This year’s edition of MAPIC was the 21st to be held in Cannes and is an event that CIJ took part in as it has every year since the retail conference’s inception in 1995. The focus of this year’s event was the growing impact of digital on retail, with numerous seminars and discussions centering on omnichannel and the collection and processing of data, as well as strategies that brick and mortar stores can adapt to meet the needs of digital players.
The event’s organizers REED MIDEM set up an exhibition hall dedicated to this topic called the MAPIC Innovation Forum where delegates took part in conferences and presentations on the use and implementation of new technologies and solutions designed to increase footfall, and the value of retail properties. The use of geolocation-based messaging systems by Best Buy, for example, was highlighted as a successful method of tracking customers who researched products in stores before ordering them online.
The growing importance of entertainment was another important topic in the events that were organized around the fair, at which more than 2,400 retailers were represented, along with nearly as many property developers. Entertainment, or ‘retailtainment’ as it’s being called, is proving a crucial element in avoiding a situation where shopping centers are simply places to “shop and go”. New insights into the efficiency and returns that can be expected from pop-up stores, which are becoming a serious force in modern centers.
