6 trends shaping physical retail
Hi, and welcome to Glossy’s Weekly Recap, where Glossy editor-in-chief Jill Manoff breaks down a big industry conversation and highlights five of the latest must-read Glossy stories. Sign up here to get Glossy’s daily, in-depth coverage on the businesses of beauty and fashion in your inbox every weekday morning.
Driven by consumer behavior, more brands are returning to or entering physical retail, or expanding their existing store presence.
In a recent Glossy focus group of retail executives centered on the state and future of physical retail, Melissa Gonzalez , principal at the global architecture and design firm MG2 Design , shared her thoughts on the trends and dynamics shaping retail today. Below, a breakdown of the trends in her words.?
Wellness?
"Wellness is not going away, and there's an opportunity for brands to facilitate that. People are craving physical and mental well-being. It has to feel authentic, though, so it's going to be more organic for certain brands than others."
Community
"Community connection is still important. A lot of brands that have gone viral have facilitated community online, and people gravitate to them. But bringing that same [energy and excitement] into a physical location is a challenge."
Cross-generational influence
"Accounting for cross-generational influence within store environments has become more important. Look at the ['Sephora tweens']. For young shoppers, for example, the influencer isn't always the mom or the parent or the aunt and uncle."
Personalization
"Technology is allowing for more personalization. Some brands, like Nike, are ahead of others [in facilitating personalization], so they have more advantages. But there are other ways to go about it: Todd Snyder has its made-to-measure program, and Victoria's Secret has Crave Retail in the fitting room to personalize the [try-on] experience.”
Technology
"Technology is becoming a bit more plug-and-play — because if there's friction, then nobody uses it. You're seeing this across verticals, like in grocery, at Walmart and at Starbucks. That's going to translate into retail, too, because people are getting more comfortable and starting to expect the presence of certain technologies."
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Social media?
"Thanks to the presence of social media, brands benefit from providing memorable experiences [consumers want to capture]. People are just getting more and more conditioned to understand the reward of sharing information. That doesn't have to mean [setting up] an Instagram wall. It could also be about ensuring the store has the right scent, the right music and the right materiality, for example, to make sure customers have these sensorial connections that will make them remember [and capture] their visit.”
Catch up on the week’s 5 most-read beauty and fashion stories below.
Years of constant market growth means some consumers have amassed more perfumes than they can handle. Amid a social media trend towards "deinfluencing," fragrance fans are looking to downsize their collections.
K-beauty is having a moment, again. And in the coming months, it's set to go from all over your TikTok FYP to the shelves of your nearest Sephora. In February, two new K-beauty brands will hit the retailer's shelves, and, according to Brooke Banwart, svp of skin-care merchandising, Sephora will be doubling its K-beauty portfolio this year.?
Sephora’s full-year 2024 earnings hit new highs, thanks to Sephoria's global expansion and a focus on experiential retail. From Shanghai to Paris, the brand’s localized approach showcased how cultural relevance can drive big results.
Evereve, a Minnesota-based womenswear retailer known for its styling services and denim, has been around since 2004. But, until about four years ago, the company had put little into marketing or brand awareness. It subsisted on organic growth, word-of-mouth and placement in malls across the middle of the country, yet its revenue reached the hundreds of millions.?
Two years after getting acquired by Procter & Gamble for an undisclosed sum, Mielle is releasing a new collection that's all about moisture — a major concern for textured hair-care clients, the Mielle team found.
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