How to Wow Shoppers is Hot Topic at 98th National Retail Federation Convention & Expo

Creative Realities' CEO, Jason Friedman, to Kick-off Design Studio Program with "Anatomy of Wow".

Fairfield, NJ (PRWEB) December 30, 2008 -- The National Retail Federation has announced that, at its upcoming 98th Annual Convention & Expo, the Design Studio program will kick-off with Jason Friedman's presentation, "The Anatomy of Wow." Friedman, the founder and CEO of experiential branding and marketing company Creative Realities (www.cri.com), will share high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech, experiential-marketing methods that retailers can use to surprise and delight shoppers.

The convention will be held at New York City's Javits Center, and runs from 1/11/09 to 1/14/09. Friedman's presentation will take place in the convention's Design Studio on Monday, 1/12/09, at 9:30 am.

Why begin the Design Studio program by discussing wow? Dan Butler, the National Retail Federation's Vice President of Retail Operations, says that Friedman's topic is important, because most of the Studio's visitors are leaders and strategy-makers. Says Butler:

"We draw C-level retail executives, top architects, and experts in store planning and design. These people are responsible for making stores distinctive and memorable. To them, the Wow Factor is critical. They want to see where wow has been, and where it's going. Newness drives sales in retail."

Friedman is an authority on creating visceral environments and experiences for organizations in varied fields. His company, Creative Realities, has clients (http://www.cri.com/case_studies_portfolio.htm) that include retailers (Foot Locker, Radio Shack, Samsung, T-Mobile, Time Warner), banks (Bank of America, Wachovia), hotels (Hyatt, W Hotels), and universities (Harvard University, Stanford University), among others. Creative Realities is also helping to create the environment for the largest retail and entertainment complex in the United States, Meadowlands Xanadu.

What kinds of strategies will Friedman be presenting? "One of the lessons," says Friedman, "is 'Give shoppers the experience they most want, right then and there.' Shoppers want immediacy. They go shopping to experience a certain feeling, and they don't want to wait until they get home to experience it. Smart retailers try to give them that feeling in the store.

"During the presentation, I'll show ways that some stores have made that happen, and we'll discuss ways that people in the audience can make it happen in their situations."

Friedman continues: "With the state of the economy, understanding and using the principles of wow is more important than ever. The public is spending less, so retailers have to be more engaging to capture the business they need."

The "Anatomy of Wow" presentation runs approximately forty-five minutes.

About Creative Realities:

Creative Realities is an experiential branding and marketing firm that creates wow environments and customer experiences for organizations in the fields of retail, hospitality, entertainment, healthcare, education, and general corporate. Its clients include Bank of America, Foot Locker, Harvard University, Hyatt, Meadowlands Xanadu, Radio Shack, Samsung, Stanford University, T-Mobile, TiVo, and Time Warner. In 2007 and 2008, Creative Realities was named to Inc. magazine's "Inc. 5000" list of America's fastest-growing, privately-held companies. For more information, visit www.cri.com.

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