Experience

Need something to restore your faith in humanity during this time of global chaos? You might be surprised to learn that data from research firms such as Accenture and McKinsey points to a rise in conscious consumption during Covid. In fact, McKinsey reports that concerns such as “how companies take care of the health and safety of their employees” and “sustainable/eco-friendly products” have reached all-time highs in the U.S. and/or Europe. This is happening on both a consumer and personal level. Individuals are gravitating towards concerns …

Best-Selling Product Categories of Conscious CapitalismRead More

Many of the newly launched retail experience formats we celebrated at the beginning of 2020 have been shuttered by the pandemic, leaving the industry to question how to deliver experiences that align with consumers' Covid-19 evoked emotions. With social gatherings off the table for now, how can brands, retailers and mall operators respond to desired social connections in a no-touch world? The Consumer Mindset Navigating the global health crisis "stay at home" directive has been extremely stressful, especially for those in urban areas. Initial …

Is Experience Worth Investing In?Read More

There are only a few fashion capitals in the world, and they all paint a stark picture for the future of retail worldwide. From New York, London, and Paris to Milan and Tokyo, retailers are searching for relevance as consumers learn to live with the reality of Covid-19. Whether reeling from a pandemic-induced slump or ramping up for a recovery, fashion retailers face a new set of consumer sensitivities and preferences. Everyday moments such as visiting the local mall, dining inside restaurants, socializing over coffee and heading to the gym …

Fashion Retail: Completely Derailed or Ready to Be Reinvented?Read More

As a high school junior, I got invited to a Spring Prom at a fancy private school in Wellesley, Massachusetts by a girl I barely knew. I rented a tuxedo with a Spring-white dinner jacket. It was a hot May night, and there were lots of slow dances. At the end of the evening I had lipstick on my cheek and a dark brown stain on the right side of my white dinner jacket where her makeup had rubbed off. The Tuxedo rental place charged me $25 to remove the stain when I tried to return the outfit. It was my first introduction to makeup and its …

Musings: Post-Pan Beauty and CultureRead More

Walmart's bid (with Microsoft) to buy TikTok, the video-sharing social networking service, is a way for the juggernaut to continue to compete with Amazon. A few short years ago Walmart lagged behind in the digital space and was constantly outpaced by the innovation at Amazon in e-commerce, logistics and last-mile delivery. But much has changed in the last three years. When Walmart bought Jet.com in 2016, the goals for its e-commerce business were to consolidate leadership under Marc Lore, to shorten the learning curve for understanding the …

If You Can’t Join Them, Buy Them!Read More

Several Christmases ago I was invited to one of those Secret Santa holiday parties. I am always a hopeless failure at such under-$25 scavenger hunts, but the erstwhile colleague who drew my name was far more able. Thus, around the luncheon table at the moment of reveal, I received a gift from the Museum of Modern Art: a coffee cup and bag with the legendary I "Heart" New York insignia. I was enthralled and have used both endlessly. We now fast forward to the moment at hand; from repeated dishwasher visits the cup has begun to lose its …

Why This Is So HardRead More

“Influencer” has become a dirty word. Brands were slowly gravitating from macro to micro influencers before the pandemic. But “Covidiot” influencers such as Arielle Charnas––who took a very public trip to the Hamptons seven days after being diagnosed with Covid-19––have expedited the idiocy process. Even though Nordstrom hadn’t worked with Charnas since 2019, social media users called out Nordstrom for months until the retailer issued a formal statement saying they had no plans to work with her in the future. It’s a challenging landscape: …

A New Breed of Influencers Emerge During Covid-19Read More

There is a select group of retailers that meet their customers' expectations. They are retailers that carry the products customers expect, at the prices they expect, and have staff in the store who service them like they expect. Then there are the few remarkable retailers who do something quite different. They over deliver customers’ needs in unexpected ways, exceeding all expectations. At every turn, they do the unexpected, offer products customers didn’t know they needed, and provide customer service that surprises and delights. When …

The Road to Remarkable Retail Is a Long OneRead More