Global Trends in Shopper Engagement

This month, we set out to get insights from our international team of bloggers, into which brands are innovating in retailing and shopper marketing.

• Cult of Impersonality – In a world of logo-overload, brands like Maison Martin Margiela stand out by deconstructing high fashion marketing with plain white labels, minimal in-store signage and a pared down website which reassures the consumer that it’s “NOT under construction.”

• Using Game Mechanics to Build Engagement – Zugara's Webcam Social Shopper uses motion-sensor technology to make online shopping closer to the real-life experience by allowing shoppers to try on clothes via webcam. It is even integrated with Facebook to get instant feedback from friends. Think Kinect at the mall.

• Localization – Luxury retailer Louis Vuitton played to Indian tastes during the Diwali season by commissioning local artists to create window displays and designing a sari-inspired dress spotted on Indian and American celebrities alike.

• Throwback Aesthetics- The most innovative packaging today borrows from bygone eras to suggest hand-made quality. LuLu Organics beauty line nods to Art Nouveau; Kusmi Tea offers Berliners collectable baroque tins, and the still under-development iPad app LetterMpress™ gives users the tools to make custom designs with a vintage aesthetic.

• Crowdsourcing – Online fundraising site Kickstarter engages millions of users to donate money toward the development of new products, rewarding invested consumers with limited edition products in many cases.

We’re also proud of our long-time consumer video director, Jeff Myers, who this week won the South by Southwest Film Festival Spotlight Premieres Audience Award for “Becoming Santa”, a documentary about Santa culture, for which ModelPeople was the Executive Producer.

See the trailer and description here! Read the review in Variety