Retail

From groceries to placemaking, a wide-ranging exploration of the retail industry

Shopping for wellness

Grocery retailers are assuming a new role as dietary advisers, educating consumers and providing personalised health and nutrition guidance.

Pop Culture Meets Commerce

NTWRK's CEO, Aaron Levant, discusses why hyper-urgency is the future of shopping.

Africa’s Untapped Potential

Increased internet access and a booming youth population are driving the continent’s unique and burgeoning online retail market, bolstered by digital marketplaces and the rise of mobile money services.

Is retailtainment the future of e-commerce?

Is retailtainment the future of e-commerce?:

NTWRK is shaking up retail with its pop culture-powered video commerce app. Its CEO, Aaron Levant, discusses why hyper-urgency is the...

 Retail : E-commerce : Media
African E-commerce Market

African E-commerce Market:

Increased internet access and a booming youth population are driving the continent’s unique and burgeoning online retail market,...

 E-Commerce : Africa : Retail
Rob Wood on why music is essential to brand experiences

Rob Wood on why music is essential to brand experiences:

The creative director of Music Concierge explains how, by creating distinct audio identities for brands and retailers, music and...

 Retail : Leisure : Hospitality
Prescription Supermarkets

Prescription Supermarkets:

Grocery retailers are assuming a new role as dietary advisers, educating consumers and providing personalised health and nutrition...

 Retail : Healthcare : Nutrition
Are head office staff the new retail influencers?

Are head office staff the new retail influencers?:

To help build consumer trust and product authenticity, brands are starting to focus more on insider advocates than external influencers.

 Retail : Fashion : Social Media
Virtual sonic worlds are the next branded experiences

Virtual sonic worlds are the next branded experiences:

The Spatial Sound Institute is a research centre created by technology platform and artistic collective 4DSOUND. John Connell,...

 Media : Digital : Retail
How Coal Drops Yard captures a sense of place

How Coal Drops Yard captures a sense of place:

Chris Chapman, head of art at Droga5 London, on creating the visual identity for Coal Drops Yard, a new retail concept in London’s...

 Retail : Placemaking : Branding
How the world’s largest online shopping mall is shaping our lives

How the world’s largest online shopping mall is shaping our lives:

At Dutch Design Week 2018, designers from Design Academy Eindhoven hosted Geo-Design, an exhibition that examined the growth of Chinese...

 Retail : E-commerce : Dutch Design Week
The studios making virtual retail a reality

The studios making virtual retail a reality:

As mixed-reality commerce gathers pace, a growing community of creative digital studios are facilitating the transition from the...

 Retail : VR : Digital Culture
Department Store Disruptors

Department Store Disruptors:

As stores with outdated value propositions continue to decline, new multi-brand retail formats are emerging that bridge the gap between...

 Retail : E-commerce : Digital
How mobility is transforming last-mile delivery

How mobility is transforming last-mile delivery:

Autonomous driving technology promises to have a transformative impact on how we receive our purchases.

Retail : Delivery : Automotive
Why flagship stores are the arcades of the future

Why flagship stores are the arcades of the future:

Gaming is creating a new breed of bold retail spaces that transcend language barriers, says Gilles Boissele, creative partner at UNIT9.

 Retail : Fashion : Youth
Furniture as a Service

Furniture as a Service:

With consumers less willing and less able to establish permanent homes, furniture brands are having to develop products and services...

 Retail : Furniture : Hospitality
Inspiration per square foot

Inspiration per square foot:

The success of bricks-and-mortar retail is no longer determined by sales per square foot but the benefits of creating inspirational...

 Storefront Salvation : Retail
Shoppable Social

Shoppable Social:

Social commerce continues to grow as new technologies and in-platform features transform the way consumers buy and interact with products.

Retail : Socia Media : Digital
Subconscious Commerce

Subconscious Commerce:

With Internet of Things technology creating newly immersive brand touchpoints and data analytics allowing businesses to anticipate every...

 Retail : Automation : Technology
How malls can survive into the future

How malls can survive into the future:

The malls of the future will cater for specific audiences, appeal to a wide spectrum of ages and join the dots between e-commerce and...

 Retail : Placemaking : Mall
Convenience Stores 2.0

Convenience Stores 2.0:

Corner stores are moving away from sugary snacks to offer fresh, organic and vegan alternatives, accessible to all 24/7.

 Convenience : Retail : Vegan
Data ID Stores

Data ID Stores:

Future-facing bricks-and-mortar brands are personalising the store experience through the use of consumer data profiles.

 Retail : Fashion : Food And Drink
Is there such a thing as a brandless brand?

