JD.com home appliance store wows RTIH retail tech awards judges
BRICKS AND MORTAR INNOVATION AWARD SPONSORED BY C A DESIGN SERVICES
Chinese retailer JD.com has been highly commended in the 2020 RTIH Innovation Awards Bricks and Mortar Innovation category.
The award celebrates retailers who are enabling physical spaces to thrive via innovative technology, even as online shopping continues to grow.
We were looking for examples of reducing friction in the customer journey, offering improved experiences, and blurring the lines between channels.
Asda emerged victorious for its Stevenage innovation store.
However, JD.com ran the UK grocery giant a close second with the opening of its first home appliance flagship store in Bengbu, a fourth-tier city in Anhui province.
Judges’ comments
Gerald Dawson, Finance Director, Forthglade Foods, said that JD.com’s “sheer scale is impressive but I admire the way they are driving digital into physical through experiential retail and clever use of technology.”
Luke Phillips, Program Director, Studio Retail, observed: “Value and service have become so ubiquitous that they are no longer a way to attract customers. JD.com are using retail theatre and local presence to differentiate themselves.”
Whilst Sharon Peters, Head Of Technology - Marks and Spencer, HR, Finance, Corporate Services and M&S Bank, applauded the use of entertainment zones “which are experiences to add value to the customer.”
“Purchase experience is now so important and it shows that now but as we move back to a newer normal there is an added unique selling point to differentiate upon,” she added.
Finally, retail analyst Tiffany Lung, praised the “large scale reformed design of the future department store, but with more experiential features – almost like a Decathlon but for all things electronics.”
