Lululemon on Robson Street in Vancouver (June 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Vancouver-based athleisure fashion brand lululemon has released a study showing how clothing impacts workplace performance, culture and experience in a new hybrid environment.
Walmart Canada Marketplace’s Grocery has reached a significant milestone since it launched in November of last year.
The program now has more than 175 third-party sellers and seller onboarding more than doubled between January and June this year as more than 20,000 grocery items are now available through Marketplace.
Dan Farmer
Walmart said Marketplace Grocery orders are trending at six times compared to 2020, with an increased average order size.
Dan Farmer, VP Digital Platforms and Marketplace for Walmart Canada, said offering customers more choice is at the core of the retailer’s business and the new platform is enabling local Canadian companies and brands to reach customers in an increasingly competitive ecommerce environment.
The grocery platform is part of the wider Marketplace initiative which was launched in August 2017.
“We’ve been building the Marketplace business at Walmart Canada for the past five years or so. At the end of the day, this is about offering more selection beyond what Walmart brings in to our customers and to Canadians,” said Farmer.
“Our ambition is to be a real credible alternative to the other global marketplaces that are out there . . . in terms of bringing really broad selection, thousands of sellers from around the world. We built the Marketplace up to almost 5,000 sellers and it will be 5,000 by the end of the year, offering 30 million items to Canadians. Most of that selection has been in general merchandise and that’s a fairly typical place to start when you build a marketplace business . . . The natural extension for us is offering the same type of value of increased selection, access to specialty and niche items in grocery and so we started thinking about this late last year and we launched a project to start expanding into our grocery space.
Image: Walmart Canada
“It really does, particularly for Walmart, offer customers the ability to shop much deeper into categories beyond what we carry in our stores. So it’s actually a very nice complement for customers looking for a national brand and typical stock up type items you’d find in a store but then also allow customers to find more niche items based on lifestyle, healthy items, ethic items, also specialty items for a certain diet.”
Farmer said the number of third-party sellers in the grocery space is expected to continue to grow.
“Part of the value of the Marketplace for let’s say sellers or local Canadian businesses is that they can access all of the traffic that walmart.ca has to build and grow their businesses,” he said. “We definitely expect it to grow. We’ve been focusing on very specific categories as a starting point and as we start to open up more categories we definitely expect to see growth.
“There are parts of the grocery business today that are natural kind of next steps for us as we start to think about fresh and frozen. Every time we take the next step further in providing more to our customers through our Marketplace there’s additional business requirements we have to put in place to make sure that we can manage those businesses.
“But for us for sure, broader category selection as well as fresh and frozen are the next steps for us . . . We believe we’re the only full scale global competitive marketplace that can also leverage our 400 stores across Canada. We think that’s a huge benefit to the customers and it’s a huge benefit to sellers. That’s what I think really makes us different.’
Farmer said Walmart is continually building more services for the sellers.
Image: Walmart Canada
“If you are a seller on the Marketplace platform today the first promise is access to our customer base that is online. The thing that we’re working on all the time is making it as easy as possible to apply to be on the Marketplace and to set up your business on our Marketplace,” he said.
“If you’re a specialty brand and you have a story to tell about your brand, there’s the ability to do that which is through kind of storefront pages and those types of things. When it comes to other services like fulfillment, we’re in the process of building those types of services for our sellers and to be transparent they’re not in place today but we have on our road map to build those types of services for our sellers.
“Certainly there’s opportunities for additional marketing, there’s opportunities to always access our stores for ship to store. We have a ship to store program where customers can pick up in our store so you can leverage our store network to make it easier and easier for customers, and sellers have the opportunity to do that. And then we also have returns to our stores. So a seller can know that if a customer wants to take an item back they can easily do it in the store and then the item goes back to the seller through our network.”
The Weekly Podcast: Zellers Store-in-Store Opens at Hudson's Bay, and What Might be Improved
This week, Craig and Lee talk about HBC’s recent unveiling of a Zellers pop-up store-in-store in a Hudson’s Bay store in Ontario. The discussion includes what’s there and how it might be improved for a national rollout.
