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.

Wellness, The Shopper’s Way:
New Retail Safari® Newsletter

Wellness isn’t a category — it’s a culture. Today’s shoppers define it on their own terms, blending mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing into one lifelong pursuit. In this issue, we explore how brands and retailers are rising to the occasion — making wellness easier to understand, shop, and trust.

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 Top Innovator featuring Kiko Milano sold out message

Kiko Milano – Miami, FL

Instead of just an empty space causing shoppers to wonder where the product is, Kiko Milano takes the questions out of the equation with a simple yet on-brand sold out message… the product is just “too cool” to keep in stock.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Van Leeuwen $20 keychain for $3 Summer scoops

Van Leeuwen – New York, NY

Local New York ice cream favorite, Van Leeuwen, offered customers the chance to unlock $3 scoops all summer long. Neighbors could purchase the $20 key chain in June and access the special pricing until September.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Whole Foods holistic wellness endcap

Whole Foods – New York, NY

Wellness is holistic, and Whole Foods excels at curating endcaps that honor total body wellness. This “buzz-worthy” collection introduces brands that nurture and nourish everyone in the family, kids included!

WSL Top Innovator featuring Fwee's first US store offering free blush keychains with purchases

Fwee – New York, NY

In honor of opening their first US store, fwee, a K-beauty favorite, is offering free blush-filled keychains with every purchase. Shoppers can customize their keychains with blush and keychain color choices.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Walmart's back to school eye care endcap sign

Walmart – Rutherford, NJ

Back to school doesn’t just mean new school supplies; it is the perfect opportunity to update your wardrobe and refresh your eye care. Walmart reminds shoppers that they can do all the back-to-school prep there with affordable options.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Target's pre-curated room designs with furniture, accessories, and products for dorms

Target – Omaha, NE

Designing your first college dorm can be stressful. Target is making it easier by offering four pre-curated room designs with furniture, accessories, and more. Each collection speaks to a different style and can be explored in its own dedicated shelving space.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Cabela's localized fishing regulations poster

Cabela’s – Omaha, NE

Whether you are visiting the area or getting into a new outdoor activity, Cabela’s takes its fishing department to educational heights by highlighting the local fishing rules & regulations – a great reminder for all fishermen.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Il Bistonte's "aging is beautiful" sign showcasing their leather bags over time

Il Bisonte – New York, NY

Il Bisonte welcomes shoppers in by flipping the script on fast fashion, showing leather that gets better — not worse — with time. A simple yet intriguing message that isn't just product longevity; it's design that rewards patience, care, and life lived.

WSL Top Innovator featuring Rare Beauty's scratch-and-sniff billboards promoting their first scent

Rare Beauty – New York, NY

Three scratch-and-sniff billboards were installed in Manhattan to tease Rare Beauty’s first scent. People could scratch specific areas on the advertisements and get a whiff of the new perfume before it hits shelves.

Retail Safari® What it is, How it works.

WSL Retail Safari^®creates a culture of innovation in your organization. It inspires new thinking, identifies new opportunities and creates new solutions, fast…

How We Help You Win

Stay Ahead – Our global scouts uncover game-changing retail trends before they go mainstream.
Customized for You – Whether you need quick inspiration or deep strategy, we tailor Retail Safari® to your goals.
Actionable Insights – Grounded in shopper research, we connect innovation to real consumer behavior.

The opportunities are endless – let’s build the future of retail together!

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Our Retail Safari® Tools

At WSL Strategic Retail, we don’t just track trends—we reveal what’s next and help you act on it. Our Retail Safari® Toolkit offers curated journeys into the world’s most innovative retail concepts, turning insights into actionable strategies to keep you ahead.

Retailer Immersions

An exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how retailers are shaping the future. With immersive, on-location experiences, you’ll gain insider insights into strategies, store concepts, and shopper engagement tactics you won’t find anywhere else.

Retail Safari® In a Box

Call it the DIY Retail Safari®. We develop everything for you: expert-curated insights, must-see stores – and other locations, step-by-step guidance so you know what to look at, and a map so you can conduct your own in-market Retail Safari®.

Retail Safari® Virtual

This brings curated, topic-specific innovation to you virtually through an interactive presentation, designed to inspire action and drive results from you desktop. Option to include a workshop session to develop practical takeaways for your business.

Retail Safari® Live

A customized, in-person Retail Safari® built around your business needs. We take you to the most relevant, inspiring retail spaces – physical and digital, where you’ll experience cutting-edge concepts. Includes a facilitated workshop to develop practical takeaways for your business.

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

Each edition of our Retail Safari® Newsletter is curated around your interests and the challenges you want to solve. Explore standout global, physical, and digital breakthroughs in retail innovation that spark fresh thinking and inspire new ideas. Plus, access to our searchable photo library.

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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.