Is there such a thing as a brandless brand?:

While there are clear imperatives for debranding, businesses still need to think of it as a design exercise.

Branding : Packaging : Retail
Why peer-to-peer lending is the future of interiors

Why peer-to-peer lending is the future of interiors:

Harth co-founder Ed Padmore explains how the furniture sharing platform will benefit both designers and owners.

Hospitality : Retail : Furniture
Are digital payments luring us into debt?

Are digital payments luring us into debt?:

Retailers are increasingly offering point-of-sale loans to pay for non-essential goods.

 Retail : Finance : Apparel
Office Stores

Office Stores:

Through new technological and physical touchpoints, FMCG brands are exploring the workplace as a profitable retail opportunity.

Retail : Convenience : Co-working
Why retailers and marketers need to take VR seriously

Why retailers and marketers need to take VR seriously:

Anita Fontaine and Geoffrey Lillemon, creative directors of Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam's Department of New Realities, blend speculative...

 Retail : Technology : VR
Responsive Wayfinding

Responsive Wayfinding:

Retailers are harnessing digital tools to bring the speed and convenience of navigating an online store to the physical...

 Storefront Salvation : Retail : Placemaking
How can supermarkets cut down on plastic waste?

How can supermarkets cut down on plastic waste?:

The strategies food and drink retailers can use to reduce their reliance on the material.

 Retail : Food And Drink : Packaging
Accessible Premium

Accessible Premium:

From taking the idea of the dollar store online to the rejection of big brands, retailers are exploring how they can democratise...

 Retail : Digital : The American Middle
Storefront Salvation

Storefront Salvation:

Fuelled by an understanding that saving the store relies on a combination of physical touchpoints and digital technology, retailers...

 Retail : E-commerce : Digital
How the retail landscape will change in 2019

How the retail landscape will change in 2019:

With The Future Laboratory hosting its Retail Futures Forum on 3 May, we preview some of the key themes to be unveiled.

 Retail : Technology : E-commerce
Bundled Buys

Bundled Buys:

From helping consumers navigate a seasonless fashion model to combating the resale market, luxury fashion brands are exploring the...

 Luxury : Apparel : Retail
Micro-retail

Micro-retail:

With convenience a key priority for consumers, brands are exploring the potential of dynamic selling spaces in non-traditional...

 Retail : Digital : Technology
Voice Retail Market

Voice Retail Market:

As voice-enabled devices continue to enter our homes, and consumers become increasingly comfortable with the idea of talking to...

 Retail : Technology : Digital
Loyalty Market

Loyalty Market:

As consumers become less loyal, brands are looking to personalisation, cryptocurrencies and mobile-based initiatives in an effort to...

 Retail : Digital : Technology
Should we start taking QR codes seriously?

Should we start taking QR codes seriously?:

Once consigned to internet history, the iconic squares are finally ready for their revival.

 Packaging : Retail : Advertising
Pricing Strategies: Part 1

Pricing Strategies: Part 1:

From price point activism to discounts based on demand, companies are embracing a more dynamic approach to pricing as a means of...

 Retail : Wellness : Drink
Click and Connect

Click and Connect:

With 40% of global shoppers now preferring to purchase clothing and footwear online, brands are exploring new ways to push the buying...

 Retail : Apparel : Fashion
Pricing Strategies: Part 2

Pricing Strategies: Part 2:

Through a combination of data-collection and changing consumer demand, artificial intelligence is bringing new value to the idea of...

 Retail : Fashion : Food
Live-stream Market

Live-stream Market:

From its potential as a tool to promote brand transparency to the integration of Buy Now buttons, brands are tapping into the lucrative...

 Retail : Digital : Technology
How to future-proof the physical store

How to future-proof the physical store:

Natalie Berg, retail analyst and founder of NBK Retail, on why stores should be seen as assets rather than liabilities.

Retail : E-commerce : Phygital
Digital Store Fronts

Digital Store Fronts:

The future of online shopping is being shaped by visual-first digital experiences.

 Retail : Youth : Digital
Grocery AI-sles

Grocery AI-sles:

With 44% of jobs in the UK retail sector expected to be at risk of automation by the early 2030s, according to PwC, grocery brands are...

 Retail : Digital : Technology
Augmented Retail

Augmented Retail:

As augmented and virtual reality continues to grow towards an expected market value of £80.3bn ($108bn, €91.3bn) by 2021, brands are...

 Retail : Digital : Fashion
Liyia Wu on the Chinese live-stream retail revolution

Liyia Wu on the Chinese live-stream retail revolution:

The ShopShops founder discusses how her platform offers a revelatory shopping experience that cannot be replicated by e-commerce.

