Deep Dive | February 11, 2020 Premium Is Omnichannel the Future for Furniture Retail?In the furniture sector, e-commerce continues to grow rapidly as cross-channel shopping trends evolve. The shopping journey is therefore becoming more complex, and retailers are being forced to rethink how they engage with customers. We explore how major players in the home furnishing market are investing in omnichannel transformation, as well as the challenges associated with this type of strategy. Read More
Flash Report | February 6, 2020 Register for Free Access Coronavirus Briefing: China’s Food-Service Firms Shutter Stores and Turn to Contactless ServicesFaced with restaurant closures and a sudden fall-off in business amid the ongoing corona virus outbreak, China’s food-service firms are inventing novel ways to bring food to customers in ways that minimize exposure to other people. Read More
Insight Report | February 3, 2020 Premium The Home Depot: A Timeline of Key EventsRead about the key dates and milestones in Home Depot’s rise to becoming a US home-improvement icon. From its humble beginnings as a more or less giant hardware store when it was founded in 1978, Home Depot has grown into a home improvement staple with more than 2,200 stores. Read More
Insight Report | February 3, 2020 Premium Retail in 2030: Lean, Spectacular, Transparent and FrictionlessThe last decade was a time of tremendous upheavel in retail. We lay out our vision of what retail will look like in 2030. Look for continued but slowly abating store closures, new smaller formats and far more experiential offerings. Read More
Insight Report | January 31, 2020 Premium Payment Technology: What We Saw at the NRF 2020 Big ShowRetail technology is moving in leaps and bounds, promising a variety of new features and abilities such as cashless stores. This report looks at select new technologies, and some of the challenges they may face. Read More
Insight Report | January 30, 2020 Premium Holiday 2019: US Retail Wrap-UpUS retail enjoyed a solid holiday season: Consumers shrugged off concerns and boosted spending healthily over last year. Spending rose despite concerns over the economy, trade issues with China that could have pushed up prices at the register and increasing domestic political uncertainty. Read More
Event Coverage | January 23, 2020 Register for Free Access NRF 2020 Supply Chain and Logistics Workshop: Technology and Innovation Enable TransformationInsights from the NRF Big Show supply chain and logistics workshop. We’re seeing technology enabling whole new business processes and customer services, and companies forming alliances to leverage one another’s tech strengths. Read More
Event Coverage | January 22, 2020 Register for Free Access City Source 2.0 in 2020: Domestic Manufacturing, Sustainability and Technology in Fashion DesignInsights from the Fashion Institute of Technology City Source 2.0 in 2020: Domestic sourcing remains alive and well, sustainability is finding new ways into the supply chain and technology is powering many of these changes. Read More
Deep Dive | January 22, 2020 Free Report Retail 2020: 10 Retail-Tech Startup TrendsIn 2020, the retail industry will be shaped by emerging technologies that will change the way consumers interact with brands, while retailers will collaborate more than ever with tech startups to future-proof their businesses. Discover our 10 trends for the year. Read More
Deep Dive | January 20, 2020 Free Report Retail 2020: 10 Trends for China E-CommerceWe expect 2020 to be a year full of innovation and expansion in China’s e-commerce market. Major players will adopt new initiatives and technologies and look to expand into lower-tier cities. We present 10 trends that will shape China’s e-commerce landscape in 2020 and the implications of these for brands. Read More
Insight Report | January 16, 2020 Premium Chinese New Year Preview: E-Commerce Platforms and Brands Seek To Tap into the Year of Rat’s $156 Billion in Consumer SpendingChinese New Year is the single most important holiday of the year in Chinese culture. We look at what retailers, brands and online platforms are doing to make the most of this annual retail opportunity. Read More
Deep Dive | January 13, 2020 Premium Can AR and VR Be Game Changers in Furniture Retail?Augmented and virtual reality technologies are slowly but surely transforming the shopping experience for consumers in both online and offline retail. We review how various store-based and digital-first furniture retailers are investing in these technologies and assess the impact, challenges and potential of these investments. Read More
Flash Report | December 20, 2019 Register for Free Access Double 12 Shopping Festival 2019 Wrap-UpE-commerce platforms and offline merchants celebrated China’s last major shopping festival of the year, Double 12, on December 12. We provide highlights from this year’s festival, including the promotions and performance of Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall, the popularity of livestreaming, Alipay’s partnership with offline merchants and the strong consumption in lower-tier cities experienced by JD.com. Read More
Event Coverage | December 20, 2019 Register for Free Access Insights from the Second Alibaba ONE Business Conference: Customer Acquisition, Product Innovation and Organization DigitalizationChina’s retailers come together to discuss new digitalization strategies at the Second Alibaba ONE Business Conference. 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