Retail Archives

Part 1: Artificial Intelligence and the Retail Industry

Leave a Comment / Business development, Customer Experience, Digital Experiences / Sebastian Maynard

When you hear the words “artificial intelligence,” what pops into your mind? Maybe you think about Westworld or self-driving cars or robot soldiers, maybe chatbots or video game characters. But what exactly constitutes AI? Today we’re talking to Kunal Chopra, a business transformation and management consultant who specializes in optimizing delivery models. This is going to […]

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INSPIRE ’19

Think Global Conference

SLD Sponsors RGD Award for Packaging Design (Series)

How to Turn Growth Consumers into Core Consumers

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

The core consumer is the foundation of a brand. Companies are formed to solve their pain points, campaigns are designed to pique their interest, and products are developed to keep them coming back. However, oftentimes a promising new consumer arrives on the horizon – leading to the dilemma of how to spend precious corporate resources

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Worksheet: Project Charter

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / Sebastian Maynard

Every project needs to be clearly defined from the onset to ensure the efforts and investment provide the greatest chance for success. A poorly defined direction or desired outcome has the potential of creating internal strife, anxiety and lack of cohesion, putting at risk not only the given initiative but many future projects as companies

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“The Most Interesting Store in the World”

Customer Experience, Environmental Design / Sebastian Maynard

It’s fairly bold to dub yourself the most interesting anything, so if nothing else, Showfields, and their “most interesting store in the world” gets points for audacity. But dig a little deeper into the mysterious retail experiment, House of SHOWFIELDS, and it’s hard to deny that there is something interesting indeed about the concept. Showfields is

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Sustainable Packaging That You Can Plant, Eat and Re-Use

Packaging Design / Sebastian Maynard

In a previous article, we discussed some retail trends related to packaging, including e-commerce optimization and plastic-free packaging. The commitment to reduce the use of plastic in packaging has now become simply a matter of “when,” not “if.” CPG giants, including The Coca-Cola Company, MARS, PepsiCo, and Unilever have pledged to use 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable

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How to Develop a Customer Journey Map

Brand Engagement, Customer Experience / Sebastian Maynard

Do you understand your customer? It’s no longer enough to just know their age bracket, gender, and general interests. Do you know what emotions they’re feeling while looking to satisfy their needs? What thoughts go through their head when walking through a retail store? What online platforms they browse and what time of day they

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Gen Z’s Perspective on Retail Experience

Brand Strategy, Customer Experience, Digital Experiences, Environmental Design / Sebastian Maynard

Since the breakthrough of technology, Millennials have changed the way retailers must accommodate shopping patterns. However, as “digital natives” Gen Z shoppers are creating an even bigger impact and challenge for retailers to provide the desired retail experience. Although Gen Z’s are typically thought of to be heavily reliant on technology, their shopping habits are

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How Self-Driving Cars Will Impact Retailers

Brand Strategy, Customer Experience, Design Innovation, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Imagine the day a car can become an extension of your living room, where you can continue your leisurely activity of choice while being transported to your final destination. Well, it could be coming as soon as 2030! Self-driving cars are all over the news, with much publicity and anticipation as this futuristic marvel is quickly

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Why Should Consumers Share their Data with You?

Leave a Comment / Brand Engagement, Customer Experience / Sebastian Maynard

Every retail brand on the planet is talking about consumer data and it’s being pitched as the magical key to personalization, which in turn promises greater loyalty and repeat purchases. Having Amazon prompt you to repurchase an item like toilet paper might seem innocuous and maybe even helpful. However, the line between personalized and downright

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The Evolution of Brand Activism

Brand Strategy, Business development, Corporate Identity / Sebastian Maynard

Not only does a successful brand clearly define a unique and ownable position in the market, they also deliver on their promise and make an emotional connection with their customers. Brand assets such as tradition and performance are still relevant to consumers; however, these are ceasing to determine solely whether a person buys from one

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What the End of Mass Consumption Means for Retailers

Business development, Design Innovation, Packaging Design, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Marie Kondo has made the old adage “less is more” feel fresh again. In her popular Netflix show she helps people de-clutter homes by asking them to decide if the items they own spark joy. Anything that doesn’t meet this standard simply shouldn’t be in your home, she posits. The idea, one that resonates with many, is

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Unique Ways to Gain Customer Feedback

Brand Engagement, Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

96 percent of unhappy customers will not tell the business they are upset with – but will share their dissatisfaction with 15 friends. With the prevalence of how quickly negative feedback spreads on social media, it’s more important than ever to keep up with customer sentiments before it damages a brand’s hard-earned credibility. Simply put, it

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What Retailers Need to Know About the Circular Economy

Brand Strategy, Design Innovation, Packaging Design / Sebastian Maynard

The facts are sobering: according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2050 the ocean could contain more plastic than fish, and plastics could be consuming 20 percent of oil production and 15 percent of the carbon budget. Only 14 percent of plastic is recycled across the planet – the rest is tossed out, filling landfills, rivers

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Legal Cannabis and the Retail Experience

Leave a Comment / Brand Strategy, Business development, Customer Experience / Sebastian Maynard

All across North America, the decriminalization or legalization of cannabis has given birth to a brand-new industry, and in many places you can now easily purchase cannabis online or in a store. Today we’re speaking to Steffen Schenk from mīhī cannabis. He’s the SVP of Customer Experience, and we are going to talk about how

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The Future of Fashion Retail

Leave a Comment / Brand Strategy, Business development, Customer Experience, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

We all know that fashion changes over time but what about the business model for fashion retailers? For a long time, it was a simple process. Customers go to a store, try something on and hopefully make a purchase. However, this is no longer the case as online shopping and subscription and rental services allow

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Worksheet: How Brands Can Learn From Their Competitors

Leave a Comment / Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

How well do you know your competition? You know your own business inside out, but when it comes to your competitors, chances are your knowledge is limited to a reactionary perspective. That is, you know your competition about your brand. What if we told you that studying your competition as well as, brands that are

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The Impact Mixed-Use Spaces Can Have on Retail

Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Things used to be so simple. We bought nails at the hardware store, books at the bookstore, coffee from a coffee shop. We lived in communities made up primarily of dwellings, and commuted to work away from our homes. It was an easy time to be a retailer: put up a sign, stock your shelves

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