The View from The Hilltop
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Key Values for the New Pull Economy: Relevance, Curation, Authenticity and Inspiration
February 15, 2018
The facts from 2017 are in! We have officially moved from an economic engine in which the retailer possessed the power and the consuming masses followed to an environment that is clearly controlled by the consuming public itself. The scales of supply and demand have rebalanced as global supply exceeds our ability to consume it all. The advent of technology has further empowered consumers in their research, experience and purchasing roles. Technology now allows consumers more access to more information in a more timely manner with 24/7 availability. Consumers of all ages are responding to this newfound power by voting on a daily basis on what they like and dislike, want and don’t want, expect and demand — in exchange for their consumable dollars. -
U.S. Retail's Core Problem
September 28, 2017
Traditional retailers have been in panic mode for a while now. The shifting consumer landscape is rapidly destroying what years of sameness has built. The blame has erroneously been placed on Amazon, the internet, technology and over-saturation when the truth is that the fault lies in the retailers themselves. -
Why The Consumer Today is So Frustrated With Retail
August 04, 2017
Much has been written about the decline and the forecasted death of retail brick and mortar in this country. Additionally, a lot of time and effort has been spent on diagnosing why this is occurring. Everyone from strategists to economists to retailers has taken a stab at explaining the cause of this decline. To get at the real truth behind this seismic shift, you need to look no further than the driver of the decline, consumers themselves. The shifting patterns of who, what, when, where and how the U.S. consumer is or is not buying apparel cannot be blamed on new technology, new channels or new social platforms.