Our innovative research captures the complete shopper experience, from what drives their choices to what inspires them in-store & online

What ensures your retail strategy stands apart goes beyond data. WSL Insights continuously bring you retail innovation trends from around the world to inspire new thinking and growth. We help you predict where your shoppers are headed and build solutions to meet them there.

Convenience Matters:
New Retail Safari® Newsletter

Shoppers today expect ease at every step — from discovery to purchase and beyond. This month, we’re spotlighting companies that are removing friction and making the shopping journey more seamless than ever.

WSL‘s Top Innovations

Take a world tour of the retail innovations that inspire new thinking. Here’s WSL’s Hot List of the best innovations our Retail Safari^® global scouts have recently uncovered.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Walmart's Kencko display

Walmart – Bentonville, AR

Walmart highlighted Kencko, a freeze-dried smoothie brand supplying high-quality, nutritious, plant-based foods, providing customers with a quick and easy way to have a more nourishing diet. Kencko’s freeze-drying tech reduces food waste by up to 30%.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Poppi merch display at Target

Poppi @ Target – Brooklyn, NY

Poppi and Target came together for a new, limited-edition apparel collection featuring sweatshirts, hats, socks, and more inspired by the colorful and bold branding of the soda cans. The collection features more than 20 unique pieces, each under $30.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Tilt Beauty's accessible package design

Tilt Beauty – Online

Tilt Beauty is the latest brand focused on accessible package design. From tear-away pull tabs and Braille to ergonomic product shapes that are easier to open, hold, and apply, every detail of Tilt’s products are designed for ultimate comfort and ease.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring OJ2GO vending machine

OJ2GO – Brooklyn, NY

On a walk and need a pick-me-up? OJ2GO offers fresh orange juice via vending machines on the streets of Brooklyn. Located near shopping and the Barclays Center, shoppers can have a fresh squeezed OJ in under a minute!

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Just Salad's AI-powered salad customization tool

Just Salad – App

Just Salad has launched Salad AI, an AI-powered tool that takes the guesswork out of ordering a customized salad. It addresses the continued demand for meals aligned with health goals and values while offering new flavorful taste combinations.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Lululemon's GlowUp Studio

Lululemon – New York, NY

Lululemon’s GlowUp Studio is open for two weeks, featuring dreamy workouts led by iconic trainers (including star Peloton trainers) with live sets by guest DJs. The classes are open to all for around $30 each, with all proceeds supporting the ongoing LA fire relief.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Spanx billboard that reads, 'The Most Worn Designer on the Red Carpet for 25 Years'

Spanx – Los Angeles, CA

In the thick of awards season, Spanx launched several red billboards throughout Los Angeles that read “For Your Consideration: The Most Worn Designer on the Red Carpet for 25 Years,” proving that standout style and comfort go hand in hand.

IKEA

IKEA slid into late-night scrollers’ DMs with a “u up?” message. Just after Valentine’s, the brand began messaging shoppers between 10 pm and 5 am. Some who responded received a free mattress, others had access to 15% off sleep products.

WSL Strategic Retail top innovator featuring Starbucks and TRUFF collaboration food products

Starbucks x Truff

Starbucks has teamed up with TRUFF to offer free hot sauce packets with breakfast and lunch sandwiches, allowing customers to add an extra kick to their meals. This partnership brings a bold, spicy twist to classic menu items with fan-favorite hot sauce.

Retail Safari® What it is, How it works.

What is a Retail Safari^®? We bring you retail innovation and inspiration from around the world, every day.

Retail Safari^® is WSL’s proprietary process (yes, it‘s trademarked) that immerses your organization in places you may not think to look for innovation. You will find inspiration from around the world for strategies and programs that will set you apart and help you grow.

It’s a one-stop resource grounded in our proprietary shopper and retail insights, supported with innovation processes and toolkits that an exciting culture of creative thinking that boldly drives your growth. All powered by WSL’s retail research insights and tailored to your goals.

Custom Quote

We customize our Retail Safari® to your needs.

We curate the best-in-class global retail concepts (physical and digital) based on emerging trends we identify in our shopper research that predict the future of your retail. Our scouts around the world continuously assess what’s new and why it’s relevant. We can customize themes to your specific needs and we deliver all this to you any way you want it. To fit your budget.

Virtual Retail Safari®

We inspire you and your teams with regular curated deliveries to your inbox of what’s next at retail. No need to leave your desk. Or we can bring the Retail Safari® to you in a virtual session where you have opportunities to ask questions, discuss and build ideas, conveniently.

Retail Safari® In a Box

Call it the DIY Safari. We develop everything for you and package it up so you can conduct your own in-market Retail Safari® but with all our guidance and inspiration behind the scenes.

Retail Safari® Photo Library

We catalog all our tours by trend, topic, and category, so you have ongoing access to imagery. Ideal for teams to use for program inspiration, joint business planning, and thought leadership meetings with customers, for internal strategy sessions or corporate training. Housed in our WSL library, it’s easily accessible and customizable.

Retail Safari® Live

We create a live, in-person event, in a market, customized to your specific issues or topics. Our experts collaborate with you to identify the subject, identify and scout the market, build out the tour, and unique tools to inspire before, during, and after the event. Plus, a framework and action steps that deliver bold, differentiated shopper and retail solutions.

`Our proprietary Retail Safari^® empowers you to anticipate the future of retail` through emerging, relevant retail concepts from around the world.

Our Retail Safari® brings amazing retail concepts to you, in easy-to-follow visual reports, video streams, in-person events, and more. From New York to London, from China to California, our scouts continuously search out the latest retail innovations often in most surprising forms – so you’re prepared for what’s next.

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Get our latest thinking on what’s next with shoppers and retail.

The Retail Safari® is a much smarter way to tour stores. We go to stores that make us think outside our walls and using the Retail Safari® guide map taught my team how to look at the elements of a store that impact shoppers. It’s a productive tool to find new ideas we can take to retailers to impact our brands in their stores.

VP Sales // Health Care Company

You used innovative tools to help us create really smart ideas to drive the Bath & Body Works business. The Retail Safari® was efficient, productive and won the respect of our team and senior management.

VP Consumer Insights // Bath & Body Works

Thank you for your leadership during our Retail Safari® last week! You did a fantastic job setting our path and keeping us focused and on track. The debrief at the end is the most important part and while we were all spent at the end of the day, you were able to get a strong list of action items out of us! We were all impressed that you were able to get us to 9 stores in one day and it didn’t feel overwhelming. Great job!

Director, Category Management // Keurig Dr. Pepper

I love your virtual safaris. It’s a way to get in touch with retail innovation in a time-effective way. I learn something new or I’m prompted to think about an initiative in a new way every time I am with you all-thank you!! Great presentation – was very value-added.

Retail Safari® Virtual Event // Attendee

Target is well-known for terrific marketing, but we also know the power of smart ideas from external sources, and that is when we call WSL Strategic Retail.