Retail insights at the intersection of now and next. Unfiltered. Unbiased
In an era of dwindling attention spans, modern brands and retailers face the challenge of creating meaningful statements from digital fluff. Classical knowledge is a differentiator in an oversaturated, uninspired market. Savvy, modern consumers distinguish themselves not just by donning specific styles, but by their knowledge of the culture their style reflects. Knowledge is the new currency.
A business built around a single geography, a single distribution channel and a single supply chain scenario is not lean. It’s exposed. That is the lesson Iran teaches retail.
Two giants continue to serve the average homeowner’s projects, but with the housing market stuck in neutral, Lowe’s and Home Depot are increasingly turning their attention to pro builders.
Honestly, after four misses and counting, we’re really not trying to pick on them. But the decision by the new management to close the Neiman Marcus flagship store in downtown Dallas is just plain dumb. We have no doubt the store doesn’t make much money but is that really the only way to measure the assets for a revered brand?
Join Shelley and Gary Sankary, Retail Lead at Esri, as they discuss risk assessment and reveal the strategies and forensics tools retailers can use to reverse this ORC tide. They explain how data sharing, facial recognition, parking lot surveillance, escape routes, license plate readers, timing analysis, heat maps, RFID scanning tools and high-tech security cameras that are loaded with heat and sonic sensors that are valuable ammunition in arsenals to fight retail crime.
Part of the Doc Martens revival has been driven by fashion’s ongoing focus on authenticity; the brand has benefited from being viewed as timeless rather than trendy. Unlike earlier generations who discovered Dr. Martens through music and sports, Gen Z buyers are often discovering the brand through social media influencers, vintage styling videos, and celebrity endorsements.
Gen Z is forcing LVMH into a strategic pivot it can no longer postpone. The company that once grew by swallowing the luxury industry whole is now trimming its own portfolio and confronting the limits of heritage, scale, and creative refreshes. LVMH’s next moves won’t simply reflect where luxury is going—it will define the direction.
Great brands target Gen Z through the celebrities we obsess over, building campaigns designed to go viral and get reposted. Luxury advertising is catching up and is playing into the larger social media advertising landscape, functioning as cultural content. But do they always get it right?
Most retail talent development programs have not adapted to today’s digital marketplace and are not cultivating the right talent. Whether the industry can reverse this is unclear, which may only give way to more tech optimization and retail becoming less human. Add to that, the technology reshaping the store is moving faster than the talent systems can respond to it. If that gap widens, the store of the future may have fewer people in it, both customers and employees.
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