Insight Report | January 28, 2019 Premium December 2018 Monthly Consumer Update: US, UK and ChinaRetail Sales: The U.S. government shutdown means that December retail sales figure are not yet available. In November, year-over-year growth in retail sales excluding automobiles and gasoline remained broadly stable at 5.1%. In November, grocery store sales were up 3.0% and clothing store sales up were 4.1%; department store sales were down 0.2% year over year. Read More
Deep Dive | January 28, 2019 Free Report 10 Retail Trends for 2019: Get Ready for Retail ReinventionGet ready for better stores and better retailing. We expect 2019 to be a year of reinvention — and not just for the retail sector as a whole, but for physical stores in particular. As we outline over the following pages, we anticipate that the year will be marked by spectacular retail, fast retail and smart retail. Read More
Flash Report | January 28, 2019 Register for Free Access Super Bowl Retail Preview: US Shoppers to Spend $14.8 Billion on 2019 Game FestivitiesThe biggest spenders are those aged 35–44, who say they will spend an average of $123.26. The lowest are those 65 and older at $40.97. Viewers in the Northeast plan to spend the most, at an average $94.89, followed by the West at $84.01, the South at $79.09 and the Midwest at $69.24 — not surprising given the two teams playing are based in the Northeast and Southwest. Read More
Insight Report | January 25, 2019 Premium 10 Trends for China E-Commerce 2019We expect 2019 will be a dynamic year for e-commerce in China. Consumers have high expectations and competition is stiffening. Here are 10 trends we think will shape China’s e-commerce landscape in 2019: Read More
Insight Report | January 25, 2019 Premium December 2018 US Monthly Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics Report: Traffic Recovers After an Early-December LullU.S. store-based traffic and sales declined in December, while the conversion rate declined by 0.7 percentage points, according to RetailNext. ATV grew 3.1%, maintaining its strong showing since October. The rate of product returns climbed significantly, by 1 percentage point, its biggest increase since November 2017. Read More
Flash Report | January 24, 2019 Register for Free Access JD.com Takes Flight in Indonesia with Drone Delivery TrialJD.com’s drone delivery is the first time a Chinese drone has been used for delivery in Southeast Asia, and is also the first time the Indonesian government has granted permission to use a drone for logistics purpose. Read More
Event Coverage | January 23, 2019 Register for Free Access AI Creates Smarter Living: Takeaways from the TechLIFEStyle Conference in Hong KongThe Coresight Research team attended TechLIFEStyle conference, part of StartmeupHK, held in Hong Kong January 22, 2019. StartmeupHK is an initiative launched by InvestHK to promote Hong Kong as a startup destination, connecting entrepreneurs and investors. The theme of the event was “living smarter, living better,” looking at how lifestyle technology can be woven into everyday life. These are some highlights of the event. Read More
Insight Report | January 21, 2019 Premium UK Holiday 2018 Retail Sales and Trading Wrap-Up: December Growth Slows as Uncertainty Accelerates Structural Shift Away from the MidmarketMomentum in the retail sector decelerated meaningfully in December, as measured by both value and volume (real terms). Value sales growth slowed from 4.2% in November to 2.1% in December. This was despite a number of retailers reporting a better month in December following an unusually tough November. Across November and December in aggregative (our definition of the holiday period), sales were up 3.0% year over year. Read More
Deep Dive | January 18, 2019 Premium Aldi and Lidl in the US: Aldi Climbs the Grocery RankingsAldi is America’s eighth-biggest grocery retailer by estimated 2018 revenues, according to Euromonitor International. It has grown revenues by an estimated CAGR of 12.7% over the past five years. After a shaky start in the U.S. market, Lidl has diversified into a range of store formats. Lidl is continuing to open stores at a steady pace, and its recent acquisition of the 27-strong Best Market Chain suggests a renewed impetus to grow its footprint in the U.S. Read More
Event Coverage | January 16, 2019 Register for Free Access NRF 2019 Day 3: Hearing About Mission-Driven Brands, China’s Digital Leadership and How Inclusion Can Fuel GrowthOver the course of the day, we heard multiple panelists emphasize that consumers want to know what companies and brands stand for, and not just what they are selling. Companies are increasingly taking stands on social and political issues and we expect this trend to continue into 2019. In 2018, Dick’s Sporting Goods took a stand on gun control; Patagonia has a long heritage of being a mission-driven company and has given over $100 million to support environmental issues including air, water, and soil. The company also announced it would donate all the proceeds of the recent corporate tax cut to entities that combat climate change, saying the environment needed the money more. Read More
Insight Report | January 15, 2019 Premium US Holiday Comparable Sales Growth Results: A Mixed Picture So FarAs US retailers report comparable sales for the 2018 holiday season, we’re seeing a mixed bag of results. Some retailers such as Costco and Boot Barn did well, reporting strong comparable sales growth and beating consensus estimates. Retailers such as Target, Barnes & Noble and Buckle showed sequential comparable sales growth improvement, but not as strong. Comparable sales at Macy’s and L Brands weakened sequentially. Read More
Insight Report | January 15, 2019 Premium New Retail Briefing #1: JD.com and Alibaba RestructureOn December 21, 2018, JD.com announced it would restructure its operations with JD Mall, the company’s main revenue-generating unit. JD Mall will be divided into three business departments, including serving customers; business support services; and, infrastructure control and risk management. JD.com said in its announcement that the new structure will enable it to better focus on customers. JD Mall’s restructuring also aims to diversify its management team and assuage investors that Liu Qiangdong, JD’s founder and CEO, is not the only person driving decision-making at the company. Read More
Event Coverage | January 14, 2019 Register for Free Access NRF 2019 Day 1: The Big Apple’s Big Show Does Not DisappointRich Roll, author and athlete, set the tone for the panel discussion The Wellness Revolution: Consumer Behavior in a New Retail Era, when he outlined what he sees as the secret of success for his podcast. “One reason (it) works is because it is honest and unpolished,” noted Roll. “We are starved for connection and something that is real.” Roll started a health and wellness podcast The Rich Roll Podcastmidlife after spending part of his career as a corporate attorney. Each of his podcasts has an average of 250,000 to 750,000 downloads, and he’s totaled over 50 million downloads. He encouraged retailers to embrace corporate culture that values honesty and integrity. Read More
Flash Report | January 14, 2019 Register for Free Access Alibaba Strengthens Its Presence in Digitalization Consulting with A100 Partnership ProgramAlibaba has grown from simple online marketplace to a digital commerce powerhouse, with operations in sales, marketing, product delivery, supply chain, logistics and data analytics — pretty much the whole nine yards. At an event in Hangzhou, the company announced the launch of a new collaborative program called A100. Read More
Store Tracker | January 10, 2019 Premium Reviewing 2018 U.S. and U.K. Store ClosuresIn the U.S., major retailers closed 5,524 stores and opened 3,083 stores during 2018. By sector, apparel specialist stores led the pack with 766 closures; Payless ShoeSource contributed 408 of these closures. Read More
