Retail

Retail Industry Trends : From groceries to placemaking, retail is becoming more immersive, expressive, dramatic and hyper-personalised.

News 30.05.2019

Need to Know

Atmos magazine merges climate change and culture, Airbnb taps into heritage tourism and why Generation Z are buying counterfeit goods.

Highsnobiety is now a shopping platform

Highsnobiety x Prada by Aldona Kwiatkowski

New York – The media brand has launched an e-commerce vertical that will offer curated product drops in collaboration with luxury and streetwear brands.

To kick off the launch of its shop, which will merge e-commerce with editorial storytelling, Highsnobiety will be the only platform to sell the Prada Linea Rossa Spring/Summer 2019 collection outside of Prada’s own channels. Each drop will be available worldwide for seven days, making the collections highly covetable.

‘We want to expand on our status of being cultural curators and an endless stream of discovery of the new, and truly close the loop by giving you access to the very best across the many different categories, cultures, markets and products that we operate in,’ says David Fischer, Highsnobiety CEO. The brand has also created an accompanying Instagram account dedicated to the product drops.

Highsnobiety may be an inspiration source for consumers immersed in the Hype Market, but becoming a retailer in its own right could further cement brand loyalty among streetwear fans.

Atmos magazine explores sustainability through art

Atmos Atmos
Atmos, Synthesis by Alexandra von Fuerst Atmos, Synthesis by Alexandra von Fuerst

New York – The climate and culture publication investigates how communities and designers around the world are adapting to climate change.

The first issue of Atmos, which will publish biannually, looks at current climate challenges through photography, interviews with artists such as Yoko Ono, and immersive journeys to destinations such as rural India and the island of Kiribati. Its editorial content ranges from a fashion spread featuring biosynthetic materials to profiles of female scientists leading advancements in clean meat.

Atmos' inaugural theme, Neo-Natural, refers to the merging of nature and futurism, a concept that lends itself to the magazine’s surrealist aesthetic. ‘At its core, this is an exploration of how nature, and our role in it, continues to evolve,’ explains William Defebaugh, editor-in-chief. ‘As a publication about climate and culture, what better place to start than exploring where these two forces intersect?’

The visual identity of sustainability is in flux, as creative practitioners such as Atmos approach climate change with a more vibrant, engaging and design-led aesthetic.

Airbnb debuts DNA-inspired travel

Global – In partnership with at-home genetic testing company 23andMe, travellers using Airbnb can embark on a journey to explore their ancestry.

With DNA tests booming in popularity in recent years, travel experiences are allowing people to reengage with or otherwise discover more about their heritage. To meet this demand, Airbnb has partnered with 23andMe to drive the genetic testing brand’s customers to its properties and local activities.

When customers receive their DNA report, they are able to click through to find Airbnb Homes and Experiences in their heritage countries. According to a study of 8,000 people by Airbnb, 89% of Indians and over half of Americans have travelled to a country of their ancestry, and there has been a 500% increase in travellers using Airbnb to trace their roots since 2014.

Although there has been an explosion in consumer gene testing to power a host of new products and services, brands must be wary of not reducing DNA personalisation to a gimmick.

Aribnb and 23andMe

A self-purifying charcoal apparel collection

Senscommon and Uchino Japan
Senscommon and Uchino Japan
Senscommon and Uchino Japan

Amsterdam – Apparel brand senscommon has collaborated with Uchino Japan to create the range of clothing for travel.

Titled on-journey wear, the collection is designed to improve the wellbeing of the wearer as they go about their daily journeys. The garments use a textile made from activated Ubame oak charcoal powder, which has been kneaded into cotton and rayon fibres, naturally greying the material.

With self-purifying properties from the charcoal, the fabric can eliminate odour, moisture, bacteria and environmental chemicals as well as regulate body temperature. ‘Because of its qualities and porous ability to eliminate certain impurities and elements, on-journey wear is the perfect wardrobe for daily journeys long or short,’ reads the brand’s press release.

To see how the materials of tomorrow will be not just self-purifying, but programmable, self-healing and transformative, read our Material Far Futures report.

Stat: High prices drive Generation Z to buy counterfeits

Income appears the be the biggest barrier to purchasing authentic luxury goods, according to a new study by the International Trademark Association. It found that 79% of Generation Z in countries such as Argentina, China, Russia and the US purchased counterfeit goods in the past year; however, youth populations in Japan, Nigeria and Italy were found to be most morally opposed to counterfeits.

Although the report outlines this cohort’s shared beliefs that individuality, morality and authenticity are paramount, these values could appear at odds with their purchasing of fake goods. The report attributes this contradiction to income levels, as 57% of young people say they can only afford the fake version of some brands.

