Gated Deep Dives

Access research reports and presentations on the retail and technology ecosystem, including consumers, companies, economies, and retail and technology trends. Use the filters below to find research reports and presentations by sector, theme, company or other parameters. Alternatively, use the search box above to find relevant research content.

Deep Dive | August 22, 2017 Premium

The Clone Wars: Amazon Go–Type Stores Already Open for Business in China

While the concept of automatic or unstaffed stores goes back more than 100 years, Amazon recaptured our visions of the store with its first Amazon Go store. However several retailers in China have sprinted ahead and already robotically welcomed customers into their cashierless stores.

Deep Dive | August 19, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Channel Shifts in US Beauty Retailing—Sephora, Ulta and Amazon

Survey data and company results suggest that growth in the US beauty market has been polarized, with lower-price retailers and beauty specialist stores having won share.

Deep Dive | August 15, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Reality Technology in Retail— The Disruptive Force of AR, VR and MR

Define the three types of reality technology—AR, VR and MR—and show how retailers, including IKEA and Alibaba, have introduced reality technology to provide customers with a virtual “try before you buy” service and new ways to shop.

Deep Dive | August 11, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: How Direct Selling Remains Relevant in the Digital Age

The global direct selling market rebounded to US$134.2 billion in 2016, up 2.8% from the previous year. China follows the US closely as the second largest direct selling market, valued at US$33.9, and the country is expected to overtake the US as the largest direct selling market in the next few years.

Deep Dive | August 10, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Chinese Outbound Tourists – More Diverse, More Sophisticated

Chinese outbound tourists have evolved into experienced and sophisticated travelers – some 67% of surveyed tourists have traveled more than once in the past 12 months, visiting an average of 2.3 destinations. Apart from shopping, they crave lifestyle and experiences when they travel abroad.

Deep Dive | August 5, 2017 Premium

Alibaba Group: From Strength to Strength – An overview of the business units of the world’s largest e-commerce company

Alibaba was established in 1999 as a business-to-business (B2B) portal connecting Chinese manufacturers to overseas buyers. This report provides an overview of Alibaba’s different business segments, and how they all work together using its platforms and big data technology to enable small enterprises to compete more effectively.

Deep Dive | August 3, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Urban Lifestyles Driving Shifts in Spending

Across the globe, more and more people are turning to city-center living. This trend spans developing economies and Western markets. In this report, we explore the trend’s impact on retail product categories and retail formats.

Deep Dive | August 1, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Adapting to Changing Media Consumption and the Digital Channel’s Influence on Retail

Consumers’ media consumption preferences and habits have changed rapidly. In this report, we examine what these changes could mean for the retail sector.

Deep Dive | July 31, 2017 Premium

Subscription Commerce: A Box for Everything and Everyone

Recent years have seen a proliferation of online subscription box service companies offering a variety of products including food, personal care & cosmetics, apparel & footwear, and pet toys.

Deep Dive | July 26, 2017 Premium

Wellness as a Luxury, Part 3—Eating Well

This is the third in our Wellness as a Luxury series of reports, where we examine wellness as the new status symbol: this “wellthness” is fast replacing more traditional signifiers of affluence as a luxury to be enjoyed and flaunted.

Deep Dive | July 24, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: From Digital to Physical—The Return to Nondigital Toys

Despite the rapid rise of digital technologies, we are observing a return to physical non-electronic children’s toys in the US and the UK. We note toy categories that exemplify this trend: fidget spinners, tabletop board games and puzzles, Play-Doh, Lego as well as collectibles such as dolls and figurines.

Deep Dive | July 19, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Wellness as a Luxury, Part 2— Sleeping Well

Our Wellness as a Luxury series looks at wellness as the new status symbol: “wellthness” is fast replacing other signifiers of affluence as a luxury to be enjoyed and flaunted. In this report, we look closely at three aspects of the “sleep economy”:

Deep Dive | July 18, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive— Blockchain Mini-Series: Cryptocurrencies

This is the first of two reports in our Blockchain Mini-Series, which covers the latest trends in cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications. In our first report, we focus on cryptocurrencies:

Deep Dive | July 12, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Wellness as a Luxury: Part 1— Living Well

Fitness classes: Young consumers in particular are seeking aspirational, social experiences in their fitness regimes. This is prompting a premiumization of workouts and classes at fitness centers, growth of collegiate workout clubs (many of which take the form of park-based boot camps), and the development of the fitness events industry.

Deep Dive | July 11, 2017 Premium

Deep Dive: Artificial Intelligence in Retail—Offering Data-Driven Personalization and Customer Service

Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables computers to make autonomous decisions, and is a step forward in automation that is changing the retail industry. This report provides an overview of the impact of AI on retail and includes a Q&A with Professor Michael Feindt from AI firm Blue Yonder.