The Weekly podcast by Retail Insider Canada is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Also check out ourThe Interview Seriespodcast where Craig interviews guests from across the Canadian retail landscape as part of theThe Retail Insider Podcast Network.
Drop us a line at Craig@Retail-Insider.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!
Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
On the Canadian public relations and communications landscape, there aren’t too many names that resonate with people more, evoking the same manner of respect and praise, than that of Natasha Koifman. Her career thus far has been replete with awards and accolades, her work in delivering meaningful results to the clients that she works with lauded as creative and inventive. NKPR, the public relations agency that she founded in 2002 and continues to lead as President with offices in Toronto and New York, is widely considered to be one of the top firms in Canada. And the company’s list of accounts, as well as the names and brands on it, are impressive, to say the least. Equally admirable and effective is the work that she and her team are responsible for in the public relations space is her philanthropic penchant – a passion for people that’s reflected in her willingness to help others and assist those in need. In fact, it seems that it’s a complementary balance of natural business proficiency and genuine benevolence that has supported her accomplishments to date, inspiring and informing her approach to leadership.
“Every individual is unique,” she says. “You can’t expect every person on your team to possess the same strengths, skills and experience. Great leaders are able to understand and assess the composition of their teams, identify the qualities and strengths of each individual, and play to those strengths. They’re also able to honestly assess themselves and the strengths and weaknesses in their own abilities in order to build the most effective team around them. Most importantly, however, a great leader knows how to lead by example, showing a willingness to work as hard or harder than anyone else. And those who can do this with kindness and compassion, really understanding the needs and challenges of each individual and the ways in which they all require support, are most often the leaders of successful and engaged teams.”
Aligning values
Specializing in the development and execution of digital marketing initiatives and profile building, NKPR’s aim is to positively move the needle in the desired direction for the individuals and brands it works with. Its clients operate within a number of different industries and verticals, ranging from real estate, technology, food and beverage and hospitality to beauty, fashion, health and wellness, and others. The firm’s accounts contain more than 30 national and global brands, including the likes of MEC, Mulberry, Flow, Lightspeed, Swarovski, Sorel, Sympli, Ellie Mae, Madison Group, Lanterra Developments, Lifetime Developments and so many more. It’s an extraordinary list, and one whose assemblance seems to have been influenced by the same philosophies that drive Koifman’s decisions as a leader.
“Something that’s really important to us is ensuring that we work with clients that are aligned with our values,” she asserts. “I’ve never thought of focusing on a specific industry or category. I’m more committed to working with brands that we’re excited about, people who we genuinely really like and organizations that really care about giving back to their communities. I want to work with clients that are also disruptors in their areas of expertise and driving innovation. For NKPR as an agency, our greatest currency is time. And we want to make sure that where we’re putting our time and effort in not only making a positive impact on our clients and their businesses, but also helping to create that positive impact in the world around us as well. To do this most effectively, all parties involved need to be committed to that objective.”
Philanthropic endeavours
The values and positive impact that Koifman refers to is highlighted through the many different charities and social causes that NKPR are involved in, which includes the St. Felix Centre, G(IRLS) 20, Lifeline Charitable Foundation, Black Women in Motion, Best Buddies Canada, and more – all part of ShopNK, a curated assortment of lifestyle products for the socially conscious, with proceeds going back to the consumers charity of choice. In 2015, the agency also launched its ‘26 Acts of Kindness’ campaign – an ongoing agency-wide program developed as a vehicle by which NKPR employees have the opportunity to give back to their communities. Meant to nurture and facilitate a ‘culture of kindness’, team members are encouraged to support charitable causes that they feel a connection to.
