Three-quarters of Americans households have enrolled in at least one shopper's card or loyalty program, but most of them aren't being used. Here's how to change that.
Japan’s luxury shoppers have altered the way they think and shop. Here are four trends marketers need to grasp in order to meet the changing consumer expectations in the world's third largest luxury market.
China’s retail sector is among the most wired anywhere—e-tailing commanded about 5 to 6 percent of total retail sales in 2012, compared with 5 percent in the United States. Yet it is distinctly different from that of other countries.
French retail has managed to get through a very rough patch, but the behavior of French consumers has changed markedly, and probably permanently. Here are three important things to know.
Glowing with optimism, Chinese consumers have leapt into first place among the world’s spenders on luxury goods. Yet this market is undergoing tumultuous changes. Here’s what you need to know to overcome these challenges.
The world is catching on to the potential of the surging African consumer market. Here is how to translate the opportunity into action.
Real luxury lifestyle must be rooted in authenticity. If luxury brands stray too far from their roots, they will be reduced to little more than faded labels. Here is how companies can infuse their luxury brands with a sense of lifestyle—and substance, too.
Considering that the Chinese consumer health spending could reach $60 billion by 2020, it is time to wake up and rethink some of the misconceptions about this market.
Brazil’s recent run of strong, broad economic growth has created more purchasing power, but many consumer companies are in danger of missing out. Here are four key trends to know.
Retailers need to understand and exploit their multichannel advantages if they want to survive in a digital world.
Japan's luxury consumers kept up the pace, even after the devastation of last year's disasters. But let the seller beware: The demographics and dynamics of the market are changing.
Hypermarkets have been hugely popular in China; from next to nothing in 1997, there are now 2,400 of them. But the low-hanging fruit has been picked. Not only is the competition tightening, but retail dynamics are changing.
Mexico consumers are conflicted. On the one hand, only 16 percent of those surveyed by McKinsey believed that they were doing better economically; on the other, 48 percent are optimistic about the future.
Many European retailers want to replicate the successful models applied by discount stores, but the results are mixed. Here is how to get it right.
Europe looks like a big and resilient luxury market. But look closer: Most of the growth is coming from Chinese, Japanese and Russia tourists. What are European consumers thinking? And how should the market adapt to these trends?
The dynamics of China’s mobile phone market are changing, in particular the way that people buy their handsets. Who are the likely winners? And losers?
Europe is in crisis; the US is in the doldrums; China is worried about a property bubble; India has hit a rough patch. But Brazil is thriving. In the first of two articles on Latin America's largest economy, we look at what makes the middle class tick.
The traditional mom-and-pop grocery store is being displaced by modern trade. What’s driving this change—and what’s next?
Brazil pharmacy retailers have every reason to be optimistic, with strong growth and a surging economy. But there will also be a shakeout. The winners will be those who adapt to three key trends.
American consumers have been using coupons with new enthusiasm. But is this a good thing for companies?
Once dominated by open-air markets and department stores, Russia’s apparel market now features upscale global boutiques. Foreign players will find the market fraught with considerable, but manageable, peril.
The rush to serve India’s growing middle class has concentrated on the cities—but there’s rupees to be made in rural areas too.
In logos, small is the new big. A University of Chicago study found that the smaller the logo is on a luxury item, the higher the price it can command.
Today emerging markets account for 37 percent of women’s midmarket apparel. By 2025, that share is expected to rise to more than 50 percent, with growth happening in both megacities and "middle-weight" cities.
Forbes ranks the top places Americans go to buy clothes. You'll notice some major retailers aren't on the list.
Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights, offers a fascinating look at the virtues of spending $14,000 on a leather jacket and $1,500 on a pair of jeans. High end fashion, Bissinger writes, has made him feel like who he wanted to become: “rocker, edgy, tight, bad boy, hip, stylish, flamboyant, unafraid, raging against the conformity that submerges us into boredom and blandness.”
Brick and mortar stores are using new “smart” security cameras and cell phone tracking services, to glean the sort of information about their customers that online retailers are already able to get.
Cinnabon, the Atlanta-based bakery chain, is at the vanguard of a potential business boom in the North African country. In July the unit of Focus Brands became the first US franchise to open since the revolution, with a two-level, upscale Tripoli outlet.
A new class of younger, wealthier, and more sophisticated Chinese consumers are seeking more intangible, often emotional benefits from their purchases. These new mainstream consumers are spurring companies to rethink their strategies. In this podcast, Nick Leung speaks with his colleagues in China, Max Magni and Yougang Chen, about the results of a recent survey they conducted of Chinese consumers.