CVS Archives - WSL Strategic Retail

Forget Channels. The Shopper Is the Center of Distribution

July 15, 2025 by Maryann Javier

Blog banner featuring people of different ages and ethnicities within circular frames with blurry people walking in the background

Retailers and brands are talking more about the demise of channels as shoppers get whatever they want, when and wherever they want. This behavior is not new, but its imprint is beginning to show profoundly, with many retailers struggling to remain relevant. Is the power of the consumer, as in “branded touchpoints” the answer? It’s ... Read more

4 Households, 9 Channels: The ‘New’ Population Shopping Path

September 25, 2024September 25, 2024 by Maryann Javier

Main blog banner featuring single person, multi-generational household, hispanic family, and older couple

Today’s average household is leaning toward a new population of Hispanics, Boomers, multigenerational dwellers and singles. What retail channels do these demographic segments prefer to shop, and which retail brands? We dug into our 2024 How America Shops® population survey to find out. Are You Merchandising for These New Consumer Households? Forget about the “nuclear” ... Read more

Millions of Shoppers Take Diet Drugs. What’s In Their Shopping Carts?

May 7, 2024 by Maryann Javier

GLP-1 Nutrition blog main banner featuring pharmacist, medications, and people using weight loss apps

By 2030, an estimated 15 million people are expected to be using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. We wanted to know: What opportunities does this present for food retailers and brands? If people on weight-loss programs buy less food, how do they compensate for nutrition? We’re asking users of weight-loss programs how changes in diet ... Read more

If You Can’t Make It Cheaper, Then How About Easier?

May 1, 2024April 10, 2024 by Maryann Javier

Blog banner featuring woman getting employee assistance at self checkout

More than eight in 10 shoppers prioritize price over convenience when choosing where to shop, our How America Shops® research shows. So how do they choose where to shop when prices are high everywhere? Ease could provide that competitive advantage, but shoppers tell us retailers have to get better at it. When All Prices Are ... Read more

New Shopper Habits are Forcing Stores to Change The Space

February 7, 2023August 3, 2021 by WslAdmin

Collage of new shopper habits, including curbside and in-store pickup and retail pharmacy

Guess what? Shoppers grew to really like those quicker trips during the pandemic, and that’s forcing all retailers to rethink the space in their brick stores. We explored some ways retailers are reinventing their space to accommodate customers who have changed their focus, and our research hints at where it’s heading. Stores Are Luring Shoppers ... Read more