In addition, Koifman is also the President of the Board for Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) Canada and on the Board of Directors for the organization’s American counterpart. APJ is a non-profit organization, founded in 2009, which Koifman helped to develop in order to promote peace and social justice and address issues of poverty and disenfranchisement in communities around the world, with a special focus on Haiti. Among other things, APJ supports access to education for impoverished youth, creating pathways to meaningful employment and a sustainable future. Her involvement and participation on the boards is described by Koifman as her greatest achievements to date.
“I feel very connected to Haiti,” she says. “It’s a country where people live on a dollar a day and children don’t have an opportunity for an education beyond junior high school. And it’s only a three-hour flight from Toronto, just on the other side of the Dominican Republic. It’s an impoverished country that was devastated by a magnitude seven earthquake in January 2010. The need to assist the people of the country was already evident prior to the earthquake. But, in the aftermath, that need multiplied significantly. In response, Artists for Peace and Justice immediately set out to provide the means by which children could receive an education. To do so, we held charity events that raised donations of $4.5 million, went to Haiti and partnered with St. Luke Foundation for Haiti, bought our land and built a school, welcoming our first 500 students just a year-and-a-half following the tragedy. Fast-forward 13 years, we’ve raised $33 million, have experienced multiple graduating classes, in which 26,000 students have received an education from our school since 2012. When I start to think of my legacy, I’m extremely honoured and proud to have been able to make such a positive difference in the lives of so many people through an organization like Artists for Peace and Justice.”
Showing up for others
An admittedly introverted person from humble beginnings, Koifman credits much of her character, and the principles that she lives by, to many of the people throughout her life who have “shown up for her”, whether they had known it at the time or not. It’s a concept – that of showing up for others – that the public relations specialist feels so strongly about that she presented a Ted Talks session in 2019 on the importance of doing so. Throughout the talk, which is emotionally-charged and a highly recommended watch for anyone seeking to become the best possible version of themselves, Koifman references those who have shown up for her throughout her life and career, detailing the significant impact each person made on her.
“Reflecting on my life and career, I often think of the individuals that have shown up for me in some way to help teach, nurture and guide me,” she admits. “It’s an important way in which we all have the opportunity to make such a positive impact, showing up for ourselves and for others. We have a responsibility as people to think of others and to be compassionate toward them. One of my experiences that I shared during my Ted Talks session was a conversation that I had with an Uber driver not long ago. The driver was female, and she told me about how grateful she was to be an Uber driver because it afforded her the opportunity to support her children after leaving an abusive relationship. I was wearing a suit on my way to a meeting. She asked me what I did, and I told her. And she said that when she sees someone like me, she sees herself and the fact that she, too, can achieve success as well. I remember it brought a tear to my eye. I told her how proud I was of her for her ability to leave an abusive relationship and make it on her own, and she started to cry, too. I had shown up for this woman without even fully realizing it. We have to stop ignoring the people around us and start paying attention to the positive impressions that we can leave on them and the significance of doing so.”
Innovation and creativity
It’s this deep sense of empathy and unyielding tenderness with which Koifman approaches each day that lends so well to the person that she is. And, in many ways, it’s also helped to support the longevity of the work she does. On the verge of celebrating NKPR’s 20-year anniversary, the agency is showing no signs of slowing its growth or the holistic success it secures for its clients. It’s an incredible milestone for Koifman and her team and representative of the strength and continued rise of the NKPR brand. The success and prosperity it’s enjoyed through the years is attributed by Koifman to her team’s ability to pay attention to their clients and the world around them. It allows them, she explains, to optimize their efforts for clients and to proactively identify and recognize ways by which their brands can improve and continue evolving.
“We are definitely an extremely results-driven company,” she affirms. “And we want to make sure that we’re delivering meaningful results for our clients. To do that, we constantly make sure that we’re an agency that truly listens to the brands we work with to understand exactly what their needs are. In doing so, we can make sure that we’re asking the right questions in order to leverage our skills for their benefit. We’re also an agency that’s often ahead of the trends. We strive to be. For instance, we helped numerous brands transition and evolve into the digital space and start to recognize the value of using social media and bloggers when those types of marketing and communicating by brands was just beginning to develop. From our standpoint, we don’t ever want to follow a trend. We want to continue talking with our clients and paying attention to our environment, allowing us to stay on top of what’s happening and consistently lead our clients into a new age.”
