Retail

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

Behaviours : Big Ideas

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

By Rachael Stott 03 : 12 : 2018 Retail : E-commerce : Dutch Design Week

At Dutch Design Week 2018, designers from Design Academy Eindhoven hosted Geo-Design, an exhibition that examined the growth of Chinese retail monolith Alibaba and future possibilities for the retailer’s expansive digital infrastructure.

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

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:

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

Retail : Sustainability : Design

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

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:

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:

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

Retail : Sustainability : Homeware

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:

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

Retail : Fashion : Sustainability

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:

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?:

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:

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:

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

Retail : Luxury : Digital

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:

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

Retail : Delivery : Automotive

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:

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:

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?:

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:

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:

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:

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?:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

Retail : Leisure : Hospitality

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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?:

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:

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?:

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

Retail : Finance : Apparel

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:

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

Retail : Technology : VR

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?:

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

Retail : Food And Drink : Packaging

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:

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:

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:

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

Luxury : Apparel : 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:

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:

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?:

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

Packaging : Retail : Advertising

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

Retail : Youth : Digital

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:

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:

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:

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 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:

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

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Stat: Singles’ Day continues to win shoppers’ hearts

This year’s Global Shopping Festival generated £29.8bn ($38.4bn, €34.8bn) in gross merchandise volume.

Retail : Singles Day : Alibaba

News

Boots turns data into curated gift edits

The health and beauty retailer has launched a series of curated gift edits called Bootiques as part of its Christmas campaign.

Beauty : Retail : Personalisation

News

Web Summit 2019: Barkyn is using AI to bolster pet health

The start-up pet care company has launched Magic Box, an artificially intelligent dog-feeding station.

Retail : Pets : High-end Pets

News

Web Summit 2019: Fülhaus is a one-stop interiors shop for home-sharing

Described as a Haus-in-a-Box solution for home-sharing companies, Fülhaus delivers complete sets of white label furniture in line with the latest tastes in interior décor.

Retail : Furniture : Interiors

News

Stat: Millennials are turning to mobile for holiday shopping

Mobile will be a primary driver for retail sales this holiday season, according to a report from OpenX, which finds that e-commerce will surpass bricks-and-mortar in terms of sales.

Retail : Technology : Holidays

News

Stat: Chinese consumers are hungry for convenience stores

Rapid urbanisation and less structured lifestyles are set to fuel a surge in convenience store openings across China.

Retail : Convenience : China

News

Lidl customers can open an at-home micromarket

The supermarket’s latest campaign invites loyal customers to open up a Lidl shop in their own home.

Food : Retail : Drink

News

Stat: Responsible retail hits this holiday season

US shoppers are looking to shop with more socially conscious retailers this holiday season, according to a new report by Accenture.

Retail : Sustainability : Christmas

News

This jeweller is offering on-the-spot weddings

Helzberg Diamonds is taking convenient service to a new level by inviting couples to get legally married at any of its stores.

Luxury : Jewellery : Weddings

News

Stat: Own-brand products are thriving in the US

Own-brand products are booming in the US market, according to a new report by Coresight Research.

Retail : Private-label Products : Accessible Premium

Design Directions

Vibrant Veganism

Plant-based products are being boldly redefined by creative practitioners who are pushing for a visceral approach that shows desire without compromise.

Advertising : Design : Macro

Big Ideas

Refashioning charity retail

Julie Neeve, project manager of new store formats at Oxfam, on the perks of housing the charity’s new superstore on an Oxford industrial estate.

Retail : Sustainability : Fashion

News

Linnaean offers bio-positive urban wellness

Linnaean is a café, retail store and wellness destination helping consumers to balance urban living with more natural approaches to health.

Beauty : Retail : Wellness

News

Stat: The spending power of Latinx consumers skyrockets

Currently representing about 20% of the total US population, Latinx buying power is surging across the country, according to a new study by Nielsen.

Retail : Youth : Latinx

News

Stat: Generation Alpha are proficient with voice assistants

Voice assistants are gaining traction with Generation Alpha.

Youth : Technology : Retail

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

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Data ID Stores:

Is there such a thing as a brandless brand?:

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