Tag: Issue 24

October 25, 2016
Research Issue 24

Ode to Retail: Death of the Traditional Mall

Ode to Retail: Death of the Traditional Mall
A demographic bellwether, the city of Columbus, Ohio, has long been a favored test market for brands. When restaurants tweak ingredients for a new breakfast sandwich, or a retail chain tests a new store format, it’s often this Midwestern city, the nation’s 15th largest, where they do the fine-tuning. In this way, Columbus makes an...

October 25, 2016
Trends Issue 24

The Drive-Thru of the Future

The Drive-Thru of the Future
In lieu of a crystal ball, the next best thing is sometimes simply a patent search. In recent years, a veritable flood of patent applications has re-imaged the decades-old and staid format of the drive-thru lane. Read through a few dozen patent applications as I did recently, and only one conclusion is possible: The traditional...

October 25, 2016
Project Work Issue 24

The North Face

The North Face
The North Face, maker of one of the country’s most popular lines of performance apparel, equipment, footwear and related sportswear, is all about pushing the limits, as captured in its mantra “Never Stop Exploring.” The company wanted to find ways to improve customer experience in their owned-stores and create an omni-channel strategy, so it turned...