Authenticity and transparency
The new age, within its current context, is one whose arrival has been accelerated by impacts of the pandemic, advancing the digitization of the retail industry, and the world in general, resulting in a shift in consumer behaviour and a changed landscape for brands to operate amid. Koifman recognizes the effects of COVID-19 on the industry and the changes that it’s helped expedite, suggesting that the brands that were attuned to those changes and willing to pivot in order to address them were the ones that survived and succeeded. Those that were too rigid in their approach and philosophies were those that tended to either struggle or experience an unfortunate end to their operations altogether. However, the most important lesson that brands have learned through these difficult times, Koifman submits, is the imperative to be honest and true in their communication, leveraging all available channels to do so.
“What many retailers realized throughout the pandemic was the need for authenticity and transparency,” she says. “And brands were called out if they weren’t displaying these qualities and doing what they said they were going to do. They also started to realize the consumers’ increased desire for ease within the retail shopping experience. As a result, to properly and effectively engage and connect with them, you’ve got to reach them on a multitude of touch points. And, to be truly authentic, retailers have got to understand with real clarity exactly who they are, the core values they stand for and how those values align with those of their consumers. Values-based companies are the ones that are going to succeed going forward, connecting with the followers of their brands like never before.”
An inspired addition to the city
Image: Natasha Residences
A true believer in leveraging content and storytelling to connect meaningfully with people, Koifman’s focus to do so for the clients she works with is unwavering. It’s a belief that laid the foundations for NKPR decades ago, and an approach to public relations that continues to drive the strategies the agency develops for clients today. They are also characteristics and ideologies that have stood Koifman apart from just about every one of her peers, singling her out as a trailblazer and a force within the public relations space. And to help acknowledge and appreciate her contributions to the city of Toronto, as both a professional as well as a person, leading developer, Lanterra, recently unveiled its plans to develop its newest project, Natasha The Residences.
Inspired by Koifman’s outlook concerning living life to its fullest, her unique fashion-forward sense of style and dynamic personality, the 47-storey high-rise located at 263 Adelaide St. West will feature exteriors by BDP Quadrangle, with architecture reflective of luxury timepieces opposite soft, feminine curves; interiors and amenities designed by Alessandro Munge of Studio Munge, matching Koifman’s chic, sophisticated, and iconic all-black-everything style; as well as public spaces thoughtfully filled with artwork by some of Koifman’s favourite artists. In addition, Natasha The Residences has been designed to meet the modern needs of a ‘live-work-play’ urban population and will include unique amenities like a state-of-the-art fitness centre with individual workout pods and virtual instructors; a media content studio equipped for film, photo, audio, and social media production; a modern spa with an infrared sauna; outdoor entertainment spaces designed for residents to host intimate events; an upscale social lounge that duals as a launderette; coworking spaces catered for home-office residents; a concert piano room; children’s play area and luxury pet spa. It’s a project and partnership that Koifman describes as one that she’s put her heart and soul into, and one that she’s honoured to be a part of.
“I really love how a lot of my different passions have come together in this development,” she says with pride. “Lanterra are a client of NKPR. And the location of the building is in a neighbourhood where I work, play and, in many respects, live. It’s a neighbourhood I’ve watched flourish through the years and I’m excited to be able to help create such a beautiful building where people can enjoy living, working and playing. There is 20,000 square feet of amenity space which all truly act as an extension of each suite. We did this mindful of the ways that people live in the city, what they need and the things they care about. Everything people need will be in the building. And, when leaving the building, you’re right in the middle of downtown Toronto and have access to everything the city offers. It’s a project that’s very near and dear to my heart and one that I’m very proud of.”
