Do Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom Have Any New Ideas? We Evaluate their Latest Efforts

By and large, department stores are notoriously late to the party when it comes to retail innovation but with the current lackluster performance of stores, just about anyone should get credit for trying.

Both Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus have both set forth new incubator concepts that could potentially add some energy to their stores and provide insight for future efforts.

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In retail, great ideas are often recycled ideas and neither store is delivering anything groundbreaking.

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Last year Nordstrom created what they called a “local” store, with a pop up in LA’s West Hollywood that was devoid of any real merchandise and instead highlighted their services.

The Nordstrom Local pop up in West Hollywood in 2017. The brand has found success with the concept and will launch two more in 2018.

They delivered a sleek, contemporary lounge with curtained areas for consultation, areas to work or browse the internet (preferably their website), and organically absorb the Nordstrom service ethos.

Separated from their traditional selling spaces, a temporary shop like this one excels when it performs as a hub for brand loyalists, and Nordstrom made sure to underscore special services such as tailoring, shop online, pickup in store, personal styling, and even nail services.

This year, the brand plans to add two more Nordstrom Locals to the Los Angeles market.

Speciality retailers like New York’s Story (top) and Paris’ Colette have always been far more nimble at launching richly textured events that appeal to Millennials. Department stores typically try to copy.

Of course this isn’t exactly a new idea. Both ebay and Amazon dabbled in this idea years before, but Nordstrom is doing the right thing in terms of bringing deep focus to what they excel at: service. A pop up like this one sets the stage for one-on-one conversations with clients and zero in on what needs are potentially not being met in the traditional store.

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Neiman Marcus began 2018 as one of the U.S. retailers most likely to face bankruptcy. What have they got to lose?

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Meanwhile, Neiman Marcus has launched the” Idea Factory,” which, like Nordstrom, is designed to give a more dynamic feel to the store experience with demonstrations, customization, limited-editions, and lifestyle services like body piercing – not the first thing one thinks of when you think of Neiman’s.

But what have they got to lose? Neiman Marcus began 2018 as one of the U.S. retailers most likely to face bankruptcy.

The problem with Neiman Marcus has always been that it has never managed to feel truly modern. It’s “serious” luxury as opposed to Barneys’ “playful” luxury, and that means their client base hasn’t gotten any younger.

Under Karen Katz’s leadership, Neiman Marcus made an aggressive effort to target a younger audience. Nevertheless, the brand still feels too serious and old.

In adding the “Idea Factory” to the mix, they are potentially able to highlight a more progressive point of view and one that is of more interest to a younger demographic. We think the piercing idea is a bit cliché and sounds more like a Macy’s idea. Neiman’s hasn’t released much info on just how many “ideas” they have but we’re hoping they have more than the handful outlined in their press release.

In retail, great ideas are often recycled ideas and neither store is delivering anything groundbreaking.

Both have taken a page from specialty boutique retailers like Paris’ Colette, New York’s Story, and others on both sides of the Atlantic who have typically been nimbler at innovating rich brand experiences.

That both are resorting to trying to underscore their “uniqueness” now rather than years ago is astonishing to say the least. Still it remains to be seen if this kind of marketing and store activation will actually drive traffic to stores.

Our money is probably more on Nordstrom which already has a solid reputation for customer service, while Neiman Marcus’ Idea Factory has a lot of moving parts and it’s hard to tell whether any of it will feel like more than the usual department store events programs.

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