Phew! We’ve just survived holiday trading, slogged through that horrible month of February when consumers are strapped for cash and their Chrissie credit card bills arrive, and finally we’re into the “regular” months of retail...

Imagine the customer’s mind as a crowded supermarket shelf. Where does your retail brand sit? Are you front and centre? Do you take pride of place at eye level? Are you next to the market-leading brand? Or are you an also-ran, relegated to a d...

The French have a delightful expression for window shopping: They call it 'leche-vitrine', or literally 'licking the windows'. The phrase is highly appropriate for the huge number of exquisite and tantalising patisseries, confiseries and chocolati...

“The future”, as William Gibson once said, “is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed.”So when I say that the future belongs to retailers who can successfully engage in one-on-one 'conversations with customers', ...

In the second decade of the 21st century, you’d think we would be way past 'yell and sell' retail TV advertising.But alas, our senses are still assaulted daily by the likes of Victoria’s Basement, Harvey Norman and Godfrey’s. The fo...

With all the buzz about 'new media' in the last year or two (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) it’s sometimes easy to overlook the power of 'old media'.And one of the most powerful of all is the good old fashioned store window.I was reminded of the stre...

Fans of the legendary US sitcom Seinfeld might remember the episode called “The Glasses”, where Kramer encourages George to visit a particular optometrist and mention his name in order to get 30 per cent off.  “Retail is fo...

Over the last few weeks, I’ve discussed some of the influences that will affect retail in the coming decade: • Considered Consumption – consumers thinking more carefully about every shopping trip and considering not only whether the...

Last week, three-time world champion Australian boxer Danny Green destroyed icon Roy Jones Jr. in just one round to take the IBO cruiserweight title. Meanwhile, in the US, a fascinating fight of a different kind is taking place between the undisputed...

In the late 1990’s, a struggling US electronics manufacturer decided it had had enough of being squeezed by retailers for margin, and being undercut by private label brands. So a plan was hatched to “go vertical”; take the brand dir...

With 2010 on our doorstep, it’s a good time to start thinking about the influences that will affect retail in the coming decade. Over the next few weeks, I’ll point to some of the more interesting trends I’ve observed and provide ex...

OK, time to take a break. Grab a coffee, minimise that Excel spreadsheet and get ready to be entertained for a minute or two. I’ll throw in a little bit of analysis, just so you still feel you’re getting something out of reading this colu...

One of the cautionary tales of the US recession has been that of Abercrombie & Fitch. The once high-flying, hip teen fashion retailer has come crashing to earth over the last 12 months, largely as a result of a failure to move with the times.Not ...

There’s likely to be a lot of red around in the US this Christmas, and I’m not talking just on Santa’s costume. In a spending season predicted to be 1% down on sales compared to last year, there’ll be blood on the streets as A...

How’s this for a party trick? I can show you how to forecast with reasonable accuracy the next 12 month’s advertising and promotional plan of any Australian retailer you care to name. You won’t require a crystal ball or complex fore...