Continued results
Sales for Natasha The Residences commenced at the beginning of September with the official opening anticipated during Spring 2025. It signifies yet another highlight and accomplishment in the career of the public relations and communications powerhouse, and a statement that, in many ways, her work and legacy within the space, as well as the positive impact that she makes on the world around her, is still unfolding. And, with respect to the future of NKPR, she says that her excitement to lead and innovate has never been more intense, adding that the agency’s focus will remain squarely on working with the right partners, helping them to become what they’re meant to be.
“We’re going to continue working with clients that we’re excited about and investing to become a true partner at the table to help them achieve their desired results. I also want to continue innovating and disrupting. I still love what I do and really enjoy mentoring our team and watching them grow and develop. I just want us to keep doing what we’re doing, and I’m really excited to see what the next three to five years will bring. And, I want to ensure that I keep making decisions, as a leader and a person, that will make a positive impact on the world around me, leaving it a better place than it was when I came into it. If I’m able to continue doing all of these things over the next little while, I’ll be a very happy girl.”
Iconic Canadian-founded restaurant chain Tim Hortons is releasing a limited edition fashion line for National Coffee Day on Wednesday, September 29th. The line is called ‘the Double Double Collection’ and it will be available to order online over an eight-hour time span.
The Double Double Collection of fashions include a range of hoodies, sweatpants, t-shirts and travel mugs. The colour used for the clothing items is inspired by the chain’s Double Double coffee.
Those interested in purchasing the limited edition collection can visit thedripdrop.ca on September 29th starting at 10:00am Eastern Time. As a nod to the restaurant chain and the fact that Tim Hortons makes its coffee fresh every 20 minutes, new options will be added to the website every 20 minutes. Consumers can purchase items from the Double Double Collection online until 6:00pm Eastern Time that day.
Various other noted foodservice businesses have also launched fashion lines in recent years, including the likes of Burger King and KFC. Retailers are also considering customized pins.
Toronto-based pop-up retail connector pop-up go announced that it has entered into a partnership with Chicago-based The Pop Up Retail Expert to expand pop-up services across North America even further with pop-up go operating already both in Canada and the US.
Linda Farha
The partnership will further expand pop-up go’s turnkey solution in North America with new services the introduction of educational tools such as webinars, videos, and other materials for both landlords and brands, as well as access to competitive insurance for all pop-up needs. The pop-up go platform already connects landlords and short-term space seekers at a time when the idea of pop-up retail and other concepts is quickly gaining traction.
“Over the past four years, we have built an incredible foundation as the leading pop-up matching service for both brands and landlords, helping hundreds of clients connect and execute pop-ups across North America. Working with The Pop Up Retail Expert gives us an opportunity to enhance the services we offer to our clients and the overall pop-up experience,” said Linda Farha, pop-up go’s Founder and Chief Connector.
Stephen A Brooks
“At The Pop Up Retail Expert, our objective is to provide the tools, guidance, and support needed for brands to succeed in the changing retail environment,” said Stephen Brooks, CEO and Founder of The Pop Up Retail Expert. “By partnering with pop-up go we are able to help our clients, including brands, shopping centers, and start-ups, explore and adapt to the modernization of the industry.”
The pop-up go and The Pop Up Retail Expert collaboration will include a series of webinars, bespoke consulting, and original content for each company’s digital channels.
Farha, also the owner of PR firm Zenergy Communications, founded pop-up go as an online meeting place for pop-up seekers and landlords. The company has become a trusted partner for securing, designing, executing, and promoting pop-up spaces and short-term brand activations.
On popupgo.com, landlords can list available spaces and be discovered by brands and businesses seeking short-term leasing opportunities for a pop-up store, brand activation or experiential marketing event.
Lululemon on Robson Street in Vancouver (June 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Vancouver-based athleisure fashion brand lululemon has released a study showing how clothing impacts workplace performance, culture and experience in a new hybrid environment. The company has unveiled new fashion pieces to address changing work situations and consumer lifestyles as a result.
