Amazon is the most controversial retailer of the modern era. It has become many consumers' guilty default for convenience purchases. In fact, 49 percent of internet searches start on Amazon and 8 out of 10 Prime members start their online product search with the megalith. But Amazon has a growing reputation problem that's threatening to undermine the empire Bezos has built. Logistical issues, waning brand sentiment and unsuccessful product quality control (read: selling counterfeits and unsafe products) might mean the beginning of the end for …
The New Mobile: What Gen Z Wants from In-App Retail
This year Gen Z will surpass millennials as the largest generation. The oldest members of Gen Z are in their early 20s and, as consumers, they're a force to be reckoned with. When we talk about retailing for Gen Z, mobile commerce needs to be at the forefront of the conversation. Gen Z has a 30 percent higher engagement rate than older generations in non-gaming apps. This isn't because Gen Z shop on mobile devices to the exclusion of other channels (you've all seen the stats on Gen Z's return to physical retail), but because young consumers use …
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Doing It Right: Mixed Use Retail Spaces for Millennials
It's time that retailers learn what real estate investors already know: Mixed use retail spaces are the mall of the future. Mixed use retail spaces refer to spaces with more than one function, such as: dining, grocery, fitness, leisure, pet care, coworking spaces, and/or medical facilities. And those real estate folks were definitely onto something when they named mixed use retail spaces the highest-rated investment niche of 2017. Mixed use retail spaces reflect the preference of the times and a staggering 44 percent of adults say their …
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Curated DTC Brands Struggle to Reach Profitability
Memberships, subscriptions, and loyalty… oh my! As a millennial HENRY who falls prey to online advertising more often than I'd like to admit, it feels like a new direct-to-consumer brand is targeting me every time I check my Facebook feed. From Daily Harvest trying to get me to shell out $8 for a smoothie and The Zoe Report hitting me up for $100 a quarter for a style membership, to LOLA organic tampon subscription service trying to get me to pay God knows how much for God knows what, I can't even log onto my computer in the morning without …
Which Demographic Won’t Do their Holiday Shopping Online?
The holiday season has been synonymous with shopping since the invention of the gold coin. Holiday sales will grow by 3.8 to 4.2 percent this year. But for modern consumers, holiday shopping is no longer only about tinseled storefronts and mall Santas. Smartphones, social media, and SMS notifications play an important part in most customers' path-to-purchase. NRF forecasts that 20 percent of retail sales will take place online this year, which is double the amount of online purchases that customers made over the 2018 holiday. Although online …
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Peloton Outpaces SoulCycle: What this Means for Retail
Peloton is giving the cult of SoulCycle a run for their money. A quick debriefing for the uninitiated: Peloton is an at-home stationary exercise bike that comes with a large screen that enables users to join online classes. The bike monitors each biker's progress in comparison to the rest of the class and instructors can also see each person's progress throughout the workout, so they can offer them encouragement in real-time. As with SoulCycle, Peloton riders are fanatical and hyper-specific online communities of riders that have popped up on …
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Retail’s New Hypebeast: Instagram Product Launch Alerts
As if social media didn't have enough of an impact on consumer behavior, Instagram is rolling out a new pilot program in the U.S. to help brands generate excitement for their product drops. Brands that are signed up for the program can now add a "reminder button" to their stories on Instagram, which customers can click to set alerts to remind them before specific products are shoppable. Vogue Business reports that brands can also add product details and launch date hashtags to their story photos that, when clicked, will let followers set …
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Consumers Use New Criteria to Evaluate Apparel
Fast fashion is finally on its way out and the cost-per-wear value metric is making a comeback. Companies that were forced to reduce the quality of the materials to manufacture clothing just to stay alive in the race-to-the-bottom can finally pull their heads out of the sand, count their dead (brands) and take a look around at the new retail landscape that's emerged from the ashes. The resale market will soon eat up a chunk of the demand for off-price goods. Environmental analysts for some time have been pleading with consumers to choose …