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6 Deutsche EuroShop ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Overview Shopping – not without my app Shopping apps, long used in the US, are now also being successfully introduced in Germany. Page 7 > No magic bullet, but many go od solutions While the population is shrinking, life expec- tancy is rising. At the same time, the number of single-personhouseholdsisgrowinginthecities. Page 10 > 2014 charts These were the book, audio book and music bestseller lists for 2014 – presented by Thalia. de, Saturn and Media-Markt. Page 15+17 > Consumerspendingin2015–is Europeonagrowthtrajectory? GfK forecasts suggest that private household spending in Germany is set to increase by 1.5% in real terms in 2015. Page 16 > The rolls conspiracy Inflation is officially lower than it’s been for years. For many, however, inflation is significantly higher. Katja Lüders is embarrassed at the counter. Every Sunday the lively Berliner jogs to her regular baker in Arkona-Kiez… Complete article on page 12 > Types of shoppers in 2015 – How will we shop tomorrow? The Internet is ubiquitous and just how significantly it changes our everyday lives is something we experience first-hand on a daily basis: a quick look at our smartphones tells us whether or not our train is running on schedule… Complete article on page 8 > Beacons in retail stores A guiding light for customers » Get a 10% discount on the gift wrap of your choice today! « » Buy a speciality coffee and get a free cookie today! « » Buy a bag from the new collection and we’ll send you a scarf today! « To date, smartphones have only been used in a retail context for e-commerce. But now, beacon technology allows bricks-and-mortar shops to communicate digi- tally with their customers – before they walk through the doors. A s a customer passes the entrance to a shopping center, their smart- phone vibrates in their pocket. The location function has rec- ognised where they are and has automatical- ly activated the mall app. A personal greeting appears on the screen: “Hello, Mr Smith, and welcome. The book you were recently look- ing for is back in stock. And why not drop into the men’s outfitter on the first floor? A 10% discount on all your purchases is waiting for you.” Mr Smith has seen the messages, but he is interested in something else today. It’s his nephew’s birthday tomorrow. Where’s the toy shop? The mall app tells him: at the north end of the ground-floor. The location of the shop appears as a blue dot on his smartphone, with a dotted line leading him directly to his desti- nation. Few people look at the display boards at the information desk any more: indoor navi- gation is the mall app’s most commonly used function. From analysis to navigation Although this scenario is still a vision of the future, the technology already exists. So-called “beacons” are digitalising bricks-and-mortar shops and are aiming to remove some of the disadvantages compared with online shop- ping. They allow retailers to communicate with customers before they have even entered the shop – or more precisely, encourage them to walk in. Beacons send signals to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth, which has a number of possible uses, including: • In-store navigation: helping customers in a shopping center or chain store get to where they want to go. • In-store marketing: individualised offers. Advertising more products than there is room for on the shelves. • Customer loyalty: enabling customers to col- lect points for walk-ins or by scanning bar- codes on products. • Payment function: turning smartphone into wallet. • Entertainment: enabling customers to listen to music, watch films or read digital maga- zines while they wait. • Analysis: tracking customers’ movements on an anonymised basis; gathering information about new and returning customers. Who comes out top? Countless retailers are currently testing out this new technology. One of the first to use beacons in its stores was Apple. And, true to form, the US company placed its signature “i” in front of the name and refers to them as iBeacons. The proprietary Apple standard can be used by developers in the design of their own app. The crucial question, though, is: will consum- ers use retailer apps or will they prefer “me- ta-apps”? Apps such as shopkick, ShopNow, Yoints and Love to Shop (ECE) bundle a num- ber of chains and shopping centers. But meta- apps are by no means guaranteed to succeed, as the example of ShopNow shows. After just a little over a year in business, the Berlin-based start-up filed for insolvency. The official rea- son: it couldn’t gather enough trading partners on its platform. Whoever offers customers the biggest selection of partner companies is like- ly to make the running against its rivals. But it’s not just about special offers and customer Easy to Park RFID parking will simplify the entire parking process for shopping center visitors in the future. Instead of rolling down their windows to take a ticket each time they drive into a shopping center’s car park, regardless of whatever inclement weather might be raging outside, users of this new service will be able to simply drive into the car park without the need to take a ticket. Users will simply need to position the requisite RFID parking card behind the sun visor where it will automatically be identified by sensors located at the entries and exits. When an RFID user enters the center, the barrier is raised automatically and the corresponding parking fee is deducted auto- matically upon leaving – calculated precisely down to the minute. That means no more standing at pay machines or struggling to keep the right change on hand. Account balances can be checked online and topped up any time. C Another innovation currently undergoing testing at ECE’s Future Labs is the contactless parking card with a built-in RFID (radio frequency identification) chip. » The indoor navigation is the mall app’s most commonly used function. SHOPPING