-
New looks, new formats
With the physical store now widely acknowledged as a critical touchpoint in a customer’s omnichannel shopping journey, many retailers spent the summer opening new prototypes and formats.
Here are three that are still generating buzz:
Sephora
Sephora’s new outpost on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue makes buying makeup and other beauty products an interactive experience.
-
Holiday cheer — mostly
It’s that time of the year again — specifically, time for the holiday forecasts to start pouring in.
Let’s start with the good news. Early reports are calling for a solid season, with Deloitte predicting a 3.6% to 4% increase in total retail sales over last year.
As for the upcoming presidential election, it may be a temporary distraction in the early part of the holiday shopping season, but it’s not expected to have a negative impact on total sales. In fact, if past years are any indication, retailers may even benefit from a pickup in postelection consumer spending.