The study surveyed 20,000 people in 11 markets to better understand how consumers’ workwear preferences have been shaped over the past 18 months in the transition to hybrid working conditions during the pandemic. The findings indicate shifting attitudes toward workwear.
Of those surveyed, 96% said that comfort is important in their clothing — respondents in all 11 markets ranked comfort as being a top priority. Over 80% of those returning to the professional environment said in the survey that they hope that casual clothing becomes more common in the workplace.
The key global findings of Lululemon’s study show that more casual and comfortable attire does the following:
Improves Performance: 8 in 10 (81%) say they perform better at work when they are dressed comfortably; the majority of adults want employers to recognize that the quality of work employees deliver is more important than their clothing (86%).
Creates Connection: 3 in 4 (76%) feel casual dress codes in the workplace help people get to know each other in a more genuine way.
Impacts Confidence: Comfort is the most important thing when choosing clothes (important to 96%) and 3 in 4 (74%) say the clothes they wear impact how confident they feel.
Inspires Employee Respect: Over 4 in 5 (84%) respect companies that allow their employees to wear casual clothing to work.
Increases Loyalty: More than one third of Millennials would consider leaving their job if their employer made them dress professionally again (38%).
Intersects with Style: 3 in 4 (74%) do not want to choose between feeling comfortable and looking good in their clothing.
Supports Versatility: Among adults returning to their previous workspaces, 82% will start shopping for clothes they can wear both at work and outside of work.
“We know, and the results of this survey reinforce, that wearing clothes that make you feel good is non- negotiable,” said Sun Choe, Chief Product Officer at Lululemon. “The data provides a long overdue recognition that professional workwear can and should be functional, versatile, and comfortable—and when it is all three, it can positively affect performance, confidence, and more. As a brand that designs for feel, lululemon is uniquely suited to deliver what consumers need and want today.”
Survey findings also underscored that Gen Z and Millennials worldwide have the strongest opinions toward today’s style and are driving some of the biggest shifts at retail and in the workplace. Findings for various countries in the study include:
In Australia, Gen Z have been shopping more for clothing items that meet both casual and professional needs more than other generations (30% vs. 14-22%).
In Canada, being yourself is top of mind for Millennials. Close to 9 in 10 (87%) wear clothes that represent their personality, and 8 in 10 (79%) feel strict dress codes in the workplace limit self- expression.
In Germany, 75% of Gen Z says the clothes they wear impact how confident they feel.
In Hong Kong S.A.R., 71% of Millennials and 73% of Gen Z express putting a lot of thought into their clothing style choices, and 2 in 3 Hongkongers (66%) believe the way they dress for work has an impact on their career progression. This is particularly elevated among Gen Z men in Hong Kong S.A.R. (81%).
In Japan, nearly 9 in 10 (88%) of Gen Zs and 4 in 5 (81%) of Millennials say the clothes they wear impact how confident they feel.
In Mainland China, Gen Z has been more focused on comfort than fashion during the pandemic (39% vs. 22-28% amongst other generations).
In South Korea, 86% of Gen Z prefers clothes that are versatile enough to wear all day.
In Taiwan, over half (53%) of Millennial men are not looking forward to dressing professionally again when they return to their previous work.
In the UK, Gen Z has a close relationship with fashion, with 86% representing their personality through their clothes and 82% saying their clothes impact their confidence.
In the US, more than half of Millennial men would consider leaving their job if they had to dress professionally again (56%); 92% of Millennial men in the U.S. feel they perform better at work when they’re dressed comfortably and 87% would like their employer to loosen up dress code rules.
“In many ways, both working from home and this ‘next normal’ of a hybrid work environment has amplified what lululemon has been designing for all along—versatile, distraction-free garments that move with you through changing conditions and activities, making the wearer feel confident and looking sharp,” said Ben Stubbington, Senior Vice President, Design, lululemon. “The success and current strength of lululemon’s iconic ABC Pant, as well as several other key styles, highlight how consumers are shopping for functional, versatile items that don’t sacrifice on style.”
