Consumer spending increased by 3.7% in June, the highest 12-month smoothed monthly increase in almost two years, according to data released last week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This year, Americans will spend $12 trillion on stuff, slightly more […]
The Hidden Message in How Americans Spend Read More »
Creative destruction, change management, business transformation —call it what you will, but something’s underfoot in the department store channel. After decades of ceding market share to specialty formats and channel consolidation, has the worm finally turned? In addition to economic
A Hopeful Look at the US Department Store in 2014 Read More »
I heard good things about Joe Fresh from a friend a couple of years ago, so I visited the Madison Avenue store, which initially opened in October, 2011 as a pop-up. It was a bright, fun place in a convenient
Is Joe Fresh Still Fresh Enough? Read More »
How Sustainability Can Enhance Your Supply Chain Has sustainability truly become part of our lexicon, or is it still just a buzzword? Today, most consumers expect products and their manufacturing processes to be sustainable; indeed, it’s part of the legacy
Seeking Transparency Read More »
Apparel is considered a discretionary purchase. Really? Most would agree we have little choice as to whether or not we purchase and wear clothing, and it’s considered ‘de rigueur’ in most social settings. The array of apparel choices is truly
Fashion or Fitness – What’s a Portfolio Manager To Do? Read More »
The Second City has racked up something novel. For the first time, the city has come together to fulfill a mission of sustainability, urban beautification, and economic development through creating flower gardens specifically for use in a fine fragrance. Tru
How Chicago Grew Its Own Fragrance Read More »
I resent the fact that I can’t walk down a street in New York City without breathing in a potentially lethal amount of second-hand smoke. So imagine my satisfaction when, on February 5, CVS announced it was going to cease
CVS: Blowing Smoke? Or Truly Concerned for our Health? Read More »
Attention all: You are no longer in control of your marketing messages. How many times, and in how many ways, have we declared that today’s consumer has total power over all of commerce? Hundreds? Thousands? I don’t know, but certainly
Social Networks – Flipping Traditional Marketing on its Head Read More »
Just as globalization and information combined to create what Thomas Friedman aptly coined the ‘flat world,’ these transformational forces are driving the democratization of luxury. Exclusivity has been replaced with near mass availability, anywhere and anytime. Technology and social media
Globalization and Democratization Impact Fashion, Too Read More »
Pardon me for using the “guns don’t kill people” metaphor. But people are now using the incredible power of technology and the Internet in ways that are disruptively changing our entire culture: some of it awesomely positive, but some of
Technology Doesn\’t Change People, People Do Read More »
