Many Americans work in retail as a first-time job. Why do so few choose retail as a career? Tech jobs are sirens to recent grads; millions of people learned what retail is from an entry level job that was never designed to show them the business. And the result is a missed opportunity.
Why Is the Frontline Stuck at the Counter? Read More »
As celebrity merchandise gets increasingly extravagant (see Beyoncé’s $900 empty box), a new kind of endorsed merchandise is on the rise: food. Some of the most memorable celebrity partnerships take place at an unlikely venue—the drive-thru.
Celebrity Fast Food Frenzy Read More »
Savvy retailers enhance value through the treasure-hunt experience with a self-rewarding customer journey. The formula can be replicated across other retail formats; a rare find of an award-winning wine at a discounter such as Aldi is a pure treasure. Surprise and excitement can win over consumers just as much as price. The question retailers need to ask is: What’s your treasure-hunt strategy? And how do you make it relatable to your customers, not a knock-off meme that consumers will recognize and reject long before you do?
TJ/TK Maxx: Addicted to the Treasure Hunt Read More »
The ads that actually capture Gen Z’s attention aren’t on the social platforms you’d expect—and that can make all the difference for brands. YouTube is unlike social feeds, where it’s easy to swipe past sponsored posts in a split second, Viewers often have to watch at least part of an ad before getting to the content they clicked on.
Where Is Gen Z Watching Ads? Read More »
The reinvigorated Luddite movement (after 216 years) has some clear messaging to business leaders. The retail industry has a new, unavoidable question: If software is being engineered as an addictive consumer product, how much responsibility falls on digital platform advertisers––the biggest share of which are retailers––to mitigate consumers’ exposure to these addictive devices?
The Summer of Ludd Read More »
So many DTC companies have struggled after going public; Reformation’s IPO comes at a time when its customer base has significantly diminished, and the brand may no longer inspire the same confidence that fueled its rise. Can Reformation transcend younger consumers’ newfound negative perceptions?
Will Going Public Change Reformation? Read More »
Gen Z is turning to the comment sections for trusted product recommendations. A recommendation from a regular person is more authentic than an ad from a brand. Part of the appeal is that these unsponsored recommendations feel more genuine, less polished, and often way more entertaining than traditional ads.
Comments Drive Gen Z’s Purchases Read More »
Luxury brands are recognizing the strategic importance of cruises by investing in experiences that combine “being” with “having” in a distinctive retail environment. Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, and Piaget offer private retail spaces, exclusive viewings, and in-suite appointments aboard Luminara, a superyacht in The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
Opportunity Knocks: Luxury-Branded Cruises Read More »
A lot of companies think that loud and messy and customizable and, honestly, an unserious aesthetic proves a human actually made it. Packaging with the low-fi, Nickelodeon slime-esque aesthetic of hyper goo maximalism is the perfect in-group signifier to make next gen impulse purchases move.
Decoding Hyper Goo Maximalism Read More »
The boom and bust of Korea’s AI-fuelled financial markets could be foreshadowing a wider global meltdown. The way its digital natives are dealing with their reversed fortunes could also be a leading indicator of how the rest of the world’s consumers will cope.
