Latest

To say that sustainability is a hot topic is an understatement – today we’re all aware of the effects of climate change and plastic waste.

This year at the VM & Design Show, we were on the lookout for materials and tech that could be used to innovative in-store messaging. Because as much we love great design, if it’s not saying anything, it’s not adding value for customers.

When retailers announce profit warnings or store closures, it’s often millennials who get the blame: ‘They value experiences over possessions’, ‘They spend all their money on avocados’ etc. In fact, millennials do want to buy things with their money – they just don’t have a lot it, enduring higher living costs, lower wages and worse job prospects than older generations did at the same age.

The opening of London’s second Natoora fruit and veg branch got us thinking about the seasonal retail model… and how to freshen up the concept of sustainability.

When we heard Ikea was opening its first full-size London store in 13 years, and that it would be the most sustainable Ikea store in the UK, we knew we had to check it out.

In 2019, we can shop without stopping at a checkout, chat to customer support through WhatsApp and beam a showroom sofa into our living room using AR (so far, so sci-fi). But one element of the shopper journey remains stubbornly inconvenient: the last mile.

With 9 stores in the US, a rumoured 2019 expansion to the UK, and allegedly 2,000 stores planned to open over the next ten years, we just had to check out one of the buzzy new Amazon Go stores.

Bricks-and-mortar retail in 2019 is looking like a brave new world. It’s all about consumer expectations – specifically how to anticipate and meet them seamlessly. We take a look at some of those expectations, and how they’re dictating the trends of 2019.