Consumers are eager to support brands and companies that show an authentic intention to promote sustainable activities. In this article we will go through different micro trends that are attached to the big “sustainability trend” among companies and consumers and we will provide examples to demonstrate the current scenario. Greenwashing According to the Greenwashing Index, the term is used when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be “green” through advertising [...]

Retail is a large industry and it covers a long process from chain of suppliers to the moment of checkout. As shopper behavior keeps changing, the whole category tries to keep up. When considering innovations that are gaining acceptance, what may link them is the intent to make shopping experiences more enjoyable. Nowadays, e-commerce has created the need to counteract any factor that could make a shopping trip unpleasant. The innovations we have chosen were [...]

Even though the latest research carried out by Shikhar Ghosh at Harvard Business School shows that 75% of all start-ups fail, some of the most successful and revolutionary companies (Twitter) today were once start-ups. Launching a new enterprise is always risky whether we assess a small business or initiatives within larger corporations. In this context, a new methodology is gaining force: the Lean Startup. Dealing with uncertainty What does it mean that they fail? The [...]

It is quite difficult for a new product to succeed in the market for more than a year. Changing consumer needs, shorter product life cycles, new technologies and increased competition from domestic and global companies demand the creation of new products to stay in the game. The problem is that more than half of all products launched will not sustain their first-year sales performance during their second year. This is a global dilemma with some [...]

Last year, J.C. Penney new CEO, Ron Johnson, decided to put an end to “fake prices,” those that consumers see in tags but seldom pay because they are used to coupons and sales. Johnson’s plan was to sell products at cheaper everyday prices and his statements had to do with the company making an effort to “stop playing games” with customers. The problem was that shoppers love the idea of markdowns and Johnson’s strategy was [...]

  Trendwatching latest report on “Clean Slate Brands” announces that consumers are now attracted to unknown brands with no heritage and history and thus new brands are suddenly enjoying consumer approval. Even if this has been spot-on for early adopters for some time now, we wonder whether more traditional shoppers will forgo their familiar choices as well. The Shift Historically, many brands that now seem “old” where established during the industrial capitalism period. Profit was [...]

We are passionate about shopper behavior. We firmly believe that the more store owners observe, the more they will be able to improve shopper experience and sales. This becomes especially important when thinking about store layouts. Most managers know that the way product display, counters and aisles are arranged affect shopper behavior and even a crowded aisle may prevent sales. Even the best product of your top-selling brand can sit in shelves with no one [...]

When talking about food trends, experts usually comment on weather conditions, droughts affecting crop yields and its impact on food production and prices (everyone seems to agree they will continue to rise in the years to come). But today we will focus on how consumers are making companies evolve regarding their products and services; that is, we will focus on social trends regarding food. After reading many forecasts, we focused mostly on Phil Lempert’s predictions. [...]

When exploring the evolution of shopping fashion on a budget, Roy Halston, the king of disco era fashion, debuted with a line at the respected department store JcPenney as early as 1983. Probably, this was the first truly “masstige” fashion line: a mass market fashion line developed and licensed by a high-end designer or brand. But this is no fairy tale story, the line was a huge hit but it simultaneously “downgraded” the Halston brand [...]

Woody Bendle wrote such an interesting post that we decided to share and work with it. He focuses on innovation related to shopper experience in retail by building a coherent framework as well as understanding of shoppers’ needs. Bill Gates once said “I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts.” Although most people will think of brand new products or businesses or [...]