Recently, Lululemon introduced several back-to-work and back-to-life designs which include the ABC Pant, Commission Pant, the brand’s new Venture Blazer and its City Sleek Wide-Leg Pant and Cotton-Blend Twill Trouser, offer classic yet relaxed fits, tailored details, and high-performing fabrics ideal for the ‘new’ workplace while being mobile between home, the gym, the commute, the office and more.
Knox Capture Optimized by Samsung x Powered by Scandit
Samsung recently initiated the launch of Knox Capture which helps enterprise IT administrators rapidly deploy and configure barcode capture for business apps. What that means is barcodes can be scanned from a Samsung device by warehouse employees, among others.
Knox Capture is described as being a highly adaptable solution that is capable of handling tailored scanning logic for business apps. Knox Capture’s friendly UI and scanning engine helps coordinate the input, formatting, and output of scanned barcode data without writing a single line of code. What that means is that users can quickly capture and input data at the press of a button. Retail Insider recently had the opportunity to test the technology on a new Galaxy device supplied by Samsung.
Samsung describes Knox Capture as a data capture solution for business that leverages the Knox platform to enable quick and easy configuration, deployment, and management of all scanning use cases on the frontline.
Knox Capture technology provides various benefits to frontline employees and IT administrators. Those include:
Zero coding and integration needed: Customers do not need a significant development or integration investment for robust data capture and delivery to business-critical applications, reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).
Data capture with device keyboard – secured by Knox: End users can use the native Samsung OEM keyboard for scanned corporate data to ensure enhanced security. The keyboard also comes with a dedicated “Scan” button for enhanced usability.
Seamless deployment and usability: Knox Capture emphasizes usability in all aspects for users and IT admins with dedicated features and intuitive visual cues to support a short learning curve – employees can scan barcodes just like they would take pictures with their smartphones.
All major barcode symbologies supported: Knox Capture supports all major barcode types to ensure optimal coverage for all data the users intend to scan.
Key features of Knox Capture include:
Tailored scanning for business apps: Configure unique scanning configurations for multiple business apps by creating and applying Knox Capture profiles, eliminating the need for integration between business apps and the SDK.
Capture data: Use the device camera to capture all major industry standard 1D and 2D barcode symbologies such as UPC, Code 39, EAN, and QR, just like you would capture photos with your smartphone.
Configure scanning logic: Customize scanning logic with settings such as barcode type, camera zoom and scanning mode through the Knox Capture app on Google Play.
Customize scanned data: Format scanned data for output by adding prefixes, suffixes, and tab or return keystrokes.
Output scanned data: Send scanned data to input fields such as text boxes and drop-down menus in an app’s UI.
Test a scanning configuration: Test your scanning configuration before deployment in test mode.
Share and deploy Knox Capture configurations: Share a Knox Capture configuration with other devices via email, NFC, or QR code, or mass deploy a remote configuration through your EMM/MDM console.
Quickly launch the scanner app: Activate camera scanning within business apps with a single push of the remapped hardware key or keyboard wedge and start scanning right away.
Knox Capture is now available in Canada through the Google Play store on Galaxy devices including the Galaxy Tab Active3 and Galaxy XCover Pro models.
When it comes to the development of strategic partnerships and dynamic collaborations within the retail space, there isn’t a brand executing better than Sleep Country Canada. Following shortly behind the announcement of its expanded partnership with Walmart Canada and the launch of the brand’s Express stores, it’s set to launch an innovative new retail and digital collaboration with US bed-in-a-box provider Casper. It’s a development for Canada’s omnichannel specialty sleep retailer that President and incoming CEO, Stewart Schaefer, says allows the brand to continue expanding its sleep ecosystem while also building further on the incredible selection of sleep solutions that it provides customers.
