The Biggest Consumer Shopping Trends of 2023

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WSL has been following the path of consumer shopping for decades. And through 2022, shoppers led us on a more focused, lifestyle-specific retail trip. To prepare for 2023, we culled through our How America Shops® and Retail Safari® market research, and zeroed in on seven big trends that predict what’s next for retail. Some will ... Read more

Retail Breaks Rules to Follow Shoppers Into the Holidays

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Retailers are barreling into the height of holiday shopping season, and many are following a new playbook, from Black Fridays that jump the gun to secret sales for reward members. Retailers and brands are following the shoppers wherever they want to go, and getting good at the game. This Holiday Season, Retailers Follow Shoppers, Not ... Read more

The Reimagined Store Won’t Make You Stay. Unless You Want To

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New themes are emerging in today’s more innovative stores, including some of the most traditional chains we shop. WSL’s researchers compare trips to our neighborhood Walmart and Target stores with those from our recent Retail Safari® tours to learn how different retailers are meeting what matters most to shoppers now. Do Stores No Longer Want ... Read more

New from WSL: Winning Shoppers During Holiday Price Fright

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Up to 25% of all shoppers plan to spend less on major holiday purchases this year, our latest How America Shops® survey shows. However, they don’t want to be Grinches about it. Many shoppers are trying to balance their budgets while finding ways to save the season. Here is how they plan to do it, ... Read more

Shoppers Say: “Inflated Prices Are Here to Stay”

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Our latest How America Shops® research shows a significant gain in the share of shoppers cutting back on spending, but more surprising is how many expect prices to stay high, even if inflation recedes. Shoppers know the cost of operating stores and transporting goods has gone up, as well as (and especially) employee pay. Has ... Read more

Shoppers are Lonely, Anxious. Retail Therapy is a Solution

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Despite their pursuit of wellness, more shoppers are experiencing new, and unexpected, health issues like loneliness, WSL research shows. Some retailers have been incorporating social environments in their physical stores as a way to reintroduce facetime, but is it enough for shoppers, and what is the role of brands? Shoppers are Lonely. Retail Can Help. ... Read more

Amazon Style’s Phygital Store: What It Means Beyond Apparel

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Will Amazon’s first phygital clothing store, Amazon Style, encourage a shakeup in other CPG categories? We know from covering retail for decades that what starts in one category extends to other, unexpected areas, so we sent our retail scout to explore. Here’s what she learned.  Amazon Is Ready to Restyle Retail, Again The premier of ... Read more

Dollar Chains are Setting New Standards in Happy Shopping

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What can shoppers get for $1 to $5? An experience that’s happy, attractive and digital. These are the words that describe today’s dollar chains, and their creative value-priced sister chains. Our latest Retail Safari® explores several of the latest efforts by this burgeoning sector, from Dollar General to Five Below. It’s Not About the Dollars, ... Read more

Help Millennials With Inflation and Bond Long-Term

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Millennials are the single largest shopping group to find themselves struggling due to high prices – nearly half tell us they find it hard to both pay the essential bills and buy more than the basics. Our research reveals unique characteristics of this age group that present four opportunities for improved loyalty and sales. Millennial ... Read more

Choosing the Right Wellness Products Is Exhausting

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Retailers and brands have responded enthusiastically to the shoppers’ preference for more wellness in their everyday products, with healthier options in food, personal care, beauty and health categories. But when the aisles deliver overwhelming choices, often with competing wellness promises on every shelf, has it become too much of a good thing? We have four ... Read more

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