Future shop Archives - Page 6 of 7 - WSL Strategic Retail

Gen Z is Already Telling You How They are Changing Wellness. Get Ahead!

July 24, 2023July 30, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring jogger tying their shoelace, green smoothie next to them, and floating percentages

It will be five years before retailers and brands experience the full economic force of Gen Z, but already this group of shoppers is dropping hints of how things are going to change. And a lot of that change involves their perceptions of wellness. Here’s a heads-up, from our How America Shops® research. Gen Z ... Read more

3 Ways to Get Voice-Activated Devices to Pay Off (Hint: You Need a Screen)

July 21, 2023July 15, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring family at home with voice activated device on kitchen counter

Can we talk about voice technology in retail? If retailers are investing in VA technology, they need to be doing so in areas beyond saving time and easy refills. These qualities are building blocks, but growth follows sales, and sales follow browsing. And that browsing must be displayed as well as heard, hands-free. Based on ... Read more

Gen Z Is Ignoring Your Loyalty Program – Here’s Why

February 22, 2023July 2, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring two Gen Z teens on their mobile devices with tech icons in the background

Retailers count more reward program memberships than any other industry – 1.6 billion in the U.S. Keeping those members active is another matter, however, and the challenge may be even greater among young Gen Z members. Here’s why, and four insights into how to click with Gen Z. There are 78 million of them. And ... Read more

Online Isn’t Enough, Disruptive Brands are Opening Stores

February 22, 2023June 18, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring BYOB station and Birchbox promotion

Big news! Not everyone is a regular online shopper. In fact, no more than half of people shop online in an average of three months. As a result, many online-first brands have found it necessary to open stores. Here are seven familiar sites that have joined Main Street. It looks like someone has thrown a ... Read more

Why the Retail Industry Needs the Rental Generation

July 24, 2023May 14, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring inside of four stores that use rental systems

There are times when retailers should worry about what’s behind them, and the rental retail economy is ushering in one of those times. The once-fringe movement toward acquiring less “stuff” and instead paying for temporary use of pre-used necessities is rapidly becoming mainstream. And it’s changing retail sales in jewelry, handbags, fashion, electronics, home, auto, ... Read more

5 Service Lessons from Ikea’s Manhattan Planning Studio

July 21, 2023April 2, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring busy storefront entrance to an IKEA

Ikea’s “planning studio,” to open in April, is bringing the suburbs to the city, which apparently is just where new urban dwellers want it. Here are five ways Ikea is going to redesign the shopping trip. Today’s city-dwellers don’t merely want suburban comforts and amenities, they want to live a suburban, urban life – and ... Read more

Caring Scores. Do Shoppers Believe You Care About Their Health?

July 24, 2023March 20, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring colorful collage of caring score areas in the store

Retailers are talking big about wellness, showcasing chemical-free beauty products, all-natural lines and affordable organics, but few shoppers are buying that retailers genuinely care about their health. It’s not enough to say your brand philosophy sits cozily on the corner of “Happy and Healthy,” or that you’ve been providing health care for 100 years, or that ... Read more

5 Ways Gen Z are Defining Wellness, and Why Retail Should Care

February 23, 2023February 26, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring smiling woman in her home drinking green smoothie with other person holding smartphone

By Emily Dougherty, October 21, 2022 || BeautyInc. - A Publication of WWD Women over the age of 50 have been routinely ignored by marketers for decades. Now, though, healthier and wealthier than any generation of women before them, Gen X is coming resolutely into focus. As American women age, they start feeling invisible and undervalued. This ... Read more

The WSL List: Retailers That Stand Out, For Better & Worse

July 21, 2023February 13, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring collage of many WSL examples of retailers going above and beyond

It’s that time of year when we look back over the past 12 months and assess the retail winners, losers and those in between. This year’s WSL List includes not only big brand names, but it also identifies five themes that inform what we call Shopping Life®. Here’s a sneak peek. Welcome to 2019, when ... Read more

The Store Shelf is a Huge Underused Media Center

July 21, 2023January 28, 2019 by WslAdmin

Blog banner featuring blurred store aisle with speech bubbles overlaid on top asking shopper questions

Retailers are over investing in stores of the future and digital technologies while the shelf, where 91% of consumer packaged goods sales happen, remains an emotional wasteland. Shoppers have emotional connections to the categories they buy, triggered by the benefits they expect from using a product, so why do retailers keep delivering transactional experiences? Engage ... Read more