“Sleep Country has cultivated a relationship with our customers over the years,” he says. “There’s a trust in the brand that’s resulted from ensuring that we’re the curator of the most relevant products and brands. Within the last five or so years, a number of wonderful brands like Endy, Purple and Casper started to appear on the scene with incredible product and innovation. And they were competing with each other and with us. The fact that Casper is now available in Sleep Country stores across Canada changes that landscape between us, and it changes the landscape for the customer in terms of the accessibility to one of the most relevant brands from coast-to-coast.”
Expanded sleep ecosystem
Sleep Country at CF Richmond Centre. Photo: Geetanjali Sharma
The partnership, announced in September, makes Sleep Country Canada the exclusive provider of six of Casper’s award-winning products, allowing Canadians, beginning early October, to purchase Casper’s core-collection mattresses – the Original, Nova, Wave, Hybrid Original, Nova Snow and Wave Snow – in most Sleep Country and Dormez-vous stores and online. The two companies have also developed a collaborative revenue sharing partnership concerning all Canadian sales within Casper’s Canadian stores and ecommerce platforms. In addition, the brands have entered into a multi-million-dollar cross-promotional marketing commitment intended to broaden and strengthen the awareness of each brand. And, just as important as the details of the deal, says Schaefer, is the ways in which the partnership further bolsters the brands ongoing omnichannel efforts.
“We are not only the retailer that brings Canadians the most innovative products available on the market, but we’re also channel agnostic,” he asserts. “This philosophy has allowed us to be flexible and to develop partnerships with brands, whether they’re digital-first or brick-and-mortar-first. This has enabled us to serve our customers in the way they want to be served. The acceleration of customer shopping behaviours and preferences toward the online channels throughout the pandemic has been incredible. Of course, this was an evolution in the consumer that was already happening prior to COVID, but the increased comfort demonstrated by Canadians to shop and purchase online means that you have to be there with your product if you want to grow going forward.”
Increasing awareness
For the award-winning American sleep products provider, this exclusive partnership marks its largest Canadian distribution platform to-date, with mattresses being sold across Sleep Country’s national network of 287 retail locations and robust e-commerce platforms. Casper has made significant progress in the expansion and distribution of its products through retail partnerships over the past year. Its partnership with Sleep Country, in particular, allows it to extend its presence in the Canadian market and raise awareness of the brand with the Canadian consumer.
“We are thrilled to announce Sleep Country as our exclusive retail partner for our most popular mattresses across Canada,” says Emilie Arel, President and Chief Commercial Officer at Casper. “As we strategically and thoughtfully expand Casper’s footprint, we aim to partner with respected retailers that possess unparalleled sleep and market expertise, and who prioritize a commitment to customer service. As Canada’s leading sleep retailer, I am confident that Sleep Country is the right partner for us to expand our distribution, while leveraging their nationwide logistics network and supply chain to efficiently serve the Canadian consumer.”
Focus on the consumer
As part of the partnership, Sleep Country and Casper will collaborate on the development of new Casper products designed exclusively for the Canadian market, combining the American company’s commitment to design excellence and innovation with Sleep Country’s intimate knowledge of Canadian consumer preferences. It’s a partnership and collaboration that offers each brand tremendous opportunities to continue growing. And, as Schaefer points out, it provides Sleep Country with another layer of offering, building further on a fast-growing sleep solution omnichannel ecosystem in order to continue satisfying the needs of an evolving and varied consumer.
“I learned years ago that not everybody wants to walk into a Sleep Country or Dormez-vous store to shop. The brand has a very strong loyalty-base that we continue to grow every year. But sometimes people will want to shop at a Casper or with Purple or Endy. And it’s up to Sleep Country to ensure that the Canadian consumer has access to all of these amazing brands. In the end, we’re a retailer. We sell mattresses and sleep products, and we do that very well. But we’re also a distribution and logistics machine with two new super hubs to better service the customer. And, as part of that service, we need to provide the range in products that our customer is looking for. We’ve been very focused on this and have been active for the last long while, developing partnerships with brands that share the same vision as Sleep Country. And, moving forward, we plan to continue being creative and innovative in the ways we grow and engage with the Canadian consumer.”
