Computer love / The shift away from physical media to digital downloads, along with the ease of online shopping has meant bricks-and-mortar retailers have had to seriously up their game to survive. Operating in the books, music, film and electricals space, Fnac has embraced digital retail realities and found new ways to thrive. Reporting its 2021 full-year results, the company revealed that it gained 5 million active online customers, with online sales accounting for 26% of its total turnover of €8bn ($8.1bn). Meanwhile, its stores are bouncing back after a tough two years impacted by lockdowns: ‘Revenue growth in 2021 is based on solid sales momentum in stores, driven by a higher conversion rate and average checkout value, while store traffic is gradually returning to normal.’ A digital-first campaign that showcases Fnac’s alternative approach to culture in the age of automated curation is timely and likely to attract attention by standing out.
Finding Fnac / Customer service and informed staff advice has long been key to the brand’s success – this has been a fundamental pillar of its business model since its creation in 1954, evidenced in such initiatives such as independent product testing lab Labo Fnac or bimonthly emerging artist compilations Fnac Indétendances.
This emphasis on people is carrying over into the 21st century. Unveiling a new strategic plan in February 2021, Fnac set out an approach to its digital operations that focuses on what it deems to be the brand’s strongest assets - ‘recommendations and advice’. In practice, this has seen the retailer bring the customer service benefits of shopping in its physical stores to online, rolling out offerings such online video advice and live shopping. This campaign expands on this, providing a new angle to their messaging emphasising the benefits of getting a leftfield recommendation.
It also plays out as neat reminder of both Fnac’s cultural expertise credentials and its positioning of helping customers navigate the overwhelming amount of choice they face online – something the brand excels at online via its L’Eclaireur Fnac website, with informed insight and opinion on the top topics of the day.
Algorithmic anxiety / Although ecommerce giants have found huge success using recommendation algorithms to influence purchases, there is a growing uneasiness about the power platforms have to manipulate our preferences, a phenomenon that has been dubbed ‘algorithmic anxiety’ by journalists.
As New America notes in its report on how algorithms work: ‘There is little visibility into how platforms have developed and crafted these recommendation systems, how they operate, and how they make decisions. This makes it very difficult to analyse and combat the problematic recommendations that come from these systems.’
Fnac is able to intervene in conversations around this cultural moment because of its position in the retail landscape, adapting to the digital present without sacrificing its human touch.
