Retail Stores

After a year of social distancing, quarantines, and Zoom calls, it's no wonder people are yearning for human contact and physical experiences more than ever. In fact, 25 percent of online shoppers agree that online shopping is less satisfying than visiting a brick-and-mortar store, according to Kantar’s COVID-19 Barometer. However, the brands that thrive moving…

Retailers across the U.S. have prioritized safety throughout the pandemic in order to keep their employees and customers safe and their businesses open. However, employers are hesitant to require their employees to get vaccinated given potential negative implications and pushback from those employees who do not or cannot get a vaccine. And looking further down…

Store-within-a-store (SWAS) strategies are nothing new, from the more traditional cosmetic brand and department store relationships, to the ongoing partnerships we’ve seen between brands like Best Buy and Sony. And while the concept is a familiar one, this past year has brought a new flurry of activity in this space: Target with Ulta, Kohl’s with…

The National Retail Federation's (NRF) chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said yesterday that the U.S. economy could see its fastest growth in more than three decades. “While there's a great deal of uncertainty about how fast and far this economy will grow in 2021, surveys show an increase in individuals being vaccinated, more willingness to receive…

As vaccines continue to roll out and states begin to open up, many retailers will be opening their doors to the public again, perhaps for the first time since early last year. However, operations won’t return to 100 percent normal; after 2020, the customer experience will look a bit different. If you’re planning on reopening…

Between mid-July 2020 and early August 2020, NAPCO Research conducted an in-store review of 100 top retailers’ COVID-19 safety measures based on 29 unique criteria, including signage, safety messaging, traffic, technology, and friendliness/experience. The resulting report highlighted the top performing retailers, emerging trends in COVID-19 readiness, best practices for retailers, and the main areas for…

A fresh batch of stimulus checks sent consumer purchases surging in March as the U.S. economy continued to get juice from aggressive congressional spending, according to CNBC. Advance retail sales rose 9.8 percent for the month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. That compared to the Dow Jones estimate of a 6.1 percent gain and a…

In episode 293 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Chase Fisher, founder and CEO of Blenders Eyewear, a direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) lifestyle eyewear brand specializing in fresh, vibrant and affordable eyewear. Listen in as Fisher discusses the origin of Blenders Eyewear, his professional and personal background as a semi-pro surfer, and the first steps…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Ashley Chiaradio and Kristina Stidham discuss Nike’s announcement that it’s ending wholesale partnerships with six more key retailers, including DSW, Urban Outfitters, and Macy's. This is the second time in the past year that the athletic brand has cut ties with multiple wholesale partners. However, Nike isn’t…

Most retailers haven’t used words like “thrive” very often in the past year, at least not with respect to their business. For the first time in recent memory, consumers were barred from most forms of in-person shopping by stay-at-home orders, while many stayed away from stores by choice. Concerns about health have defined every aspect…