July 17, 2018

Specialty Retail vs Amazon

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Specialty retailers might believe they’re superior fashion players, but they can’t ignore the apparel industry’s incoming Goliath. Amazon will soon dominate the $217 billion-dollar US apparel market. Upending fashion conventions is one thing. Volume and scale are another. Can specialty retailers survive Amazon’s rise in apparel? Sometime this year, Amazon will become the biggest apparel...

July 17, 2018

Trends Issue 32

The Rise of Surveillance Commerce

Is it good for brands?

A good friend considers it amusing if bordering on disconcerting. He and his wife have been endlessly discussing the pros and cons of a color refresh to their brick Colonial. Coincidentally, or maybe not, he’s now seeing nothing but Benjamin Moore ads online. Has something, or someone, somewhere been listening? Or did he search Houzz...

July 17, 2018

Research Issue 32

How do you beat Amazon at their own game?

100% of Those Surveyed Say Customer Service is No. 1

Our consumer culture isn’t very analog anymore. It has been disrupted by an array of new digital technologies. What with Amazon, AI-aided buying on Alexa, same-hour delivery, dying malls, cashier-less stores, instant product reviews, and you name it, each day some new tech advance appears to be… coming for your brand. Shepherding a brand while...

July 17, 2018

Readers' Poll Issue 32

If local retailers adopted same-day shipping, would you buy less from Amazon?

July 17, 2018

What If... Issue 32

What If Amazon Buys Target?

With the Whole Foods merger complete and Prime members receiving exclusive discounts as a part of the new Whole Foods loyalty program, the recent Amazon acquisition seems to be a success (at least for some). The seamless integration of these two seemingly opposite brands has many asking who is next on the Amazon’s shopping list....