Retail Store Tours to Launch World’s Largest Virtual Store Tour Platform
Launch Date Moved Up in Response to Coronavirus
Leading global brands & investor line-up to participate
New York — Retail Store Tours, a division of Consumers in Motion, is launching the world’s largest virtual store tour platform. The launch of the platform has been accelerated due to market demand arising from the coronavirus and its impact on travel and health concerns.
Now slated to launch on June 10, 2020, Retail Store Tours Virtual Tours is a new class of virtual experience featuring curated tours of retail establishments led by experts and available worldwide. Developed for the business-to-business market, the platform will allow global brands, financial analysts, consulting firms, trade groups, and investors to stay up to date on the latest trends in retail.
Each tour, accessible via streaming video, features behind-the-scenes walkarounds of cutting-edge retail establishments selected because they evidence differing aspects of a central theme. Following each walkaround, the participants will have the opportunity to meet virtually with and ask questions of the store manager and/or a brand representative, after which the retail expert leading the tour will review the key points covered and describe the ways in which the store exemplifies a particular aspect of the tour’s overall narrative.
The process of selecting specific stores for a particular tour reflects a proprietary methodology developed by Retail Store Tours in consultation with business leaders around the world. Its focus is the Consumer Engagement Index (CEI), which measures consumer engagement with retail based on seven factors: the human touch, the use of technology, store design, brand story, employee training, adaptation to change, and a unique value proposition.
The platform will offer virtual tours of selected stores in New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.
Daniel Hodges, CEO of Consumers in Motion, said: “We built Retail Store Tours based on inputs from retailers and other key groups, and we continue to evolve the program based on their needs. That’s why we have taken the program into cyberspace. Our team recognized the importance of building a virtual platform because of the pressing need for an on-demand solution with global access.”
Jaime Fabricant, director of the Store of the Future at PepsiCo Beverages, said, “I’m a firm believer in getting out from behind the desk and into stores. Retail Store Tours showed me new, innovative retail concept locations that were relevant to our business and inspired new ideas. Dan and his team are tapped into the marketplace and cultural trends.”
Abbie McLaughlin, portfolio manager at PEMCO Management, said, “Retail Store Tours opened my eyes into a new way to look at how I analyze companies. Retail Store Tours experts’ perception, vision, and awareness of effective marketing were unlike any I’ve ever seen before. This was the best tour I have ever had. Retail Store Tours’ intellectual insight is priceless. I recommend every retail executive, retail store manager, Wall Street portfolio manager, and analyst to participate in these tours.”
To develop the platform, Retail Store Tours has been working with Nue24, a leading New York design and technology firm with deep market knowledge and a strong track record in building successful ecommerce platforms. Myung Choi, founder of Nue24, said, “The Retail Store Tours team is developing the most innovative, cost-effective, and user-friendly virtual tour platform for stores and retail spaces. We are excited to be partnering with a firm that is a true pioneer in the industry and poised for long-term growth.”
About Retail Store Tours
Retail Store Tours (https://retailstoretours.com) hosts curated programs in more than twenty cities around the world. In New York City alone, it offers programs three times daily, seven days a week. Each tour is created with a specific narrative theme designed to meet a particular learning objective. The stores are selected based on a seven-point evaluation process. Each store visited provides management-level personnel, ranging from brand spokespeople to CEOs, to answer participants’ questions. Participants benefit from this access and networking, provided in a uniquely active and immersive experience. Retail Store Tours themes are selected based on inputs provided by retailers, the financial community, and architects in addition to feedback from tour participants. Retail Store Tours is providing N95 face masks, gloves and will be have fewer participants per tour on the physical tours. Each store we visit will adhere to the best practices and CDC guidelines.
