Insight Report | June 17, 2020 Premium May 2020 US Retail Sales: Total Year-over-Year Growth Turns Positive; Declines at Discretionary Sectors Ease While Food Stores and Nonstore Retailers See Strong GrowthMost sectors witnessed the easing of sales declines in May, as US consumers resumed spending following the reopening of stores post lockdown. Growth in total US retail sales excluding gasoline and automobiles turned positive on a year-over-year basis, driven by double-digit growth at food stores, home-improvement retailers and nonstore retailers. Read More
Market Outlook | June 11, 2020 Premium US Home and Home-Improvement Retail: Post-Crisis OutlookWe explore the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on the home and home-improvement sector—including on sales, spending, store closures and retailer bankruptcies—and present an outlook for the remainder of 2020. To analyze the sector, we look closely at select US retailers, including Home Depot, RH and Willams-Sonoma. We summarize our key estimates for 2020 in an infographic Read More
Insight Report | June 9, 2020 Premium JD.com Kicks Off This Year’s 6.18 Shopping Festival: A Boost for Online and Offline Retail Post CrisisJD.com launched its annual 6.18 Shopping Festival on May 25, 2020, marking the start of the event’s pre-sale period. We explore how the e-commerce platform has upgraded its services for this year’s festival, including by integrating physical retail promotions for a boundaryless shopping experience. Read More
Event Coverage | June 4, 2020 Register for Free Access Open for Business with Katie Finnegan, E-Commerce Expert: Innovating Toward Community in Brick-and-Mortar RetailAs part of our Open for Business webinar series, we hosted Katie Finnegan, Chief Consumer Experience and E-Commerce Officer at Rite Aid. We present the transcript from this webinar, in which Finnegan offered insights into the future of brick-and-mortar retail, which is evolving to become more about community. Read More
Insight Report | May 29, 2020 Premium April 2020 Monthly Consumer Update: US, UK and ChinaAnalyzing consumer demand in April 2020, it is clear that the month saw the worst impact of the coronavirus in the US and the UK, while China experienced a small rebound. Read More
Insight Report | May 29, 2020 Premium April 2020 US Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics: Traffic Declines by over 96%, but Less Steeply Toward the End of the MonthApril 2020 saw near-100% declines in US store traffic due to widespread coronavirus-led lockdowns for at least the first three weeks. We review store traffic changes through the month and the sectors most impacted by the current crisis. Read More
Deep Dive | May 27, 2020 Premium US Generations and Spending: The Future of Millennials’ Consumer Behavior, Influenced by Covid-19In this first report in our US Generations and Spending series, we focus on the buying behaviors of millennials, which have recently been altered by the coronavirus lockdown. We explore how these changes may impact consumer spending in the long term and consider the implications for retailers. Read More
Insight Report | May 25, 2020 Premium April 2020 UK Retail Sales: Huge Declines in Discretionary Sectors Conceal Meaningful Sales Retention through E-CommerceTotal UK retail sales further declined in April, largely due to the enforced closure of nonessential retailers due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, deep declines conceal a meaningful retention of sales through e-commerce. We review April data for UK retail in total and by sector. Read More
Insight Report | May 21, 2020 Premium Coronavirus Insights: China Launches New “55 Shopping Festival” To Give Retail a Post-Lockdown BoostTo stimulate the economy and encourage consumers to release pent-up demand post Covid-19, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government co-launched a new, large-scale shopping holiday with the retail industry at the beginning of May 2020. We discuss the scale and impact of the omnichannel 55 Shopping Festival, exploring how it is driving purchasing behavior in retail and tourism. Read More
Insight Report | May 21, 2020 Premium US and China Quarterly Economic Update: Coronavirus Inflicted Economic Harm to Both Countries in 1Q20Recently released data from the US and China show both economies being impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic in the first quarter of 2020. US GDP declined to the lowest level since the Global Recession in 2008, and China’s GDP contracted for the first time in nearly 30 years. Furthermore, due to the Covid-19 crisis, industrial output in both nations fell significantly. Read More
Insight Report | May 18, 2020 Premium April 2020 US Retail Sales: Discretionary Sectors Post Huge Declines; Food Stores and Nonstore Retailers Save Total Sales from Double-Digit FallWith nonessential retail shut down for the full month of April due to the coronavirus, US retail sales nosedived in discretionary sectors, following deep declines in March. Lower levels of food stockpiling by consumers also saw growth slow in the grocery sector. Read More
Insight Report | May 14, 2020 Premium Coronavirus Insights: Three Post-Lockdown Consumer Trends in ChinaCoronavirus-related lockdowns have impacted consumption behavior around the world. As China emerges from the crisis, we identify three areas of altered consumer behavior that we expect to impact future spending patterns—including omnichannel experiences and group buying. Read More
Event Coverage | May 14, 2020 Register for Free Access Coresight Conversations: Retail Legend and Turnaround Specialist Michael Appel Discusses How Liquidity Preservation Is Key to a Business TurnaroundAs part of our Coresight Conversations: Legends in Retail webinar series, we hosted retail legend and business turnaround specialist Michael Appel. We present the transcript from this webinar, in which Appel shared his five-pronged strategy for how retailers can survive the current coronavirus crisis and look ahead to the future—with emphasis on the key pillars of technology and liquidity. Read More
Deep Dive | May 13, 2020 Premium Operating in a Post-Coronavirus World: How Indian Retailers Can Navigate the Road to RecoveryThe 2020 coronavirus pandemic has seen the Indian government impose restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. We discuss the wide-ranging impacts of the ongoing lockdown on India’s retail sector and explore how retailers have responded to the crisis. In addition to examining the challenges that lie ahead, we present a three-pronged approach for retailers to survive the post-coronavirus recovery period and emerge stronger. Read More
Deep Dive | May 7, 2020 Premium The China Beauty Consumer, Pre- and Post CoronavirusAlthough impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, initial indicators show that China’s economy is rebounding, and the beauty industry is poised for a speedy recovery. We discuss findings from our proprietary survey of beauty consumers in China—as well as recent data about the market—to examine the preferences and spending behaviors of this demographic prior to the coronavirus pandemic and learnings coming out of the crisis. Read More
