World News
Uniqlo deploys
apparel vending
machines
Uniqlo has deployed its first
apparel vending machines at key
locations across the USA, as the
Japanese retailer looks to enter
new markets.
Dubbed ‘Uniqlo to Go’, the fashion
vending machines are popping up in
select American airport terminals during
August.
Some of the areas where the vending
machines are located include Oakland
Airport, Hollywood and Highland Centre in
Los Angeles, Houston Airport, and Queens
Center, Elmhurst, New York. Locations
have been decided upon based on their
potential for high-traffic and customer
visibility.
“We’re already talking with amusement
parks, train stations, entertainment
conventions and movie theatres about
additional opportunities,” said the
spokesperson. “The goal is to open
new markets and use machines as an
introduction to our products.”
As for the operation of the vending
machines, customers can use both debit
or credit cards and access product via
touch screens and a user interface.
Vincom
Retail plans
share float
Vietnamese mall operator
Vincom Retail is planning a $600
million IPO, which would make it
the country’s biggest share sale
in the private sector.
Bloomberg reports that the subsidiary of
VinGroup plans to sell existing shares as
well as issue new stock.
The exact size and timetable of the offering
has not been revealed, with representatives
of Vingroup declining to comment.
The fundraising is believed to be aimed
at helping Vincom Retail boost its retail
business activities and take advantage of
Vietnam’s solid economic growth which is
18
After browsing products, selecting and
completing the transaction, a robotic arm
retrieves the product. A conveyor shelf
moves the item onto the robotic arm and
the arm brings it to a window. From here,
the customer can access the items.
Apparel available for purchase includes
Uniqlo’s Heat Tech Ultralight down jackets
(US$69.9) and Heat Tech tops ($14.90).
Both items are available in a variety of
colors and styles for men and women.
The company said it plans to expand to
graphic t-shirts, Airism, and then innerwear
items such as socks and underwear.
Earlier in the year, Uniqlo said it plans to
double its store count in Europe to 100
outlets over the next three years, in a bid
to strengthen its retail presence outside of
Asia.
Uniqlo is eyeing global sales of 3 trillion
yen ($26.6 billion) by the fiscal year ending
Retail in Asia, 8/7/2017
August 2020.
increasing
citizens’
disposable
incomes.
V i n c o m
Retail
is
b a c k e d
by the US
p r i va te
equity firm
Warburg Pincus, which owns a 20% stake
after investing $300 million.
Since then, Vincom Retail has expanded its
portfolio to around 40 malls, with a total
floor area of 1.1 million sqm in 21 cities
and provinces. Its brands include Vincom
Center, Mega Mall Royal City and Vincom
Mega Mall Times City.
Bloomberg’s source estimates Vincom
Retail has more than 60% market share in
the country’s modern retail industry.
Inside Retail Asia, 8/4/2017
3RD QUARTER, 2017
Retailers
Anticipate
Merging of
Physical and
Mobile Retail:
Report
A majority of retailers
are planning to use new
technologies to identify
customers via their mobile
devices and “other emerging
technologies,” according
to a recent report from BRP
Consulting --a retail management
consulting firm based in Boston.
The finding comes from a synopsis of
BRP’s “2017 Customer Experience/
Unified Commerce Benchmark Survey”,
which found that within three years, 63%
of retailers “plan to use mobile apps to
identify customers in their stores.” With
the continuing ascent of mobile commerce
through services like Apple Pay and PayPal,
and the rising use of mobile devices
in general, the survey results suggest
that retailers are racing to keep up with
consumers who are increasingly glued to
their phones.
Elaborating on the findings, BRP suggests
that stores need to find a way to bridge the
online and physical worlds for customers,
such as by enabling interaction with
knowledgeable associates, who may be
“simply human or a combination of AI and
human characteristics”.
Accordingly, technological infrastructure
appears to also be a key concern within
the survey’s paradigm, with 76% of
retailers planning “to enhance or replace
their network within the next three years.”
Commerce is going digital, even in physical
stores.
MobileIDWorld/BRP Consulting, 8/14/2017