Traditional retailers are making the wrong technology investment or delivering the wrong in-store experience, which leaves them with increasingly harsh criticism from both customers and analysts. Craig Summers, UK Managing Director, Manhattan Associates, explains why retailers cannot hope to compete with the disruptors unless they stop playing inept catch up
External Wall Insulation (EWI) by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified for a contemporary-style new build in a designated conservation area in South West England. The revolutionary webertherm XP system has been used on the walls of the property while weberpral M through-coloured render has been used extensively to long runs
Traditional retailers are making the wrong technology investment or delivering the wrong in-store experience, which leaves them with increasingly harsh criticism from both customers and analysts. Craig Summers, UK Managing Director, Manhattan Associates, explains why retailers cannot hope to compete with the disruptors unless they stop playing inept catch up and instead celebrate the value of the in-store interaction with truly empowered store associates able to deliver something far more engaging and valuable than any online experience. Lost Cause As long established family favourites vanish from the high street it appears the pure play disruptors, which are essentially tech companies, have won the hearts and minds of customers and the writing is on the wall for old style retail. But is that really the case? Far too many traditional retailers remain inherently scared of technology and it’s this fear of failure – fear of making the wrong technology investment, of creating the wrong in-store atmosphere – that is destroying the high street. From price match offers that take 24 hours to confirm to compelling customers to complete time consuming and irrelevant customer surveys during check-out, the high street is littered with examples of ill-considered attempts to copy slick online models in-store. It doesn’t work, especially when the technology deployed is years behind that of the disruptors. It is all wrong and it fundamentally misses the point. Golden Egg Online retail has not removed customers’ desire to buy in store or interact with sales assistants; what it has done has been to raise customers’ expectations of that experience. It is incredibly simple: people still want to come in store and be served; they want to interact with an enthusiastic and engaged individual, someone who not only knows the products – and can share experiences – but is also able to locate any item anywhere in the supply chain in real time and get that item to the customer quickly, in any location. Rather than complaining about the pure plays’ low cost infrastructure and lack of real estate overhead, traditional retailers need to stop viewing the high street as the Achilles heel and think of the retail store as the golden egg. That means investing in technology that delivers the complete supply chain visibility and mobile point of sale that ensures store associates can be continuously engaged with customers anywhere on the shop floor and also investing in high quality sales staff. Attempting to ‘become Amazon’ in two years; or replicate the model of the pure play competitor over the next 18 months is never going to work: the competition is too fast, too slick and too tech savvy. Playing catch up will result in the end of the high street. What is required is a willingness to disrupt the disruptors, to leverage the advantage of a tangible personal experience and quickly exploit relevant technology to deliver an outstanding in-store experience.
External Wall Insulation (EWI) by Saint-Gobain Weber has been specified for a contemporary-style new build in a designated conservation area in South West England. The revolutionary webertherm XP system has been used on the walls of the property while weberpral M through-coloured render has been used extensively to long runs of concrete walling. The planning term ‘conservation area’ all too often results in unimaginative new build designs mimicking the surrounding aesthetics rather than offering creative architecture that enhances the area. This stunning new home in Somerset illustrates perfectly how architectural flare and modern building techniques are fused to deliver a property that contributes greatly to the local environment. The 430m² private residence has extensive glazing to capture the glorious rural views and to encourage the benefits of maximum natural light. Sleek expanses of webertherm XP EWI with webertherm M1 through-coloured render enhances the profile of the house from all aspects. By embracing the topography of the site, which placed the front entrance at first floor level, and letting the rest of the house flow down to a lower ground floor layout, the house presents a low and softened profile to the onlooker. An enlightened planning approval was achieved for this privately commissioned design by Jason Jackson of Jackson Architects Ltd, Taunton. “An earlier traditional design was not considered suitable by local planners and we were asked to offer alternative designs for this family home. The client was immediately excited about a minimalist and modern design idea and asked us to submit the application. After careful negotiation with the conservation and planning officers, they agreed that the contemporary architectural style of the building would make a highly individual but fitting addition to the very traditional properties in the area. The only significant condition imposed on the planning approval was the removal of the permitted development rights so as to protect the purity of the design! We were really quite amazed and flattered to get this acknowledgement,” smiles Jason Jackson. Matching the dramatic visual appeal of this unique property is the construction formula and advanced thermal efficiency that has been achieved. The external walls are constructed as a single skin formed with 215mm thermal blocks that are protected by webertherm XP EWI using 50mm of high performance phenolic insulation. webertherm M1, an advanced one-coat, polymer modified, mineral render, is factory batched and designed for spray application to reduce on-site labour time and access costs and has been used in White. A decorative scraped texture finish has been applied to the White render which catches and holds the light. Mark Pickthall, of M P Plastering, Somerset, carried out the insulation and render application for contractor Fry Developments Limited. The applicator also specified weberend aid to create a key coat before applying weberpral M through-coloured render, in Chalk, to surface finish long runs of poured concrete walling running from the house to the drive and garage areas. “The superb smart finish of the house structure achieved with the scraped surface of the 250m² of webertherm M1 render really underlines the beautiful architecture of this house which makes a great statement in the locality. We are all pleased to have been part of this exciting project,” reports Mark. Simon Fry, Fry Developments, is equally proud of this new build and pleased to have accepted the recommendation to use the webertherm EWI system. “My experience has only been with traditional sand and cement renders but Mark highlighted the qualities of the Weber system and I must say the result is superb. It’s a ‘no risk’ decision now for Fry Developments to use Weber products on my future contracts.” For more information about this project, or for technical support, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.uk.weber A free download of the new WeberApp for iPhone and iPad users is also available from iTunes and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
