A Look Back: Our Favorite 2018 Retail Trends
2018 is over…finally! It was a long year – one that started with the Winter Olympics (yes, we had the Olympics this year) and high schoolers eating Tide Pods. In retail news, we said goodbye to Toys”R”Us, hello to oat
E-Commerce Pop-Ups Deliver a Much-Needed Physical Presence to Online Retail
Once upon a time, pop-ups were simply opportunistic. A way for retailers to generate extra sales in empty storefronts, a low-cost solution for emerging businesses hoping to gain a toehold in a market, or a way for big-buck brands to
Retail Storytelling: Uniting Products Under a Theme
The Night Before Christmas, The Polar Express, The Gift of the Magi, Love & Latkes. Who doesn’t love a great story? During the holidays, everyone cuddles up with our favorite seasonal stories. Now, storytelling is extending to how you merchandise, not
The Importance of Transparent and Sustainable Fashion
Plastic has had a bad year. People are saying ‘no’ to plastic straws to save sea turtles. Government officials are passing laws to ban plastic shopping bags. And reusable water bottle sales are soaring. So what does this have to
Uncovering the Truth: Debunking Five Myths About Pop-Up Retail
Pop-up retail has gained a lot of attention – and garnered billions in sales – in recent years. For a retailer or retail brand, this may set the bar quite high. But don’t be held back by some of these
Physical Retail’s 80/20 Rule Is Rapidly Changing. Is Your Store Ready?
The 80/20 rule for brick and mortar stores meant stocking their shelves with 80% basics and 20% items that would delight and surprise shoppers. E-commerce changed that balance. With a click on your device, you can instantly order everything from
Rethinking Consumer Retail Tech to Target Younger Audiences
Over the past decade, consumer retail tech has advanced rapidly. Flat-screen televisions, gaming consoles and MP3 players used to dominate the market, sold primarily at big-name tech stores like Best Buy. Today, smartphones and other smart devices lead tech sales
The Original Holiday Pop-Up: What Retailers Can Learn from Spirit Halloween
Holiday pop-up retail defies expectations. The so-called retail apocalypse has in fact claimed a lot of victims. Circuit City, Toys”R”Us, Borders are all resting peacefully in the graveyard of “shoppings past”. But amidst all of the passings, there’s one retailer
Leveraging In-Store Shopping Technology
These days, who doesn’t shop without a smartphone glued to their hand or tucked into a pocket? Rather than fight the wave of smartphone apps or limit technology to the check-out area, brick-and-mortar brands should join the rising tide. In-store
Beautifying Experiences: Tech-Savvy Services Boost Beauty Retail
Beauty retail is booming. Of all retail sectors, it’s the one that appears unstoppable, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in brick-and-mortar shops. The greatest way we see beauty retailers innovating right now is through the marriage of tech
The Incredible Power of Movie Retail Partnerships
Soon to be released on DVD, Incredibles 2 has already stirred up a world of marketing buzz for movie retail partnerships. For the cinematic release in June, Disney partnered with no fewer than 14 brands ranging from McDonald’s to Zillow. The
Are You Ready for Holiday Retail 2018?
We are happy to present Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender as our Guest Bloggers this week writing about holiday retail. Rich and Georganne are consumer anthropologists, keynote speakers, authors, consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in retail, restaurant, hospitality,
The New Wellness Retail Opportunity: Beauty from Within
Wellness retail has gotten increasingly popular over the past few years. But this year, the category is on fire, becoming a trend that is fueling and influencing consumers’ lives and retailers’ behavior. Beyond just natural products and healthy foods, health
Retail Sales Staff Training: Your On-Site and Online Secret Weapon
A user-friendly site. Chat features. Strong images. E-commerce retailers have been using these UX tactics and more to humanize the online shopping experience. But all told, in the realm of personal warmth, human interaction, humor and caring, e-commerce can’t stand toe-to-toe with the in-store experience…and it probably never will. You may
Testing 1, 2, 3: A Pop-Up Test for Toy Expansion
We all know the retail landscape is shifting. Lines constantly blur between sectors – workplaces are becoming stores, sporting warehouses are clothing stores and fashion retailers are experimenting with designer food! Now, the toy industry is following suit. The demise of Toys“R”Us
Retail Showrooms: Taking Retail Experiences to New Heights
Guide shops. Neighborhood hubs. Retail showrooms. Call them what you will, these show-and-tell centers are all leading shoppers to the same destination: an interactive and experiential in-store visit. The impact of retail showrooms is being felt across the retail spectrum.
Plants, Fizz and the Pursuit of Healthiness at the 2018 Fancy Food Show
Three days. Six football fields of walking, 2,600 exhibitor stands, 200,000 specialty products. Eating our way through the 2018 Fancy Food Show was an exhausting – yet delicious – task. The event was never more timely. The specialty food market is
Squeezed by Retail Returns: E-commerce’s Bane Is Brick & Mortar’s Advantage
Like so many bad habits, it started out innocently. First it was two, then it became four. Before you knew it, it was up to eight. At first, it felt like a dirty little secret. Now, it’s out in the
Shopping Physical Stores: The New Fashion Retail Experience Is About Service, Not Products
We’ve been told the opposite again and again, but the truth is consumers still like shopping – and they still enjoy shopping physical stores. In a survey of consumers across age groups and genders, 27% of all consumers found that shopping
Grocery Trends That Are Stimulating In-Store Sales
Food and beverage grocery trends are very much a hot topic, even becoming a default cocktail party, nice-to-meet-you conversation starter. It’s interesting then, with all this focus, physical grocery store expansion slowed in 2017. But that doesn’t mean it was