Experience

Oxford Languages (the dictionary people) defines nostalgia as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” But nostalgia isn’t relegated to time periods that we’ve personally experienced. Remember the late 60s resurgence in the early aughts? I remember scouring Woodstock DVDs for footage of my teen dream, Roger Daltrey from The Who. I also ransacked my mom’s boxes of high school mementos to resurrect a pair of vintage Levi’s cords and hot pink running shorts that …

Gen Z Nostalgia is Accelerating: Categories to WatchRead More

Express lines. Self-checkout. Online virtual orders. Contactless checkout. But slow-moving, chit-chat checkout lines? Yes, bucking the trend of shorter, faster, and more efficient shopping – the descriptive terms that have been the hallmarks of the modern consumer retail experience over the past decade or more – is a burgeoning phenomenon that is becoming known as Slow Retail. It’s a movement that has actually been something of a runaway success in Europe. Or shall we say, a walkaway success? Perhaps leisurely strollaway success is more …

Slow Checkout Is a Competitive AdvantageRead More

Misinformation, vitriol, body dysmorphia…all proven results of prolonged social media use. Just because Gen Z grew up in an era of portable handheld technology doesn’t mean that they’re going to choose digital lives. While the effects of growing up inundated by social media and advertising are still largely unknown, based on the mental health issues we’re seeing with next gens so far, prospects for a utopic, technology-based future aren’t looking good. Generation Z consumers have a long history of putting changes into action that their …

A Growing Segment of Gen Z is so Over Social MediaRead More

Over the last three years, the luxury market has experienced a whirlwind of change. In the lead-up to the pandemic, the personal luxury goods market grew 7 percent in 2019, reaching $300 billion globally. Then in 2020, it suffered a sharp decline, dropping an unprecedented 22 percent to $235 billion, followed by a remarkable rebound in 2021 to $302 billion, according to the Bain-Altagamma Luxury Study. Throughout 2022 the personal luxury goods market continued its meteoric post-pandemic rise, advancing 24 percent to $376 billion, and the …

The Vagaries of Today’s Luxury MarketRead More

I recently read a meme that said, “Nothing sacred is for sale, period.” While selling spiritual wares at a premium is not a new concept, this phenomenon as it pertains to “alternative spirituality” has recently skyrocketed. I wrote about spiritual brands for RetailWire back in 2019. But a lot has changed since then. The sale of spiritual wares has exploded and the goods that are being sold look a lot different than they did four years ago. In a pandemic addled world where even common viruses like the flu have become more destructive than …

Retailers Are Promising Customers Literal MagicRead More

It’s hard to talk about fashion going into 2023 without using words like “surreal” and “otherworldly.” The reason? Dystopian fashion reached new heights this year. From the “eyebrowless” makeup trend to Balenciaga’s beat-up leather wallet fashion show invites, helping customers look the way they want has never been such a strange journey. Speaking of strange journeys… cosplay hit the runways this year. Models looked more like characters from the Rocky Horror Picture Show or breakout club kids from the 90s than anything from catalogs we grew …

Retailing in Dystopia: What to Expect in 2023Read More

Ralph Lauren As the most financially successful American designer, Ralph Lauren is also the quintessential aspirational lifestyle designer. He designed an American dream that was living the idea of the life of wealthy WASPs (White Anglo- Saxon Protestants– in case you’ve been living under a rock). Ralph dug deeply into their style and brilliantly translated and updated the way they dressed. He created a brand message that captivated large numbers of customers. Ralph’s success proves his instincts were right. He wasn’t the only one who admired …

Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan: Two American IconsRead More

The future of retail will be shaped by a hybrid shopping model based on the new normal of highly interconnected experiences that serve specific target markets. Local, personal, smaller, curated, and customized. The cookie-cutter approach of building more and bigger stores does not resonate with today’s consumer mindset. The pandemic has left consumers with a new set of values, a higher expectation of what service means, and very little patience when things don’t go the way they should. Here is how retail needs to evolve to meet consumer …

Reimagining Retail’s FutureRead More