Technology’s presence in popular culture is inescapable — so much so that the debate over whether “retail is dying” and “technology is taking over” has caused fluctuating business models in real estate, automotive and large corporations. SET Creative, an award-winning experience agency, suggests a different perspective in that we’ve underestimated the need for brick-and-mortar, human experiences for retail’s future growth. In its new whitepaper, Human After All, technology is painted as a powerful resource for commerce, but one that doesn’t entertain the essential quality that humans bring to the retail table: an understanding of consumer behavior through quality customer interaction. A marriage of physical and digital is what will save classic retail from extinction.
Clay Johnson, executive vice president and CIO, Walmart, isn't afraid to fail. This was a key revelation gleaned from a discussion he had with Debbie Hauss, editor-in-chief, Retail TouchPoints, at the Retail Innovation Conference in New York City this week. “I’m one of those people who uses a fail fast model,” Johnson said. “The pace…
The soaring popularity of online-based retail among consumers cannot be denied, but physical retail will continue to represent the majority of sales. In fact, recent research found that physical retail will still account for 80 percent of sales globally by 2025 — an indicator that consumers still see huge value in visiting brick-and-mortar stores. However,…
For decades, the most successful retailers thrived by employing in-store associates to provide shoppers with excellent customer service, advice and individualized attention. In the digital age, however, consumers prefer much less human interaction. They're instead looking to various in-store technologies for help, advice, product and price information, and convenience. To better understand what drives shoppers…
As retail continues to evolve, it has become clear the old ways of thinking that pit digital vs. physical no longer apply. Today’s consumers go from browsing an item on their mobile phones, to reserving it online and then picking it up in-store, and they expect the same seamless, frictionless experience at each point in…
GNC said Thursday it plans to shutter about 200 stores across the U.S. and Canada in 2018. The vitamin shop owner has more than 8,000 locations globally, about 3,300 of which are corporately held and within the U.S. and Canada, according to its website. It also operates shops within Rite Aid stores, and has a little more…
Mother’s Day spending is expected to total a near-record $23.1 billion this year, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Eighty-six percent of Americans plan to celebrate Mother’s Day, and they will spend an average of $180 per person. “This year’s Mother’s Day forecast is one…
The benefits of online shopping are obvious: its speed, ease and convenience drove Q2 2017 e-commerce sales to $111.5 billion, a 16.2 percent increase year-over-year. Still, if given a choice, 64 percent of online shoppers prefer buying from physical outlets — a number that, surprisingly, increases when talking about younger shoppers. Millennials and even Gen…
Walmart is testing a new dress code that gives employees more freedom in what they can wear on the job. Under the pilot program, which has been rolled out to fewer than 100 stores, workers can wear solid color blue jeans instead of khaki-colored or black denim pants. They also can wear a solid-color shirt of…
Discount apparel brand Old Navy will add 60 more stores across the U.S. this year, pushing its total to more than 1,000 locations. Gap Inc., which owns Old Navy as well as the flagship Gap banner, Banana Republic and Athleta, currently operates more than 3,500 stores globally. Meanwhile, Gap Inc. is trimming back its fleet…
