Retail

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

Feedback Frontiers
Communications between brands and consumers are becoming more circular and conversational

In-store Studios
Amid Covid-19, retailers are redefining their stores as multi-media hubs for content creation

Mixed-reality Retail
Merging digital and physical touchpoints, retail is becoming a mixed-reality playground
Studio Stores

Studio Stores:

Faced with declining footfall and fallout from coronavirus, retailers are reclaiming their stores as multimedia hubs for content creation.

 Retail : Media : E-commerce
Four ways retail is becoming a phygital playground

Four ways retail is becoming a phygital playground:

Innovative applications of established technologies are creating multi-layered, mixed-reality retail experiences that merge digital and...

 Retail : Phygital : Fashion
Squadded recreates the mall effect online

Squadded recreates the mall effect online:

Elysa Kahn, co-founder of Squadded, highlights the potential for the new social e-commerce solution and the difference between shopping...

 Retail : Fashion : E-commerce
Makers Market

Makers Market:

As craft culture and the hobby renaissance build momentum, retail opportunities abound for a wave of consumer businesses founded by makers.

DIY : Retail : Craft
Flagship Fulfilment

Flagship Fulfilment:

As consumers continue to value speed, retail brands are doubling down on the ways supply chains, logistics and fulfilment can enhance...

 Retail : Technology : Logistics
Digital Architects

Digital Architects:

A new tribe of consumers are curating fresh digital eco-systems to create new opportunities to engage with brands in a meaningful way.

 Tribes : Consumers
Feedback Frontiers

Feedback Frontiers:

As communications with consumers become more circular and conversational, brands are treating every micro-interaction as a valuable...

 Retail : E-commerce : Digital
Webinar: Covid-19 Future Planning

Webinar: Covid-19 Future Planning:

A 30-minute webinar examining the pandemic’s impact across key sectors, and the steps to future-proof strategies for your organisation...

 Society : Covid-19 : Retail
Covid-19 Contingency Planning

Covid-19 Contingency Planning:

Learn the immediate impacts of Covid-19 across key sectors, and discover best-in-class case studies and future considerations for your...

 Covid-19 : Society : Health
Discovery Grocers

Discovery Grocers:

Online grocers are putting personalisation at the heart of their offering, from curated shopping baskets to SMS advisers.

 Retail : Food : Technology
Eco-ambitious Retail

Eco-ambitious Retail:

Brands are self-imposing sustainability goals on their businesses that – while initially financially impactful – validate them as...

 Retail : Sustainability : Brand 2020
Consumer Surveillance Market

Consumer Surveillance Market:

Originally created as a means for retailers to generate targeted ads, consumer surveillance has evolved into a lucrative eco-system to...

 Retail : Data : Surveillance
How circular retail could create new cashless economies

How circular retail could create new cashless economies:

Fashion futurist and professor Karinna Nobbs proposes that digital retail experiences can be exchanged for unwanted physical products.

 Retail : Sustainability : Circular Economy
SMS is changing the face of customer service

SMS is changing the face of customer service:

Brands and retailers are using SMS to offer their expertise as a personal service rather than to simply encourage customers to buy more...

 Retail : Customer Service : Technology
Experiential luxury malls

Experiential luxury malls:

Shedding their teen hangout reputation, retail centres are being given an experiential upgrade as operators set their sights on affluent...

 Luxury : Retail : Architecture
Piercing Pioneers

Piercing Pioneers:

Brands are modernising the coming-of-age ritual of piercing for a new generation of teenagers who are keen to experiment with their...

 Retail : Youth : DTC
DTC Directories

DTC Directories:

A crop of third-party platforms are offering new ways to filter through the growing number of digital and direct-to-consumer brands.

 Retail : DTC : Shopping
Generation Z Stores

Generation Z Stores:

A youth boom is set to shake up bricks-and-mortar shopping, so retailers must adapt their strategies to meet the unique preferences of...

 Retail : ​Generation Z : Shopping
Diving into Lush’s phygital experiments

Diving into Lush’s phygital experiments:

Charlotte Nisbet talks about the brand’s phygital retail experiments, from packaging-free stores and recyclable shop fit-outs to machine...

 Retail : Beauty : Technology
Accessible Retail Market

Accessible Retail Market:

Retailers are investing in the accessibility of their physical and digital channels to support the needs of disabled and neurodiverse...

 Retail : Inclusivity : Implicit Inclusivity
Exploring future scenarios powered by 5G

Exploring future scenarios powered by 5G:

As we enter a new decade, LS:N Global speculates about the impact and transformative use cases of 5G across sectors including retail,...

 Technology : 5G : Far Futures
Obsess is upending the e-commerce interface

Obsess is upending the e-commerce interface:

Neha Singh, founder and CEO of experiential e-commerce platform Obsess, on the power of discovery to shape the future of retail.

Retail : Youth : Technology
Circular store design

Circular store design:

Consumers’ increasing interest in sustainable living is reflected in new retail destinations, where materials, design details and...

 Retail : Sustainability : Design
Vegan Home Market

Vegan Home Market:

Consumers are turning to animal-free homewares and services to ensure every aspect of their plant-based lifestyles are aligned with...

 Retail : Sustainability : Vegan
The frictionless future of grocery retail

The frictionless future of grocery retail:

In the wake of Amazon Go, grocery retailers are exploring how in-store technology can streamline the purchasing process.

