Retail

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

Pre-owned Platforms
Brands are launching dedicated platforms and spaces to sell pre-owned products

Intelligent e-commerce
Julie Bornstein of retail platform The Yes explains her vision for intelligent e-commerce

Reconsidering Retail
With surplus stock and slower spending brands are innovating with off-price retail strategies
MetaFactory creates internet-owned brands

MetaFactory creates internet-owned brands:

Drew Harding and Hammad Jutt, co-founders of MetaFactory, discuss how cryptoculture and decentralised brand economies are redefining retail.

 Retail : Cryptocurrency : Fashion
Luxtainment

Luxtainment:

As spending moves online, luxury brands are exploring new content marketing opportunities that combine entertainment with expertise and...

 Luxury : Retail : Entertainment
Second-hand Brands

Second-hand Brands:

Brands are taking back control of their second-hand stock and launching dedicated platforms and spaces to sell pre-owned products.

 Retail : Resale : Fashion
Repurposed Retail Market

Repurposed Retail Market:

As Covid-19 hits real estate, vacant department stores, shopping malls and their car parks are being given a new lease of life.

 Retail : Architecture : Fulfilment
The digital evolution of neighbourhood stores

The digital evolution of neighbourhood stores:

With Covid-19 bolstering spending in local stores, new platforms are emerging that digitise independent retailers and boost access for...

 Retail : Technology : Food
How The Yes is re-imagining algorithmic retail

How The Yes is re-imagining algorithmic retail:

Julie Bornstein, co-founder and CEO of The Yes, explains her vision for intelligent e-commerce and the importance of curated online...

 Retail : Media And Entertainment : Fashion
Deep Ownership

Deep Ownership:

New platforms are emerging in which users are not only part of their growth and development but have an active role – and control – as...

 Cryptocurrency : Fashion : E-commerce
Off-price Retail Strategies

Off-price Retail Strategies:

To counteract the surplus stock resulting from Covid-19 closures and slower spending, brands are innovating with new off-price retail...

 Retail : Pricing : Luxury
Deadstock Designers

Deadstock Designers:

As the pandemic leaves fashion brands with a glut of unsold apparel, designers are shifting focus to dead stock and agile new waste...

 Fashion : Retail : Design
DIY Dressing Market

DIY Dressing Market:

With sustainability increasingly front of mind, consumers are getting creative with their clothing and opting for DIY fashion over new...

 Fashion
Inclusive exclusivity is the new retail experience

Inclusive exclusivity is the new retail experience:

With retail experiences limited by the pandemic, brands are driving desire by creating secretive spaces for those in the know.

 Retail : Fashion : Marketing
Agile Artisans

Agile Artisans:

Revealing a more resilient business model, ethical fashion and homeware brands are supporting their artisan suppliers during the...

 Fashion : Homeware : Retail
Epidemic Retail Futures

Epidemic Retail Futures:

How will retailers in 2025 cater for future viral outbreaks and enable consumers to move effortlessly in and out of lockdown periods?

Inter-covid : Scenario : Retail
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 community of consumers are curating fresh digital eco-systems to create new opportunities to engage with brands in a meaningful way.

 Tribes : Consumers : Communities
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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Dermalogica upskills staff's emotional intelligence News

Dermalogica upskills staff's emotional intelligence

The skincare brands’ latest industry-wide course aims to equip salon professionals and retail staff with the tools to support their clients’ emotionally.

Health & Wellness : Retail : Society
Klarna’s colourful cubes hint at high street futures News

Klarna’s colourful cubes hint at high street futures

Its series of community-facing modular lockers are designed to improve the experience of online delivery.

Retail : Design : E-commerce
Addison Lee is now a high street delivery service News

Addison Lee is now a high street delivery service

The private-hire taxi and courier company’s new AL Request service enables people to order everyday items such as groceries and flowers via click and collect.

Mobility : Retail : Addison Lee
Net-a-Porter launches luxury island on Animal Crossing News

Net-a-Porter launches luxury island on Animal Crossing

Net-a-Porter has partnered with Animal Crossing to create the luxury retailer’s first digital island within the popular game.

Fashion : Technology : Animal Crossing
Stat: Restaurant gift cards to be best-sellers this holiday season News

Stat: Restaurant gift cards to be best-sellers this holiday season

A new report from Blackhawk Network shows that online restaurant gift cards are becoming more popular as the holiday seasons approaches.

Food : Drinks : Retail
Lynk & Co’s Club Amsterdam fuses retail and hospitality News

Lynk & Co’s Club Amsterdam fuses retail and hospitality

Automobile brand Lynk & Co has opened its latest flagship store in Club Amsterdam with hopes of disrupting traditional car dealerships.

Retail : Mobility : Automotive
Walmart explores self-driving EV deliveries News

Walmart explores self-driving EV deliveries

US – The supermarket chain is teaming up with Cruise, a self-driving car company, to pilot customer delivery services using all-electric vehicles.

Mobility : Retail : Covid-19
Felix opens a climate-conscious grocery store News

Felix opens a climate-conscious grocery store

Food brand Felix is tapping into shoppers’ eco-conscious behaviours with the opening of a new store that prices items based on their carbon footprint.

Eco-shopping : Climate Change : Food
Stat: Online touchpoints underwhelm UK consumers News

Stat: Online touchpoints underwhelm UK consumers

Research by Cognifide, a marketing consultancy owned by Wunderman Thompson, highlights the key areas brands need to focus on to improve consumers’ online journey.

Retail : Technology : Stat
Pagerie’s premium petcare lures dog-loving luxurians News

Pagerie’s premium petcare lures dog-loving luxurians

The petcare brand describes itself as the first ‘luxury fashion house for pets’, offering minimally designed accessories that shun cutesy aesthetics.

Retail : Luxury : Petcare
Gucci tunes into Luxtainment for new launch News

Gucci tunes into Luxtainment for new launch

Live-streaming event GucciFest will introduce its latest collection through cinematic films as well as presenting the work of emerging talent.

Fashion : Luxury : Media
Burberry wants to empower UK youth futures News

Burberry wants to empower UK youth futures

The fashion brand is working with footballer Marcus Rashford as part of a new campaign to support British youth.

Retail : Fashion : Youth
Display Copy unites content with luxury resale News

Display Copy unites content with luxury resale

Integrated platform Display Copy showcases upcycled and vintage apparel in a bid to present a high-end approach to circular fashion.

Fashion : Retail : Luxury
Stat: Private-label groceries thrive during the pandemic News

Stat: Private-label groceries thrive during the pandemic

Many consumers’ shopping habits are changing as they choose private-label goods over their preferred brands.

Retail : Stat : Statistic
Stat: Chinese shoppers could snub US goods on Singles’ Day News

Stat: Chinese shoppers could snub US goods on Singles’ Day

AlixPartners’ annual Eastern Promise online survey suggests that local brands will dominate this year’s Singles’ Day, with 66% of consumers indicating that they will buy domestic brands rather than foreign products.

Retail : Localism : China
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