 Retail : Digital : Media
Ryan Elder on the power of distance in sensory marketing

Ryan Elder on the power of distance in sensory marketing:

The associate professor of marketing at Brigham Young University reveals how the perceived distance of a sensory experience can impact...

 Retail : Advertising : Marketing
Chinese Duty-free Retail Market

Chinese Duty-free Retail Market:

Chinese tourists’ passion for duty-free shopping is making Asia-Pacific the engine of growth for the travel-retail sector.

Retail : Travel : Luxury
The future of airport retail is hyper-personalisation

The future of airport retail is hyper-personalisation:

With vast amounts of passenger data tied up in boarding passes, let’s use it to transform the airport retail experience, says Lee...

 Airport Retail : Duty Free : Customer Data

Related to Retail

An urban space for those in-between moments News

An urban space for those in-between moments

3DEN is launching as a first-of-its-kind space that provides consumers with a series of convenient and luxury amenities on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Retail : Health : Wellness
Loyalty becomes currency at Nike’s virtual pop-up News

Loyalty becomes currency at Nike’s virtual pop-up

The sportswear brand has launched a virtual store where shoppers can only access limited-edition items with credits earned from previous purchases.

Retail : Fashion : Digital
New York’s newest shopping district spotlights digital-first brands News

New York’s newest shopping district spotlights digital-first brands

Hudson Yards includes a one-million-square-foot retail centre with an entire floor devoted to digital-first brands.

Retail : Leisure : Architecture
Stat: Grocery store meal kits grow in popularity News

Stat: Grocery store meal kits grow in popularity

Meal kits are not only growing in popularity, as consumers seek increasingly convenient food options, but expanding from web-exclusive subscription services to meals that customers buy in stores, according to a new report by Nielsen.

Food : Grocery : Retail
Programmable Realities Macro Trends

Programmable Realities

The rise of reactive new materials and technologies means that future physical consumer touchpoints will no longer be set in stone… or any other solid matter.

Media : Futuretainment : Technology
Rent the Runway introduces rentals for soft furnishings News

Rent the Runway introduces rentals for soft furnishings

The clothing rental company has partnered with home retailer West Elm to make soft furnishings available as part of its subscription services.

Retail : Furniture : Fashion
The world’s first Amazon-enabled hair salon News

The world’s first Amazon-enabled hair salon

Starring by Ted Gibson merges smart home technology with high-end hair styling and colouring services.

Beauty : Retail : Leisure
Day-glo decor elevates this CBD drinks store News

Day-glo decor elevates this CBD drinks store

Online brand Recess, known for its CBD-infused sparkling beverages, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store.

Retail : Drinks : Interiors
Thought-starter: Get ready for smart clothing News

Thought-starter: Get ready for smart clothing

Aman Advani, CEO and co-founder of Ministry of Supply, explains why smart garments have previously failed, and how his science-backed fashion brand is creating truly smart connected clothing.

Fashion : Retail : Technology
Diesel’s Side:Biz allows consumers to sell its designs News

Diesel’s Side:Biz allows consumers to sell its designs

The brand's new e-commerce initiative enables Diesel followers to open their own digital shops selling Diesel products.

Fashion : Retail : Digital
Is smart apparel finally ready to go mainstream? Big Ideas

Is smart apparel finally ready to go mainstream?

Aman Advani, CEO and co-founder of Ministry of Supply, explains why smart garments have previously failed, and how his science-backed fashion brand is creating truly smart connected clothing.

Fashion : Retail : AI
Thought-starter: Can AI make our clothing intelligent? News

Thought-starter: Can AI make our clothing intelligent?

The next generation of connected clothing will use artificial intelligence to react and recalibrate, says senior creative researcher Rachael Stott, catering for continually changing consumer needs and lifestyles.

Fashion : Technology : Retail
Stat: Online sales of groceries and CPG continue to grow News

Stat: Online sales of groceries and CPG continue to grow

Consumer confidence in e-commerce is growing. In 2018, US online purchases increased by nearly 35%, according to a survey conducted by IRI.

Food : Retail : Digital
Tide introduces an on-demand laundry service News

Tide introduces an on-demand laundry service

The detergent brand is doubling the size of its out-of-home laundry offering by asking consumers where it should open next.

Retail : Lifestyle : Cleaning
Thought-starter: Who are the fashion designers of the future? News

Thought-starter: Who are the fashion designers of the future?

Brave New Worlds was the theme for the biennial International Fashion Showcase in London, with 16 emerging designers seeking to change the fashion landscape with designs that explored politics, sustainability and identity.

Fashion : Youth : Sustainability
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