Innovation of the Week is a subscriber-only series highlighting retail initiatives that have caught the eye of our team. Every week, we will bring you new ideas and case studies that link to the trends in our Retail Horizon 2024 reports – across consumer, technology, sustainability, and economy, policy and industry.
What is it?
Foot Locker is planning a Paris takeover to engage customers and visitors to the Olympic Games.
From July 26, an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience will come to life, unlocking an interactive map where customers can seek out loyalty points and exclusive rewards by scanning QR codes, located close to Foot Locker stores in the city.
To maximise the action-packed summer of sport, the retailer is also engaging YouTubers and TikTok influencers to take part in a meet-and-greet event with Adidas.
Additional attractions include a Jordan community hub for performance basketball and a series of in-store activations and immersive events, sponsored by brands and focused on sneaker culture.
These include gamification experiences, DJs, meet-and-greets and ice cream and coffee stalls.
Why does it matter?
Foot Locker is maximising the opportunity to engage with the more than 15 million visitors and tourists expected to flock to Paris this month for the Olympic Games.
Experiential retail will be at the forefront for retailers and their flagship stores as they aim to benefit from the excitement and additional footfall.
“We’re proud to be leading the way in creating extraordinary experiences for customers and visitors to Paris through the likes of our immersive AR experience. The XPoints up for grabs through the virtual experience mean that our customers can save big on top brands like Adidas, Nike, Salomon and Converse, both in store and online.
“Additionally, we’re excited to exclusively partner with Jordan for a series of basketball-focused events as part of its District 23 Initiative, as well as unveiling a series of activations across our key stores in Paris, which we hope will offer a memorable experience for sneaker lovers visiting the Olympic host city this summer”
Tomas Peterson, senior vice-president and general manager, Foot Locker Europe
Strategic implications
Big events such as the Olympics have the potential to boost retail revenue, particularly for sports-affiliated brands. Expect innovative activations to engage this captive audience.
Winning strategies
- Harness technology to innovate
- Focus on innovation
Retail Horizon 2024 is Retail Week’s exclusive strategic toolkit for subscribers.
Across four in-depth reports, Retail Week research director Lisa Byfield-Green and our team of analysts explore the most significant trends that will shape the sector in the year ahead across consumer, technology, sustainability, and industry, economy and policy.
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