Melinda Deines

Supermarket

How Supermarket Brands Can Make Grocery Shopping Fun

Grocery retailers fared better than most through the past five years: despite the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, global conflicts, and inflation, supermarkets are thriving. People need to eat, so it could be assumed supermarkets are invulnerable. However, two key factors suggest otherwise. Firstly, competition intensifies with international discount brands, with Lidl and Aldi entering North

How Supermarket Brands Can Make Grocery Shopping Fun Read More »

AI Regulations

How will AI be Regulated? What Brands Need to Know

Lawmakers around the world are scrambling to regulate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The European Union (EU) recently passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, while President Biden has signed several executive orders regarding advanced AI. Canada’s Bill C-27, not yet passed, attempts to regulate AI but has come under heavy criticism for being insufficient. As retail

How will AI be Regulated? What Brands Need to Know Read More »

Trust

Building Brand Trust in an Age of Deep Fakes, Bot Factories & Angry AI

In 2021 we launched a consumer study series to understand how misinformation impacted consumers. We discovered that despite an emerging skepticism, there was a high level of optimism as the pandemic appeared to be subsiding and life was finally “returning to normal.” Today, inflation, the war in Ukraine, climate-related extreme weather, and political division unfolding

Building Brand Trust in an Age of Deep Fakes, Bot Factories & Angry AI Read More »

Think outside the box

Breaking Category Norms: 6 Brands That Went Against The Flow

In the world of brand strategy, there are norms in each category that are considered to be the wisdom of the day. These rules are in flux, responding to changing market dynamics and consumer expectations, but it is uncommon for brands to deviate from norms. Occasionally, however, someone decides to go against the flow. In

Breaking Category Norms: 6 Brands That Went Against The Flow Read More »

Theft versus Experience: A Behavioral Approach to Self-Checkouts

Self-checkouts should be working better than they do. Although consumers are warming up to them, theft related to a cashier-less experience is so extreme that some retailers are pulling them out. Others are amping up deterrence measures, but many of these practices are rubbing consumers the wrong way. Is there a better approach? In this

Theft versus Experience: A Behavioral Approach to Self-Checkouts Read More »