Author Archives: Alexandra Friedman

PlaceWise Gets a New Bike Rack – Dog Not Included
April 17, 2012 By  Alexandra Friedman    
twentyeleven

PlaceWise is located smack in the middle of downtown Denver, which makes it the perfect office to bike to wherever you live in Denver. Colorado is known for its athletic and adventure-seeking residents, and you will find that many of them enjoy biking to work all year long. Yup, even when it’s cold, icy, and snowy. PlaceWise recently bought a brand spanking new bike rack for the office, and it sure does look cool.




Something tells us that PlaceWise employee, Taj Moore, gets a kick out of biking to work every day, so we asked him for an overdramatic response to the new cool bike rack at the office, “It’s like free employee parking right in the office! And it’s nice that my bike is no longer homeless, forced to sit on cardboard every time it rains or snows. It now has a beautiful home with all of its friends.”


PlaceWise wants to wish you a happy early Earth Day! And on behalf Earth Day, we recommend that you ride to your office, meeting, or favorite shopping center, and maybe, just maybe, you will luck out with a cool spot to park your bike too.
Follow The GuyPhone Across the Country
January 11, 2012 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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Meet The GuyPhone – A life-size interactive smartphone. To promote the launch of PlaceWise client iPhone Apps, The GuyPhone appears at selected shopping centers across the country.

Shoppers can interact with The GuyPhone’s 32-inch, high-definition flat-screen to test out the features of the apps, including scrolling through the daily deals, sharing sale alerts with Facebook friends, and planning a shopping trip.

As The GuyPhone launches digital magic across the country, you can follow this post for fresh photos, videos, and more. Hey, some people follow bands across the country, while other people follow Six-Foot GuyPhones.

Short Pump Town Center:Richmond, VA – December 2011





Press Coverage:
Check out Virginia’s, CBS 6 News coverage of the EVENT.

On-Scene amateur videos from the Short Pump Town Center Event:




Retailers Forecast Strong Holiday, But Show Hiring Restraint
September 6, 2011 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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A recent survey by Hay Group, a global management consultancy, reported that 68% of retailers are expecting their holidays sales to increase this year. However, hiring levels are down, with 67% of retailers hiring the same amount as last year, and 25% hiring even fewer seasonal workers.

Read the entire article here.

Trends in Retail Web Design
August 18, 2011 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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Retail Web Trends

We asked our Creative Director, Scott Harrison, about what’s trending in interactive web design for the retail industry. Would you doubt an expert? We didn’t think so.      

Q. You have worked on a lot of interactive retail websites, what are three trends you have seen over the last year?

  1. Greater consumer engagement through social media
  2. The rise of content marketing
    • Content licensing & syndication
    • Creation and curation
  3. Humanization of the user experience
    • Personalized content
    • Chat
    • Interactive experiences through HTML 5
    • More font choices

Q. What are some retail industry trends you would like to see more of?

  1. Continued integration across digital mediums (web, mobile, on-premise)
  2. Greater use of location-based services and group messaging.

Q. When it comes to integrating social media into websites, what are some successful strategies?

  1. Allow for interaction at multiple levels.

  2. Facebook & Twitter feeds: Don’t be afraid of the conversation.

Q. Why do you have so much gum on your desk?

  1. Nervous energy

Macy’s Continues Mobile Bar Code Push to Enhance Shopping Experience
August 10, 2011 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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PlaceWise - Macy's Mobile Campaign

Macy’s custom QR codes lead users to videos staring the retailer’s designers, such as Kenneth Cole, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Rachel Roy, Jessica Simpson and Martha Stewart. The videos share tips from its designers, and consumers have a chance to win a $500 shopping spree daily.

Read more about the campaign here.  
Angry Birds a Red-Hot Back to School Trend
August 4, 2011 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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Angry Birds PlaceWise

This year’s back-to-school trend is all about Angry Birds. Yup, we said Angry Birds…You know, that iPhone app where you can take out pigs living in wood houses by flinging some obviously really angry birds at them? Not that I play it all the time or anything.

The #1 selling paid app, Angry Birds, is so popular that it is morphing into reality, as the game has become one of the hottest back-to-school trends out there.

Read the entire article here.

Mobile Plays a Bigger Role in Back-to-School Shopping
July 28, 2011 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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According to a survey from Deloitte, two-thirds of shoppers with smartphones are planning to use their phone as part of their back-to-school shopping strategy this season. With three out of five of the shoppers using their smartphone for price comparison, and half of them downloading coupons, discounts, and sale information, it becomes obvious that having a mobile marketing strategy is essential for optimal success.

Read the entire article here.

Retailers Rush to Offer Women Stylish Fitness Apparel
July 18, 2011 By  Alexandra Friedman    
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According to to this Los Angeles Times article, working out is no longer an afterthought, it’s a lifestyle.  A consumer that is an active-wear shopper is the ideal consumer for retailers because, she is female, concerned with how she looks, youthful, and willing to spend money on lifestyle clothing that make her feel good.  The new surge in active-wear attire has made it more acceptable to wear workout attire as street clothes, further boosting sales in this market.

Read the entire and original article here.