 Retail : Supermarkets : Technology
The anti-choice homeware movement

The anti-choice homeware movement:

Overwhelmed by choice, Millennials are turning to brands that offer a streamlined, limited approach to homeware shopping.

Retail : Sustainability : Homeware
Home Cleaning Market

Home Cleaning Market:

With the rise of glossy domestic influencers and design-led, eco-friendly start-ups, the mindful act of cleaning has never been more...

 Cleaning : Health : Wellness
Secondary Waste Retail

Secondary Waste Retail:

New retail systems are professionalising the waste sector, transforming it into a consumer-facing currency and future new economy.

 Retail : Fashion : Sustainability
Mirrored Realms

Mirrored Realms:

As reality becomes more programmable, a visual aesthetic is being defined that reflects the artificiality of the virtual world alongside...

 Programmable Realities : Immaterial Fashion : Virtual
Re-usable Packaging Market

Re-usable Packaging Market:

Growing concern about the environmental impact of plastic packaging is driving innovations in re-usable and refill concepts among...

 Retail : Packaging : Sustainability
Are deep fakes the future of personalised advertising?

Are deep fakes the future of personalised advertising?:

AI is enabling a new form of hyper-personal influencer marketing. MSc Strategic Fashion Management graduates Helen Wang and Joanna...

 Advertising : Retail : AI
Peer Platforms

Peer Platforms:

A trust deficit between shoppers and brands is driving the rise of community-led platforms where purchasing tips and style advice are...

 Retail : E-commerce : Peer To Peer
Streamlining phygital retail

Streamlining phygital retail:

Brian Bolke, founder of The Conservatory, on this tech-enabled store’s strategy to assimilate the changing retail landscape.

Retail : Luxury : Digital
Eco-logistics

Eco-logistics:

In a bid to reduce the growing environmental impact of e-commerce, retailers are rethinking their logistics and developing new...

 Packaging : Sustainability : Retail
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
Community Commerce

Community Commerce:

A new wave of decentralised retail concepts are transforming e-commerce as consumers look for alternative ways to access and exchange...

 Retail : Media : Entertainment
China E-commerce Market

China E-commerce Market:

With retail sales set to surpass those in the US in 2019, China is now the largest e-commerce market in the world and is at the...

 Retail : China : E-commerce
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
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
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
Physical retail is the key to conscious consumption

Physical retail is the key to conscious consumption:

Slow retail expert Rebekah Matheny on how physical stores need to nurture consumer relationships to create a socially sustainable retail...

 Retail . : Sustainability : Retail
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

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A new generation of hyper-loyal beauty consumers are building localised communities around their favourite brands.

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Starbucks Japan signals support to the deaf community News

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Starbucks Japan has opened its first signing store for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers and employees.

Food And Drink : Inclusivity : Accessible
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Stat: Beauty consumers wary of stores re-opening News

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As stores begin to re-open in the inter-Covid period, beauty buyers still feel uneasy about returning to bricks-and-mortar shopping.

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Recuperative Living Macro Trends

Recuperative Living

In the aftermath of Covid-19, consumers’ collective concerns about hygiene, wellbeing and immunity will drive new directions in beauty and wellness focused on phygital rehabilitation.

Beauty : Health : Wellness
Stat: Online shopping habits will outlast the pandemic News

Stat: Online shopping habits will outlast the pandemic

Since the pandemic began, consumers in the US have embraced e-commerce at a rapid and unprecedented rate, as per data from PYMENTS.com.

Retail : Covid-19 : Coronavirus
Pandemic Dining Market Markets

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As they respond to the coronavirus, restaurateurs have an opportunity to redesign future dining spaces and reclaim their role in the public realm.

Restaurants : Covid-19 : Food & Drink
Christopher Raeburn’s new collection is entirely circular News

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The designer is not creating any new garments for London Fashion Week’s digital event.

Fashion : Retail : London Fashion Week
The Future Laboratory braces retailers for a new normal News

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The Future Laboratory’s latest campaign brings to life the ways retail businesses can thrive during and beyond Covid-19.

Retail : Coronavirus : Covid-19
Stat: Social media shopping accelerates in China News

Stat: Social media shopping accelerates in China

New insight from eMarketer forecasts the growth potential of social commerce in China, as social platforms increasingly become storefronts.

Retail : Social Media : Technology
Pandora’s pledge for a recycled jewellery future News

Pandora’s pledge for a recycled jewellery future

Jewellery brand Pandora is pledging to use only recycled silver and gold to make its future jewellery collections.

Retail : Jewellery Products : Sustainability
Stat: Food and drink spend proves immune to Covid-19 News

Stat: Food and drink spend proves immune to Covid-19

Euromonitor reports that food and non-alcoholic beverage is the only sector of the economy expected to post positive growth in 2020.

Food : Drink : Covid-19
Bscly packages premium clothing in sugar cane News

Bscly packages premium clothing in sugar cane

The new direct-to-consumer clothing brand packages its premium basics in compostable sugar cane boxes.

Retail : Packaging : Sustainability
Covid-19: Fashion boxes give new life to dead stock News

Covid-19: Fashion boxes give new life to dead stock

Lost Stock is a fashion clothing box launched by e-commerce app MallZee as a way of supporting garment workers in Bangladesh.

Fashion : Circular Economy : Sustainable
Covid-19: A chatbot to help track busy supermarket times News

Covid-19: A chatbot to help track busy supermarket times

Lidl Ireland has launched a chatbot so customers can check the best times to shop at their local store.

Retail : Society : Whatsapp
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