Insight Report | April 10, 2020 Premium March 2020 US Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics: Traffic Falls by Over 60%, and Much More Steeply Toward the End of the MonthMarch 2020 saw a significant decline in US retail traffic amidst the coronavirus pandemic, heavily impacted by the store shutdowns implemented from the middle of the month. We review store traffic changes through the month and the sectors most impacted by the current crisis. We also consider key findings from a survey by RetailNext, which highlights the widely held belief that the pandemic will have long-term effects on retail. Read More
Insight Report | April 9, 2020 Premium Faced with Weak Domestic Markets, It Is Time for Western Retailers and Brands To Join Singles’ Day 2020The coronavirus pandemic has had a global impact, and the retail industry has been hit hard. With many brands and retailers currently focusing on short-term survival, we look ahead to the opportunities that they could plan to leverage from the Singles’ Day shopping event on November 11, 2020. Read More
Insight Report | April 9, 2020 Premium US Grocery Pop-Ups: Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak, Nonretailers Launch Grocery Pop-Up Stores To Meet Local NeedsThe coronavirus outbreak has prompted nongrocery companies in the US to open pop-up stores, through which they can sell inventory to local consumers. There are examples of this phenomenon in the restaurant sector, as many US states have banned restaurant dining due to the pandemic. We discuss examples of recently launched grocery pop-up stores in the US and consider the future of the format in the grocery sector when the coronavirus crisis is over. Read More
Insight Report | April 8, 2020 Premium East-to-West Learnings: How Chinese Grocery Retailers Have Enhanced Efficiency To Get Food to Consumers during the Coronavirus CrisisDuring the coronavirus crisis, Chinese domestic retailers had to react quickly to the new reality of shopping in a nationwide lockdown. We discuss the actions taken by grocery retailers to enhance efficiency in response to a surge in demand, as well as the launch of other initiatives, such as creating product bundles and forming collaborations with other industry players. We consider how learnings from these examples could be applied to other markets. Read More
Flash Report | April 8, 2020 Register for Free Access Macy’s CFO Announces Departure, One Week after Companywide Furlough and Delisting from S&P 500Macy’s has seen a string of developments in the past week, with the latest being the departure of its CFO, effective May 31, 2020. This comes on the heels of a companywide furlough and the company’s delisting from the S&P 500 last week. Read More
Insight Report | April 8, 2020 Premium 2020 Tax Tracker, Week 9: Tax Filings Slow Down, Average Refund Up $35 from Last YearAs of week nine of the US tax refund season, the number of returns processed by the IRS is down year over year. With the IRS temporarily closing down all Taxpayer Assistance Centers and suspending all in-person customer service nationwide due to the coronavirus crisis, a high number of taxpayers used the IRS website for information. Read More
Insight Report | April 8, 2020 Premium US Easter Retail Preview 2020: Retailers Must Offer Optimism and Seize the Few Opportunities amid Coronavirus CrisisWith Easter just around the corner, we assess the planned spending of US consumers on the holiday this year amid the coronavirus crisis. We consider the outlook for retail this Easter in light of current shopping trends and propose actions that retailers could take to engage with consumers over the holiday—both to drive sales in the short term and to build stronger customer relationships for long-term gains. Read More
Flash Report | April 8, 2020 Register for Free Access Gap Cancels Shipments of Summer Orders and Stops Fall Production due to the Coronavirus Pandemic: Retailers Prepare for the Long HaulFollowing the temporary closure of all of its stores from March 19, Gap Inc. is reportedly going to cancel shipments of summer order and halt fall production due to the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We outline the measures that the company is said to be taking and consider the wider disruption of the outbreak on retail supply chains. Read More
Insight Report | April 7, 2020 Premium AI in Retail: Accelerating Digital TransformationIn our AI in Retail series, we discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way retailers operate and interact with customers. This report discusses the growing adoption of AI in retail and beyond, and the state of global funding in AI startups over the past four years. We also outline recent industry developments in the context of the current coronavirus pandemic. Read More
Deep Dive | April 7, 2020 Premium New Retail Models in the Global Beauty MarketAs part of our series exploring new models of retailing across different sectors and channels, we focus on the innovative strategies being implemented by brands and retailers in the global beauty market, including Sephora and Ulta Beauty. We discuss how brands are leveraging technologies to improve the shopping experience, implementing save-a-sale programs and embracing cross-channel retail to drive shopper engagement. Read More
Analyst Corner | April 5, 2020 Register for Free Access Weinswig’s Weekly—April 5, 2020This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” looks at how US retail sales could shape up during and after the coronavirus crisis. Read More
Store Tracker | April 3, 2020 Premium Weekly US and UK Store Openings and Closures Tracker 2020, Week 14: GameStop Announces Store ClosuresOur Weekly US and UK Store Openings and Closures Tracker reports on store closures, openings and bankruptcies. This week, there are highlights from Fairway Market, GameStop and Shoe Carnival in the US and BrightHouse and Jack Wills in the UK. Read More
Deep Dive | April 2, 2020 Premium 4Q19 US Retail Inventory Tracker: Higher Inventory Turnover Due to Solid Holiday Sales and Disciplined ApproachesIn our quarterly US Retail Inventory Tracker reports, we analyze inventory trends among those US retailers listed in the Coresight 100. We look at the inventory levels of various retailers in 4Q19 and assess why levels may have changed from the year-ago period. The coronavirus crisis means 4Q trends will not be an accurate guide to 2020, but those retailers heading into the storm with cleaner stock levels will enjoy an advantage over more heavily stocked rivals. Read More
Deep Dive | April 1, 2020 Premium Pinduoduo: What’s Driving Growth for China’s Group-Buying PlatformPinduoduo launched in 2015 and has quickly become the fastest-growing major e-commerce platform in China. In market capitalization, Pinduoduo trails giants Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan and JD.com, but recently overtook Baidu. Read More
Deep Dive | March 31, 2020 Premium Coronavirus Insights: A Look Back To Look Ahead—The Great Recession of 2007–2009 and TodayWe look back at the Great Recession of 2007–2009, to apply learnings from the sales performance of the US retail industry to the current coronavirus situation. We break down our analysis of the impact of the recession on the retail industry by sector and consider the implications for how retailers will fare the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
