I’m going to take a philosophical position here as a cautionary tale about the future of retail. “Measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not.” Is this a new edict from the ever-more-intrusive analytics team? A proclamation from anyone under the age of 35 roaming the cubicles? A chapter on marketing in an MBA classroom? The Past as Prelude No. It’s Galileo. Centuries ago it must have been breathtakingly innovative, whispered about in the corridors of the Vatican and debated in the salons of Florence. Or not. Perhaps just a …
How Fashion Looks Inward During Climate Week
Now that New York Fashion Week has wrapped, the city is experiencing Climate Week NYC. And while the former event is full of glamor and glitz, the latter – taking place September 19-to-25 – will be calling on government officials, industry leaders, CEOs, and international decision-makers to address and rethink the actions to be taken regarding climate initiatives. Fashion and Climate Change In a DHL webinar earlier this year titled “Delivering on Circularity, Pathways for Fashion,” DHL’s Mirella Muller, president, global eRetail and …
Living Icon: Serena Williams’ Legacy
This year is such a bittersweet moment for the legendary Serena Williams. In a cover story for Vogue magazine, she announced that she would be stepping away from her first love, tennis, after this year’s U.S. Open Tournament. The game of tennis has opened an innumerable number of doors for the 40-year-old superstar -- with the most notable being fashion and a major cultural influencer. Williams decided to announce her exit in the most famous fashion magazine in the world, and that alone speaks volumes about who she is and her impact. Plus, she …
What Is Your North Star?
Do you know your organization’s North Star? Or maybe a better question is whether your organization even has a North Star. Not to get all astronomical on you, but Dr. E.C. Krupp, Director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and a world-renowned expert in ancient astronomy explains, “The north pole of the sky and whatever stars were close to that point told the ancients there was foundation and structure in their lives. It was an anchor that held the world in place, the stable, motionless hub of the night’s orderly parade of stars. …
Walmart Accelerates the Fashion Journey
Walmart is making fashion a priority. The strategy is to pursue niche DTC brands, and primarily those that have appeal for younger, higher-income consumers. According to an Insider article, DTC brands like Harry’s, Casper, Olly, and Quip all chose to debut in big-box retail at Target. Even though Target has a smaller footprint, their customer base is wealthier, and Target focuses on design with dedicated teams for emerging brands. Image Reset Unlike Target, Walmart’s image has always been the quintessential everyday lower price model. …
Dress Codes Are Back, But Consumer Response Is Mixed
Retail operates like a pendulum. For years, the fashion pendulum has been swinging towards the hyper-casual. I wrote about the alleged “death of athleisure” as a false alarm nearly a decade ago. Not to be that smartest guy in the room, but my prediction was accurate that athleisure is here to stay. Today, so-casual-its-hilarious companies like Crocs are collaborating with the likes of luxury brands Stella McCartney and Balenciaga. The pandemic exacerbated this trend, with manufacturers unleashing a surge of jewelry and dresses built for the …
Dress Codes Are Back, But Consumer Response Is MixedRead More
Printemps Sets Sites on Lower Manhattan
The concept of the global retailer has been pretty much a mixed bag with a wildly uneven success rate. With the exception of the occasional Ikea or Starbucks, many retailing companies have been unable to export their business model outside their home country. And this has worked in pretty much every direction: from Europe and Asia to the United States and in reverse. Which is why the recent news that fabled French department store Printemps is planning to open its first American store in 2024 in New York City is so intriguing. As one of the …
Gifting With a Purpose
For gift givers, convenience and flexibility are the two key benefits of gift cards, driving their adoption among people, companies, and marketers the world over. Not so much for the recipient. As efficient and utilitarian as these cards are, they are also highly impersonal and typically have little to do with the tastes, sensibilities, and style of the recipient. Nonetheless, the United States Gift Cards Market was estimated at $158.26 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $167.71 billion in 2022. It is projected to grow at a 6.25 percent …