At the height of the Global Financial Crisis, when the economic sky was crashing in, commentators like J. Walker Smith of the Yankelovich Monitor were predicting a fundamental shift in consumerism. “The recent experience of frugality has ush...

In 1975, a Californian advertising executive called Gary Dahl invented the Pet Rock. This was the perfect pet: you never needed to feed, water or clean up after it, because it was literally a lump of stone. Lovingly nestled in straw, then placed i...

It’s easy to be seduced by sophisticated fit-outs and marketing approaches in retail. 'Glossy and glamorous' is more attractive than 'down and dirty'. It’s the sexy retail experiences that often make the headlines - but are they the ones ...

The Pixar animated classic 'Wall-E', set in 2105, paints a sobering, satirical picture of the future of retail.  In a world trashed (literally) by rampant consumerism, the single remaining retailer (and company for that matter) is a megacorp...

It used to be that the most powerful four-letter word in a retailer’s armoury was 'Sale'. And while the tactic is definitely not dead, the abuse and overuse of the term 'Sale' has certainly blunted its effect. Department stores are particul...

Trendwatching.com first coined the term 'Pop Up Retail' in January 2004. As the trend forecasting website noted at the time, “if new products can come and go, why can’t the stores that display them do the same?” Since then, Pop Up h...

There’s a mobile Korean Taco truck in Los Angeles called 'Kogi', which has based its business model on being one of the world’s first “tweetailers”. It’s a very simple recipe. Make great tacos, put your restaurant on...

The shift to 'value' has been the megatrend in retail for several years. As a retailer, if you’re not providing your own compelling version of value, you’re probably not in business. Gwen Morrison of international retail intelligence ...

A quick quiz: What’s the second most valuable retail brand in the world today? If you guessed Walmart, Tesco or Carrefour – or in fact any bricks-and-mortar retailer – you would be way off the pace. According to a report released...

“The future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed.” So said science fiction author William Gibson. And he could have been talking about retail. On the recent Westfield World Retail Study Tour, our first stop w...

One of the hazards of retailing in the internet age is that customers can get expert advice on products in your store and then once they’ve made their selection, go ahead and purchase at the best price online. It’s not only irritating,...

Would you put your faith in someone you don’t really know to help you make a critical decision? Millions of consumers do just that every day, via product reviews on websites, the opinions of influential commentators or bloggers, or the say-so ...

In a quiet corner of the Malibu Country Mart – an upscale anti-mall just outside of LA – sits one view of the future of retail. And it looks an awful lot like the past. The store in question is called Double RL & Co. and it peddles...

Taking part in a World Retail Study Tour, as I have been over the last couple of weeks, is sometimes like mining for diamonds. You have to drill through a hell of a lot of rock before you discover a gem. That’s what happened in London last week...

A man walks in to an oasis after being lost for days in the desert. He’s desperate for a drink, so what do you do? You give him a glass of water, of course. But if that’s all you provide, you may be doing both the parched soul and you...