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
The Intersection of Media and Merchandise: The “As Seen on TV” Pop-Up Strategy
Media has always been intertwined with retail. Media and merchandise. From the full-page ads in print newspapers and magazines to the product placements on daily news shows, the consumer has always been shown advertisements in conjunction with media. But the
An All-Encompassing Trend: Why Health and Wellness Retail Is About More Than Vitamins
The start of the new year can only mean one thing: it’s time for resolutions. And for many consumers, that list of goals for the upcoming year starts with wellness through healthy choices. Health and wellness retail is their starting
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
Timberland’s Flex Retail Marketing: Pop-Ups That Don’t Feel Like Pop-Ups
In the world of pop-ups, ideas fly fast and furious. But who would have thought that one of the freshest would come from a legacy brand out of Stratham, New Hampshire? We’ll call it flex retail marketing. Timberland recently launched a “flex”
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
Retail Holiday Creep: Pros and Cons of (Too) Early Retailer and Retail Brand Displays
Today is the spookiest day of the year – and it’s also one of retail’s sweetest and tastiest. After the kids crash from sugar overload, the last cobweb is swept up and the witch’s hat is hung up until next
Rotating Pop-Up Retail — The Trick to Compelling Return Visits
Everyone loves good pop-up retail. With inventive cross-brand partnerships and creative merchandising, you entice customers into your store for an exciting purchasing experience. And there’s the rub. One pop-up. One experience. One visit. Why not turn one visit into two?
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
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
Pop-Up Retail Moments at NYFW: Feminism, Color and Eye-Catching Experiences
Around Manhattan, Labor Day signals two things: the end of the summer and the arrival of New York Fashion Week (NYFW). This year was no different, with designers, retailers, models and celebrities descending on the Big Apple for a week
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,
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
Bringing the Power of the Beauty Vloggers In-Store
Vlogging, or video blogging, is revolutionizing the beauty market. Social media influencers with YouTube channels and Instagram feeds are raking in funds – often enough to subsidize an entire career – to make videos promoting brands. Beauty vloggers dedicate hours
Empowerment at Floor Level – Flexible Signage and Display
Nimble. Flexible. Responsive. These are the buzzwords of today’s brand and retailer. These characteristics drive brand websites, social media pages, inventory management, and even employee teams. But are you optimizing the nimbleness and responsiveness of the flexible signage and display
Personalizing the Retail Fashion Experience
Some purchases are generic: chewing gum, a phone charger, paper towels. Others are deeply personal. And it doesn’t get more personal than retail fashion. Inherently, your clothes and accessories are about who you want to be to the world. They broadcast your
Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries: A Modern Lesson in Retail
When legalized recreational marijuana burst onto the scene across eight states, a whole new category of retailer emerged too: recreational marijuana dispensaries. Long gone are the days of sketchy head shops with dark paneling, dim lighting and dodgy-looking shelves. In
Nine Questions to Ensure Effective Retail Store Merchandising
How many times have you heard a shopper exclaim, “Those Rococo-inspired chairs in the corner make me want to buy sweaters in every color you have!”? Never. Because it’s retail store merchandising, not retail store decorating. Interior decorating speaks to
Privacy and the Ideal Shopper Experience
We know that consumers prefer shopping in physical stores, and that the shopper experience is paramount. Ergo, retail marketers, the answer is simple: shower your guests with attention. Unless she wants you to leave her alone. The shopper is giving
Hot Retail Design Trends: Retail@StreetLevel
It’s a challenge to continuously produce fresh retail design to visually present your brand and your products to an already over-stimulated shopper. How do you grab her attention? “Wow” her? Draw her into your story? That takes something new. Lucky