Merchandising

Macy's announced this week that it will be opening pop-up shops in its stores in a new marketplace concept called "The Market @ Macy's." The new storefront layout gives pods of space to brands and companies on the Macy’s ground floor to promote and sell their products. CNBC reports the idea is to give Macy’s customers…

Retail is in a constant state of death and rebirth. The Curated Future examines retail's next big trend — curation over selection. As digitally native brands continue to flood an already saturated market, this research report looks at the impact on consumers. Frustrated, consumers are increasingly turning to a trusted voice — retailers — to curate a selection of products aimed directly at a defined consumer type.

Amazon.com has more customer search and purchase data than any e-commerce business. It can build a private-label brand in six months using these data. Amazon’s private-label products have access to the best merchandising and targeting on the marketplace. And the brand doesn’t even need to be profitable. How do national brands compete with this? According…

With a unified view of its data, IWA has been able to segment and target customers with personalized marketing campaigns

Picture yourself as an associate in a retail store. You just finished straightening up the rack when a potential customer walks in. At that moment, a dynamic relationship begins. You’re assuming and inferring, and forming a mosaic from the minutiae of details. The customer is surveying the signage to decide where to go and making…

Do small and new online retailers have a chance to succeed anymore? Industry analysts say that 2017's parade of acquisitions by major retailers — Whole Foods by Amazon.com, Kate Spade by Coach, HSN by QVC, among others — are making it harder for smaller retailers to survive. How can SMB sellers compete with these players’ same-day…

Zappos announced last week the launch of The_ONES, a new retail experience that celebrates classic sneakers. The experience includes a new online hub (FindTheOnes.com), shoppable Instagram page (@The_ONES), and limited-time “pop-ins” in premium boutiques. The first pop-in, called BEYOND, was launched in New York City on Nov. 15 in partnership with Tarek Hassan, the owner…

To really understand the customer journey, you’ve got to take it yourself. That’s why we stepped in consumers’ shoes for our Global Mystery Shopping Study. We walked through eight different shopping scenarios with 50 global brands to learn where they're succeeding and where they’re falling short. As mystery shoppers, our team simulated purchasing products, researched…

Over the past year, countless brands have hopped on the influencer marketing bandwagon, leveraging the loyal followings of influencers and their content creation skills to tactfully promote a brand’s products or services. As their value to marketing teams increases, many influencers are becoming self-aware of just how much their dedicated follower bases and keen understanding…

J.C. Penney announced last week that it has eliminated the position of chief merchant. The move was made to streamline decision making and promote greater agility within its merchandise buying teams. John Tighe, current chief merchant, will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities and will not be replaced. All senior merchandising executives will…