With a rise in ironic, aspirational fakes, attitudes towards counterfeit goods are changing among young people, with brands turning to digital tools in order to fight back.

Thought-starter: Will cars improve our wellbeing?

The auto industry is embracing intuitive technologies to help drivers and passengers manage their wellbeing while on the move, reports senior foresight writer Rhiannon McGregor.

Ride-sharing is often considered dead time for passengers. So, with always-on and mentally demanding lifestyles taking their toll, Uber recently announced a partnership in the UK with on-demand mindfulness app Calm to provide guided meditation and breathing exercises through the Uber. As a result, passengers can use their journeys to relax, unwind or find focus.

With data-collecting wearables now able to track the user’s mood through biometrics such as heart rate, there is also an opportunity to use these metrics to enhance the driving experience. For example, Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Garmin to launch a smartwatch that communicates with a car's artificially intelligent dashboard, using the information to adapt the car's interior ambiance.

As the vehicle continues to collect data over time, it will build up a complete picture of its user’s health. ‘As opposed to just going to a doctor when you’re sick, you’re able to collect data over time that probably tells a better story,’ says Joe Perez, co-founder, USC Center for Body Computing.

Read the Health-conscious Cars microtrend here.

Uber partners with Calm, UK
Five Champagne and Wine Brands Exploring Provenance Retail

Big Ideas

Five Champagne and Wine Brands Exploring Provenance Retail

Moving away from the traditional store experience, champagne and wine brands are using authentic storytelling to disrupt how and where consumers vi...
Wine : Retail : Champagne
Curated Clutter

Micro Trends

Curated Clutter

Culture is experiencing a move from clean to cluttered, but this consumer shift is not just about aesthetics.
Fashion : Pop Culture : Marketing
Retail Staff Futures

Big Ideas

Retail Staff Futures

There is a new chapter ahead for the retail workforce amid post-pandemic challenges, AI integration and consumers’ thirst for human connection.
Future Of Work : Retail : Technology
The Rise of the C-Store

Micro Trends

The Rise of the C-Store

Brands are re-appraising the convenience store sector, viewing this once low-key retail channel as a valuable, authentic backdrop for launches, bra...
Retail : Food & Drink : Fashion
Autonomous Retail Futures

Viewpoints

Autonomous Retail Futures

Lisbon-based start-up Sensei’s just-walk-out technology places convenience and intuition at the heart of the retail experience, says co-founder Joa...
Artificial Intelligence : Future Of Retail : Autonomous Retail
Five Must-See Hyperphysical Stores in New York

Big Ideas

Five Must-See Hyperphysical Stores in New York

From appointment abodes to new third spaces designed for meditative browsing, these new stores have turned the Big Apple into a hyperphysical shopp...
Retail : Fashion : Luxury
Five Luxury Leisure Pop-Ups

Big Ideas

Five Luxury Leisure Pop-Ups

As the personal luxury goods market rebounds and consumers continue to seek out experiences across travel, leisure and dining, luxury brands are di...
Luxury : Travel & Hospitality : Retail
NRF 2024 Retail’s Big Show: Community, Luxury and Loyalty

Big Ideas

NRF 2024 Retail’s Big Show: Community, Luxury and Loyalty

At the biggest retail conference in the US, all eyes were on experiential retail, the evolution of the luxury consumer and the critical role of loy...
Retail : Events : Luxury
CES 2024: Smart Living Futures

Big Ideas

CES 2024: Smart Living Futures

The 100th edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) peeled back the curtain on life in the 2030s, where flying electric vehicles, intelligent ...
Technology : CES 2024 : Automotive
Destination Debrief: Hainan

Big Ideas

Destination Debrief: Hainan

China’s Hawaii has turned its tropical forests and pristine beaches into a destination for both local and global luxury consumers seeking an authen...
China : Hainan Island : Hainan
Future Forecast 2024: Retail

Micro Trends

Future Forecast 2024: Retail

Retail is settling into a post-Covid landscape in which consumers frequently welcome brands into their homes, exploring products, consuming content...
Retail : Luxury : Fashion
Six Luxury Brands Building Loyalty with NFTs

Big Ideas

Six Luxury Brands Building Loyalty with NFTs

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are catching their second wind, as fashion and luxury brands start to harness digital tokens as tools to build brand loy...
Luxury : Fashion : NFTs
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN

What do we use cookies for?

We use cookies to enable the use of our platform’s paid features and to analyse our traffic. No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.

Learn more