Data & Analytics

Chain Store Age talked with Michael Puline, senior VP of leasing, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, for DLC Management Corp., about trends, technology, and projects on the board.

[quote-from-article] If you could isolate five current trends in retail real estate, what would they be?
Here are my top five:

A strong dollar and tumbling gas prices made Costco’s fourth quarter sales results seem weak. They weren’t and now the company plans to open 12 more clubs before year end.

As the Oct. 1 fraud liability shift for EMV-compliant chip cards looms, payment card issuers appear ready for the change.

According to a new study from the electronic payments industry group Payment Security Task Force (PST), the eight financial institutions that belong to the PST reported that 30% of their U.S. consumer credit and debit cards contain EMV chips as of June 30.

As the holidays approach, retailers are hoping the convenience and immediacy of e-commerce will prompt high volumes of online gift purchases.

But according to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce, there are some common problems that make consumers hesitate to buy gifts online.

In this ever-changing, fast-paced world, it is no wonder that retail businesses must adapt to how consumers shop. With smartphones, online shopping and detailed comparison sites, shoppers are now more informed than ever about what they want. This evolution has impacted the role that retailers play in assisting consumers in their shopping experiences.

Despite the ongoing emphasis on energy conservation, many retailers still underestimate the benefits of energy-efficient products and systems. David Ely, of EDSS, told Chain Store Age that reducing energy and carbon emissions is only going to become more important as cities address energy at the local level and regulations become increasingly strict.

The first in a series of interviews with retail executives who attend SPECS, Chain Store Age’s annual store planning conference.

Interior build-outs in the retail sector can be some of the most expensive construction projects, with cost per unit area far exceeding that of an exterior build. They are also often more logistically complex. For example, the coordination of all the different trades and the delivery of materials, fixtures and products can be challenging, but it is key to ensuring quality, containing costs and avoiding delays.

When it comes to keeping supply chain and logistics operations as efficient as possible, retailers are getting smart. Using centralized cloud platforms and business intelligence solutions, merchants can achieve real-time inventory awareness and supply chain operational data that improves overall front- and back-end performance. Here are three examples:

Today’s consumer is driven by an “I want it now” mentality, yet retailers are still not prepared to deliver. Reducing the time it takes an order to arrive at a customer’s home is every retailer’s objective, but while quicker fulfillment makes customers happy, it comes at a cost.