Social Archives - WSL Strategic Retail

The Human Store: How Hy-Vee, Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret and Camp Do it

November 24, 2023November 24, 2021 by WslAdmin

Adults and their kids exploring colorful, interactive store exhibit banner

Among the reinvented retail formats we have seen that meet post-pandemic shopper expectations, few resonate as deeply as the efforts by some retailers and brands to create authentic, human experiences. What does this mean? From our recent Future Shop® podcast, WSL leaders explain what makes a “human store,” with boots-on-the-ground, Retail Safari® examples. Your Store ... Read more

Gen Z Cares But Expects Retailers to Care More

February 7, 2023October 19, 2021 by WslAdmin

Gen Z woman wearing mask with shopping icons floating around her - banner

Members of Gen Z care about social issues, but they also demand that retailers and brands make sustainable, conscious consumerism easy to achieve. We pulled Gen Z responses from two How America Shops® 2021 reports and compiled the results, to reveal a telling pattern. Do You Really Know What Gen Z Cares About? WSL’s recent How America Shops® study, “The ... Read more

How Do Retailers Win Minorities’ Trust? By Doing Something

February 14, 2023August 19, 2020 by WslAdmin

It’s easy for retailers to say they care about Black customers, but what are they doing to prove it in the store every day? This issue is more pressing now as the pandemic, racial strife and financial concerns heighten stress among all shoppers and store workers. For our latest How America Shops® research, we asked ... Read more

Stores are Reopening | Lessons for Retailers

July 24, 2023May 26, 2020 by WslAdmin

As pandemic-related business restrictions ease and retailers reopen, they will be evaluated by how much they show they care about protecting their shoppers. Retailers have an immense responsibility for the attitude and presentation of their stores, in addition to the safety of all inside. We took a few shopping trips and found some good examples ... Read more

Shoppers Need Mental Relief: How Brands & Retailers Can Help

July 24, 2023May 13, 2020 by WslAdmin

Shoppers Need Mental Relief blog banner featuring illustrations of abstract figures struggling with mental health

Consumers have been trying to minimize stress for some time, including in their shopping trips. Now COVID-19 has added an unpredicted level of complexity and angst to that pursuit. We looked into how brands and retailers are easing stress among pandemic-minded shoppers, and came back with three guidelines. Shoppers Need Mental Therapy. How are You ... Read more

Caring During COVID-19 Crisis: Learning from Costco, CVS, Alibaba and Others

July 24, 2023March 18, 2020 by WslAdmin

Caring During COVID-19 Crisis blog banner featuring inside of a RiteAid during COVID pandemic

The most important acts retailers and brands can take while scrambling to adapt to the COVID-19 epidemic are acts of kindness. Based on the results of our recent “Caring Score” research, shoppers are most likely to stick to those retailers and brands that are proving now that they care about their workers and communities. From ... Read more

Find Out How Retailers are Eliminating Packaging

July 24, 2023March 2, 2020 by WslAdmin

The fringe movement of sustainability is moving into the mainstream, fast. Nearly 90% of your shoppers are reusing the bottles and bags their products come in, and we predict they will focus on “first-use” packaging next. The WSL “Fill’er Up” report shows how three merchants are eliminating waste and discovered the movement is well beyond ... Read more

What does ‘Change Now’ Mean? 5 Shopping Shifts to Watch

February 14, 2023February 19, 2020 by WslAdmin

Forget merchandise, Forget promotions. Forget ads. Being a part of change today means accepting that shoppers expect retail to play a fundamentally different role in their lives. And they expect it Now. Our How America Shops® report, “Change Now,” is a real-time example of how much faster change is occurring now. The controversies surrounding climate ... Read more

A New Set of Values is Changing Shopping Life

July 24, 2023January 14, 2020 by WslAdmin

In 2020, brands and retailers are shifting their focus to paying it forward, with missions that support responsible living, global preservation, inclusion and other practices that support positive change. But how do you prioritize what will make shoppers happy? WSL’s latest How America Shops® research delves into the new shopper values. It’s 2020, Do You ... Read more

6 Themes in Retail Wellness, from WSL’s WELL Symposium

July 21, 2023December 17, 2019 by WslAdmin

The wellness culture is taking over consumerism, but how well is it established in your company culture? At WSL’s WELL Symposium, executives from Nordstrom, CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Zappos and others shared their firsthand experiences of integrating WELL into retail. In Retail, Wellness Must Carry from Cart to Culture There’s little wonder retailers see the Big ... Read more