Destination Pop-Ups Boost Sales With Local Flavor
Branded activations are projected to fuel a $740 million market by 2020, according to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). In an experience economy, pop-ups can draw a crowd based on excitement and engagement. But the most memorable experiences aren’t only about delivering a branded experience. By not only reinforcing the brand’s values but also
LEARN MORE >Window Display Goes Big Just in Time for Holiday
In a world where we are bombarded with constant information, art is still one of the biggest forms of inspiration. When harnessed in the retail sphere, art draws customers in, evokes emotion and tells a story. Window display is a highly visual experience and in high-volume foot traffic environments, where hundreds—if not thousands—of customers pass
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The Art of Retail: The Rise of the Pop-Up Department Store
First, there were stand-alone pop-ups. Then, there were pop-up collectives, rooted in community. Now, retail is embracing a new kind of pop-up space modeled after the department store, but there’s a twist: these new pop-up department stores are showcasing digitally native D2C brands in prime real estate in areas—like Manhattan, where retail space is exorbitantly
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Airport Retail — How It Can Help Your Retail Operation Thrive
Been in an airport recently? With the summer travel season upon us, travelers will be crowding into airports—and spending hours waiting for their planes to take off. That gives them hours to do much more than watch CNN or screen gaze: in short, it gives them a prime opportunity to shop. While the rest of the retail-sphere
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It’s Raining Menswear
Since the dawn of time (or at least since the start of mass-market retail), womenswear has been the dominant force in the apparel market. Dresses, shoes, blouses, handbags—you name it; driving sales in these apparel categories was the ultimate goal underlying retailers’ marketing strategy, and menswear was second-fiddle. But now, an unexpected shift is fast-approaching:
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To Boost ROI, Emerging Brands Unite—and Pop-Up
In the past five years, social media has served as a reliable launching pad for emerging brands. Take retailer Fashion Nova’s success with influencer campaigns, or eyewear brand Warby Parker’s ubiquitous Instagram ads. But recently, social media’s usefulness has begun to wane, as platforms become saturated with advertising – and consumers are taking notice. Each month, 71%
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Tech Just for Her: Does Gendered Marketing Work in Tech?
Inclusivity. A big trend hitting retail over the past year. Gender neutrality and gender fluidity are permeating product offerings and retail displays. But at the same exact time, another contradictory trend is impacting the retail space – particularly in the consumer electronics sector. And that trend is gendered marketing. New brands are cropping up left and
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CPG Converts March Madness into Retail Theater
It’s coming down to the final wire. We’ve spent the past few weeks glued to our TVs and live streaming devices, cheering on our favorite college basketball teams. It’s March Madness (though it’s almost April!), and it hasn’t just infiltrated our psyche, it’s made inroads in our markets – supermarkets that is. Consumer packaged goods
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Why Old School and New School Home Decorating and Home Goods Brands Need to Team Up to Reach Millennials
If you’re a millennial, you’ve probably come across a targeted Instagram ad for new home decorating icon Buffy comforters. Or perhaps you saw the Casper mattress ad campaign on your daily subway commute. Maybe your friend is sporting some new kitchen tools from Material. While the home decorating market has traditionally been dominated by a handful of massive
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Will Digital Personalization be the Top Retail Trend of 2019?
In 2019, we have more choices than ever before. And maybe that’s a bad thing. Or… maybe not. It depends if the choices lead to true and meaningful digital personalization. See for yourself: when women search for make-up concealer on Amazon, they’ll get back over 10,000 (!) results – but which one of the thousands
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The Intersection of Media and Merchandise: The “As Seen on TV” Pop-Up Strategy
Media has always been intertwined with retail. Media and merchandise. From the full-page ads in print newspapers and magazines to the product placements on daily news shows, the consumer has always been shown advertisements in conjunction with media. But the way consumers digest news is changing, and so is advertising. CMOs are shaking up their
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Achieving an Authentic Edge: The Brandless Impact Opportunity
Everyone has heard the old adage “less is more.” Maybe you even live by the acronym KISS – “keep it simple, stupid.” But where and how does this minimalistic philosophy lend itself to retail? If you’re one of the biggest up-and-coming brands, it’s the backbone of your company. Consumers (and investors) are falling in love with
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Calculated Risk: A Marketing Lesson Learned from the Nike Kaepernick Gamble
Last year’s Nick Foles Super Bowl trick play on 4th down for the TD. Going for the three-point buzzer beater and the Big Dance win. The defensive slide tackle on a counter that’s either a PK or a game-saving stop at World Cup. Sports are all about risks. And in early September, we saw an awesome
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Timberland’s Flex Retail Marketing: Pop-Ups That Don’t Feel Like Pop-Ups
In the world of pop-ups, ideas fly fast and furious. But who would have thought that one of the freshest would come from a legacy brand out of Stratham, New Hampshire? We’ll call it flex retail marketing. Timberland recently launched a “flex” retail pop-up store that is full of life – literally. The 3,500-square-foot retail space (conveniently
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The Importance of Transparent and Sustainable Fashion
Plastic has had a bad year. People are saying ‘no’ to plastic straws to save sea turtles. Government officials are passing laws to ban plastic shopping bags. And reusable water bottle sales are soaring. So what does this have to do with fashion? Well, everything. Especially as more people start to realize that the fashion
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The Incredible Power of Movie Retail Partnerships
Soon to be released on DVD, Incredibles 2 has already stirred up a world of marketing buzz for movie retail partnerships. For the cinematic release in June, Disney partnered with no fewer than 14 brands ranging from McDonald’s to Zillow. The latter listed the Parr family home on its site, allowing visitors to explore every room
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Are You Ready for Holiday Retail 2018?
We are happy to present Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender as our Guest Bloggers this week writing about holiday retail. Rich and Georganne are consumer anthropologists, keynote speakers, authors, consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in retail, restaurant, hospitality, death care, and service industries since 1990. Fourth Quarter, the Golden Quarter; the big one
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Athleisure Isn’t Going Away, It’s Going Up
Sports brands aren’t just for athletes anymore. Athleisure has been disrupting the sports and fashion industries for some time. But now this trend is gaining massive momentum beyond the confines of these two sectors. In 2016, for the first time ever, leggings outpaced jeans in online sales, marking a huge shift towards athleisure casualwear. Consider that
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Plants, Fizz and the Pursuit of Healthiness at the 2018 Fancy Food Show
Three days. Six football fields of walking, 2,600 exhibitor stands, 200,000 specialty products. Eating our way through the 2018 Fancy Food Show was an exhausting – yet delicious – task. The event was never more timely. The specialty food market is on the rise, marking 12.9% growth and $140.3 billion in sales in 2017. Compare that
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Grocery Trends That Are Stimulating In-Store Sales
Food and beverage grocery trends are very much a hot topic, even becoming a default cocktail party, nice-to-meet-you conversation starter. It’s interesting then, with all this focus, physical grocery store expansion slowed in 2017. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad year for the category. In fact, there was a bit of a revolution
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