marketing and communications specialist with carpet designer and manufacturer Desso.

CRE Online

2009-03-17T14:42:00.001-07:00

Check out the CRE online at cre.uark.edu!