Weekly Insights May 20, 2016

Executive Summary

• This week, we attended the inaugural Shoptalk conference, which its organizers describe as “the tech event for nextgen commerce.” We joined more than 3,000 attendees as they gathered in Las Vegas to explore disruption in the retail industry, particularly in terms of how consumers discover, shop and buy. We heard from and met with representatives of large retailers, startups, brands, technology companies and investment groups.
• Subscription boxes present a variety of challenges, including logistics, inventory, shipping and presentation. Companies that offer them must provide a positive retail experience through the mail and figure out how and where to store entirely new batches of products each month. Often, packaging is complex, including sturdy gift boxes, tissue paper and ribbon, all of which complicate the assembly process.
• High-street shopper traffic in the UK declined by 4.6% year over year in April, according to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard. While traffic at shopping centers dropped by 0.7% during the period, it grew by 1.1% at retail parks. Overall, traffic declined by 2.4% compared to the same month last year.
• Lojas Renner has revised its plan for store openings, raising its goal from 408 stores to 450 by the end of 2021. The company currently operates 283 stores. The board also approved a plan to open Renner stores in Uruguay, and two stores are set to open in the country in the second half of 2017.