Showing 1,014 posts

US Back to School 2020: The Outlook for Retail amid Uncertainty and a Gloomy Economic Backdrop

Launching our US Back to School 2020 series, we outline our expectations for the season this year, which is being shaped by the coronavirus crisis. We discuss the core market drivers behind our estimates of consumer spending in the US—including consumer focus on health and safety, the impact of Covid-19 on discretionary retail, potential school and college reopening models and the economic backdrop.

Read More

Retail Reimagined: Using Shopping Festivals To Boost Sales

As part of our Retail Reimagined series, which explores the outlook for retail in a post-crisis world, we discuss shopping festivals as an innovative way to generate interest in products, boost brand awareness and drive sales following the coronavirus pandemic. We consider the implications for brands, retailers and technology vendors.

Read More

Retail Reimagined: Leveraging Social Media To Drive Consumer Engagement and Conversion

As part of our Retail Reimagined series, we discuss the importance of social media as a marketing channel for brands to showcase their products and drive conversion—particularly in the context of increased reliance on digital channels due to recent Covid-19 retail shutdowns. We consider the use of social media beyond the crisis and consider the implications for brands, retailers and technology vendors.

Read More

Livestreaming E-Commerce Takes Off in the US

China has a relatively mature livestreaming e-commerce market, but we are now also seeing momentum in the US as brands and retailers further explore the use of social media platforms to engage with consumers and boost sales. We discuss selected retailers’ and social media platforms’ moves into livestreaming e-commerce in the US and consider the impact of in-video checkout functionality and social media influencers on consumer shopping behavior.

Read More

Open for Business with Chris Baldwin, BJ’s Wholesale Club: Empathy and Personalization in Club-Store Retail

As part of our Open for Business webinar series, we hosted Chris Baldwin, Chairman of BJ’s Wholesale Club. We present an edited transcript from this webinar, in which Baldwin offered insights into changing consumer demand amid the coronavirus crisis—covering key topics such as personalization and assortment localization.

Read More

Open for Business with Bjoern Peterson, Sensormatic Solutions: The Physical Store and Inventory Accuracy Post Crisis

As part of our Open for Business webinar series, we hosted Bjoern Petersen, President of Sensormatic Solutions. We present an edited transcript from this webinar, in which Petersen offered insights into how retailers can work toward gaining inventory accuracy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis—covering key topics such as consumer demand, e-commerce and fulfillment.

Read More

H&M and Inditex Change Course, Closing Stores To Focus More on E-Commerce

H&M and Inditex (owner of Zara), the world’s two biggest clothing specialist retailers, have announced plans to close a greater number of stores in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. For H&M, 2020 will be the first year for many years that it will see a reduction in total store numbers. We look at their plans and explore the implications.

Read More

Coronavirus Insights: US Luxury Is Well Positioned To Recover Post Crisis

As a discretionary retail sector, luxury was dealt a significant blow by the coronavirus crisis this year. We discuss how the market’s recovery could play out over the next two years, using proprietary consumer survey data. We also take learnings from the Chinese luxury market to provide indicators into future consumer behavior in the US.

Read More