Insight Report | January 6, 2020 Premium Computer Vision and Visual Search: Transforming Retail Operations and the Shopping ExperienceThe retail industry has seen the rapid adoption of computer vision over the last few years. This transformative technology is enabling greater operational efficiency for retailers and is providing shoppers with new ways to explore products and interact with retailers and brands. Walmart is leading legacy retailers in the R&D of computer vision, while collaboration with emerging technology providers is a key adoption strategy for many retailers. Read More
Deep Dive | January 2, 2020 Premium Rental, Subscription and Resale: How Companies Are Tapping DemandUnder pressure from subscription and rental services, mainstream retailers are launching rental services of their own and teaming up with digital natives. We’re seeing brick-and-mortar retailers strike collaboration deals with online subscription services, launch their own services—and be acquired as digital natives look for physical space. Read More
Deep Dive | December 19, 2019 Premium Alibaba vs. Amazon: Head to Head in E-Commerce and TechnologyAlibaba Group and Amazon are innovators in retailing and technology, and both are expanding their presence into international markets. Employing its “New Retail” strategy, could the emerging China giant threaten Amazon’s global dominance? We discuss the competition between these two companies, considering their retail ecosystems, global expansion plans, financial performance and internally developed technologies. Read More
Insight Report | December 18, 2019 Premium The Landscape of China’s New Digital Economy: Reviewing Recent TrendsThe landscape of China’s digital economy has changed dramatically, with some existing players losing share of consumers’ time spent on digital platforms, and a number of new companies gaining share. We assess the current marketplace and review recent trends, with a focus on major players Alibaba and Tencent. Read More
Insight Report | December 11, 2019 Premium Supply Chain Briefing: A Growing Role for Predictive Analytics in RetailPredictive analytics to play an increasing role in retail: Companies across industries are embracing predictive analytics to help them predict consumer behavior to better plan marketing, pricing and assortment. Read More
Insight Report | December 10, 2019 Premium Beauty Insights: What Beauty Retailers Are Offering for the 2019 Holiday Shopping SeasonThe US beauty sector is expected to see strong sales this holiday season, with consumers indicating that beauty and personal care items will be popular as gifts. We assess the key strategies that major beauty brands and retailers—such as Macy’s, Sephora and Ulta Beauty—are implementing to capitalize on this opportunity. Read More
Deep Dive | December 9, 2019 Premium How Dollar Stores Are Gearing Up To Sustain GrowthDollar stores emerged as Wall Street darlings in the early 2000s, got a boost during the financial crisis—and just kept going. We look at how the major players, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General, plan to maintain the momentum in the coming years. Read More
Deep Dive | December 6, 2019 Premium Holiday 2019: Retailers Harness the Power of Social MediaContinuing our Holiday 2019 series, we outline the popularity of social media channels among holiday shoppers for gift inspiration and promotion tracking. We discuss the engagement of selected retailers—including Amazon, Target and Walmart—and outline their holiday campaigns heading into the holiday season. Read More
Insight Report | December 5, 2019 Premium The Shopping Center in 2020: Mitigating the Impact of Store ClosuresAs we head toward 2020, we see new opportunities for US shopping centers, impacted by 2019’s wave of store closures. We explore the future of malls by considering a number of key topics, including the slowdown in apparel and increasing consumer demand for entertainment and experiences. Read More
Insight Report | December 4, 2019 Premium Ulta Beauty: A Timeline of Key EventsUlta Beauty timeline: How a mass-market beauty retailer upped its game by moving into more high-end products, carrying digital native and DTC products – and bolstering its loyalty program. Read More
Flash Report | December 4, 2019 Register for Free Access AWS Unleashes a Flurry of Announcements at 2019 AWS re:Invent ConferenceAmazon Web Services (AWS) made a series of announcements at its 2019 AWS re:Invent Conference. Many centered on enabling 5G wireless, which promises fiber-optic-like speed for mobile devices, enabling many yet-unimagined new business opportunities. Read More
Flash Report | December 3, 2019 Register for Free Access Holiday 2019: US Black Friday Sees Companies Promote More Heavily, Shoppers Continue to Migrate OnlineIn the US, this year’s Black Friday saw retailers promote more heavily than last year and consumers continue to migrate to online platforms. Read More
Insight Report | November 27, 2019 Premium Alibaba: A Timeline of Key EventsFrom 2017 to 2019, Alibaba expanded its cloud business into new territories outside China. We examine key events from the company’s recent history as part of our Retailers’ Timelines series. Read More
Deep Dive | November 26, 2019 Premium Holiday 2019: Hottest ToysContinuing our Holiday 2019 series, we outline key trends that we think are going to influence toy gifting in the US this shopping season. We also consider the competitive strategies of major players in the toys and games sector, including Amazon and Walmart. Read More
Insight Report | November 25, 2019 Premium Ulta Beauty vs. Sephora: Assessing Loyalty Reward Programs and the Buying Behaviors of Beauty ShoppersWe discuss the success of two dominant US retail chains, Ulta Beauty and Sephora, with a focus on the nature and impact of each retailer’s loyalty program as well as their employment of artificial intelligence and data analytics to drive customer engagement. We also compare the shopping behaviors of Ulta’s and Sephora’s customers using survey data. Read More
