What is the future for retail and entertainment in our towns and cities?

Innesco and Maybe* recently teamed up to ask consumers all around Europe “What is the future for retail and entertainment in our towns and cities?”.

Using a combination of social listening, AI and chatbot technology in the Maybe* platform, the project gathered over 45,000 insights about consumers shopping experiences, including what shoppers want beyond retail stores and restaurants.

The purpose of the project is to demonstrate and reveal the variety of lifestyle experiences consumers now have and expect alongside retail rather than independently of it.

The report also explores consumer sentiment and intentions around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Over 10,000 insights were gathered looking at how consumers shop, what they bought, their impressions of the discounts, and whether they made purchases in-store or online.

The findings of the report has highlighted the importance of stores being active participants in those conversations to drive their footfall.

"This social listening project is the first of its kind and the largest ever undertaken in any sector – just another example showcasing how Innesco uses technology, data and other innovations to conduct research and deliver its findings in effective ways. It's fascinating to see how consumer views match up against that of professionals working inside the sector."

Dan Innes, MD of Innesco 

"Conversation is how you deliver results through social media. We believe that before any retailer, developer, city, or investor launches a new project they should listen to what people are saying they both want and need. Oftentimes, the results are surprising."

Polly Barnfield OBE, CEO and Founder of Maybe*