Customer Acquisition

Is Your Brand Messaging Customers on WhatsApp? Here Are 3 Reasons Why it Should Be
June 6, 2023 at 4:18 pm

Are you connecting with your customers on the apps where they spend their time each day? Traditional marketing channels are in decline, and it's getting harder to gain the attention of customers in crowded newsfeeds and cluttered inboxes. Why not go to where your customers already are and interact with them on the messaging platforms…

The Changing World of Generational Buying Habits
June 5, 2023 at 9:58 am

As the world evolves, so do the buying habits of consumers. Understanding the unique shopping tendencies of different generations is crucial for businesses in today's fast-paced, digital environment. However, one cannot look at generational buying as a single purchase funnel. Retailers need to consider a spectrum of content and commerce to adapt their strategies accordingly.…

Next-Gen DTC: 4 Tips for the New DTC Growth Journey
May 30, 2023 at 8:09 pm

It's been more than a decade since the direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model forever changed the world of consumer brands. With an iconic cohort of industry disruptors, including Warby Parker, Casper, and Harry's, the model paved the way for an explosion of businesses built upon direct and authentic relationships with their customers and, in some cases,…

Gen Z and the Reinvention of Retail
May 23, 2023 at 3:54 pm

Not only are Gen Z not shopping like their parents, they're actively trying hard not to. After all, they have their own channels now, ones that they navigate with facility — the very channels that their elders will often avoid altogether. The behaviors of Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) as they become…

How Grocers Can Leverage AI to Retain Customers Amidst a Price War With Discounters
May 15, 2023 at 12:21 pm

While inflation has been on the mind of everyone through 2022 and into this year, we recently have been hearing whispers of possible deflation in the near future. Naturally, this has many small retailers and grocers wondering what they would do to survive if that comes to pass. Starting in 2020, we saw larger retailers…

Redesigning Your Brand for Gen Z? Start With These Best Practices
May 3, 2023 at 9:16 am

Consumers seek out brands that share their values, know them well, and provide the experiences they expect. Smart retailers leverage this knowledge to build customer relationships that endure. However, when it comes to relationship building with Gen Z — the cohort of consumers born between 1997 and 2012 — seasoned decision makers sometimes struggle to…

The Price of Eggs Isn't the Only Thing Grocers Are Managing These Days
March 16, 2023 at 12:49 pm

According to FoodIndustry.com, the U.S. food market is worth $1.5 trillion annually, or roughly 4 percent of the domestic gross product. $800 billion of that revenue is from supermarkets and food stores. Compare this to the U.S. apparel market, which is estimated to be worth $318 billion (Statistica). And while the retail industry often focuses…

How Startups Can Build Footfall, Influence and Trust Through Retail Partnerships
March 9, 2023 at 10:48 am

Swedish fintech Klarna changed how consumers — particularly younger consumers — buy and pay for goods. Its model, which countless other rivals have since replicated, is simple. Rather than pay the entire sum upfront, the consumer pays a portion, and Klarna fronts the rest, which the consumer repays in manageable bi-monthly or monthly installments. At…

Solo Brands' CEO Shares Strategies for DTC and Wholesale Profitability
February 13, 2023 at 1:44 pm

In episode 388 of Total Retail Talks, which was recorded at the ICR Conference earlier this year, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews John Merris, CEO of Solo Brands, a pure-play direct-to-consumer (DTC) company with a portfolio of rapidly growing lifestyle brands, including Solo Stove, Oru Kayak, Chubbies, and ISLE. Merris discusses why so many public DTC…