Target, Inc.

Target merges physical and digital retailing in its holiday pop-up, Target Wonderland, in Manhattan.

Walmart confirmed that its CMO, Stephen Quinn, who had held executive marketing positions with the chain for 10 years, will retire in January.

Michael Francis, Target Corp.'s former marketing guru, has been hired as a consultant. Francis spent 26 years at Target and most recently served as global brand officer for DreamWorks Animation. In August, he announced that he planned to step down from Dreamworks.

New technologies, new products, new consumer preferences — change always threatens to disrupt the status quo, and the retail landscape is no different. The trick is to determine which trends are passing fads and which have real staying power.

To help, we asked six experts from the Daymon Worldwide family of companies (Interactions is a subsidiary of Daymon Worldwide) to share their predictions for trends that will have the biggest impact on the U.S. retail environment in 2016.

Improved Transparency and Distribution

Former Target CMO Michael Francis will reportedly serve as a marketing consultant at Walmart when the retailer’s current CMO steps down.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Stephen Quinn will retire as executive VP and CMO in January after spending nearly a decade at the Walmart. Francis, who spent 27 years with Target, is expected to join Walmart to initiate a broad marketing revamp and work closely with Quinn’s successor, The Journal said, citing a person it said was familiar with the situation.

Former Target Chief Marketing Officer Michael Francis will reportedly serve as a marketing consultant at Walmart when the retailer’s current CMO steps down.

Shoppers at Walmart stores will soon be able to pay with their smartphones as the retailer has developed a unique solution to become the newest entrant in the crowded world of mobile wallets.

Watch this video for a time-lapsed video on how Target transformed a 16,000-sq.-ft. space in Manhattan into its holiday-themed pop-up, Target Wonderland.

New York -- Time Equities acquired four Wisconsin multi-tenant retail assets for $18.1 million, spanning 307,668 sq. ft. in total. The acquisitions, consisting of two separate transactions, include The Geneva Commons purchased for $1.3 million, in addition to Oak Creek Centre, Park Plaza and Taylor Heights acquired for $16.8 million.