The Greatest Retail Innovation Of The Next 30 Years
Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” tech will soon be looked upon as the greatest retail innovation of the next 30 years. The award won’t go to voice commerce. It won’t go to Zuck’s metaverse. It will go to the technology platform that first debuted inside of a small Amazon Go store in January 2018, forever offering […]
Philadelphia Finalizes Plans for Huge Waterfront Mixed-Use Development
Jefferson Apartment Group and Haverford Properties have closed on a long-term ground lease of one of the largest parcels fronting the Delaware River as well as secured construction financing that will pave the way for the development of a mixed-use project along the waterfront. Aside from being one of the biggest, the site is one […]
Home Depot and Lowe’s Post Strong Gains
While demand in the home improvement category has come down from pandemic highs, the biggest players in the sector continued to post sales gains in the fourth quarter. As consumers invested in their homes around the holidays, The Home Depot on Tuesday reported fourth quarter net sales increased 10.7% year over year to $35.7 billion, […]
Philadelphia’s Residential Market Rebounds
The number of residents walking around Center City returned to pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2021, showing the resiliency of downtown’s residential segment, according to the Center City District’s annual housing report released Tuesday. The greater Center City region — from river to river and from Girard Avenue to Tasker Street — has been […]
What Do Consumers Want In 2022?
The past 18 months has reshaped the retail landscape and sent retail analysts into overdrive trying to understand how consumers behaviour has adapted and shifted during the pandemic. What was once accepted truths about shopper’s habits have been disrupted, and understanding what this means for big or small retailers is paramount in 2022. Capgemini’s new […]
Despite Strong 2021 Figures, Expect Slower Growth Ahead
While the U.S. economy bounced back with resilience from 2020′s brief but devastating coronavirus recession, there may be trouble ahead in 2022. Despite the brief recession in 2020, the economy ended 2021 by growing at an unexpectedly brisk 6.9% annual pace from October through December as businesses replenished their inventories, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. […]
Shoppers Returned To Stores For The Holidays
Shopper traffic to physical retail stores has strongly rebounded from 2020. Data from Placer.ai, a company which measures shopper visits across a wide range of physical stores including grocery, apparel, big box, department and specialty, indicate that shoppers returned for the 2021 holiday season. Store visits were higher than 2020 and slightly ahead of 2019 […]
Starbucks Tests Cashierless Stores
Starbucks is exploring a new store format in partnership with Amazon that will allow customers to buy drinks, snacks and other items without waiting in line, utilizing automated checkout technology developed by the e-commerce giant. The first concept store opened recently in New York City, on 59th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues. The companies […]
The Absolute Simplest Explanation for America’s Supply Chain Woes
Supply chain problems have dogged the world economy all through the pandemic. Early on, panic hoarding and problems in particular industries, such as semiconductors, made it impossible for shoppers to get their hands on specific items like Clorox wipes or a new Playstation 5. But those narrower problems have sprawled into a much broader mess. […]
Halloween is Back on Track
Halloween is back on the schedule this year and Americans wanted trick-or-treaters, more decorations and new costumes – for us, the kids and our pets. When the totals are reported, consumers are expected to have spent a record $10.14 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation, up from $8.05 billion in […]