In almost all product categories, consumers are making fewer trips to brick-and-mortar stores. When consumers see brands and products on shelves, they can touch, feel and learn about them, and awareness and buying increase. As that real-life exposure decreases, brands feel the pain of lost sales. In fact, when a store closes, only a small…
Rob Haslehurst
Brands have increasingly recognized the need to add direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) distribution to their traditional retail channels. Our research suggests broad adoption of some kind of D-to-C activity across categories (from 100 percent of major footwear and apparel brands to under 20 percent for food and beverage brands selling online), but we've seen surprisingly few firms…
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) bring the potential for entirely new shopping experiences and new kinds of added value. They are the gateways to “v-commerce,” a blend of brick-and-mortar retailing and e-commerce. L.E.K. Consulting recently surveyed 1,000 consumers who were aware of AR and VR technology. The results offer an initial look at…
