| December 12 – 18, 2022
 As the year comes to a close we’ve been reflecting back on what a wild year 2022 has been. From continuing to deal with Covid-19 and supply chain issues, to the rise and fall of ultra-fast delivery and ongoing debate about the role of the mall…we must say that it has not been boring. And we’ve loved every minute of helping our clients find solutions to problems new and old. As we look toward 2023, we have even more conviction around some of our long-held beliefs around how property owners and retailers can best work together (Collaboration! Flexibility! Innovation!) But we are also open to what the future may hold and what new technologies and ways of working together we have yet to uncover.
Our newsletters will be taking a short break for the remainder of the year (as we hope you will be too!), but you can expect us back in your inbox on Monday, January 9, 2023. Until then, enjoy the last newsletter of the year, let your colleagues (and friends and family!) know that they can sign up for this newsletter on our new website, and find us over on Twitter or LinkedIn. Wishing you and yours a restful and joyous end of 2022 – cheers!
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Digital Meets Physical
Best Buy pioneers livestream in-store pickup with TalkShopLive [Chain Store Age]
Best Buy is taking part in a live shopping first with a livestream commerce platform and a TikTok star. The consumer electronics giant is providing an in-store pickup option for livestream shoppers on the TalkShopLive platform. Best Buy is launching the partnership, which marks the first time livestream customers will be able to pick up their purchases at a brick-and-mortar store, on a live show scheduled for the evening of Monday, Dec. 12.
Tis The Season For Retail Tech To Shine [Forbes]
Digital technology’s prominence within retail experiences has been expanding for years. And this holiday season, it’s going to be more vital than ever to retail success. Digital tech isn’t only transforming customer experiences, it’s also enabling a fundamental rethink of how retail stores and retail workers can thrive in the future. |
Amazon launches Inspire, a TikTok-like shopping feed that supports both photos and videos [TechCrunch]
Amazon is bringing a TikTok-like shopping experience to its app. The company announced the launch of Inspire, a new short-form video and photo feed that allows consumers to explore products and ideas and shop from content created by influencers, brands and other customers. The feature is designed to draw consumers’ attention away from apps like TikTok, where brands can directly market to consumers, in order to drive sales on Amazon.com instead.
Walmart goes live with text-to-shop feature [Chain Store Age]
Walmart is taking its text-to-shop solution out of beta. The discount titan is now making a text-to-shop experience available for free on iOS and Android mobile devices. To use the feature, customers can text the items they need, and items are automatically added to their cart. |
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Micro & Last Mile Fulfillment
The most trusted retailer for driverless and drone deliveries is… [Chain Store Age]
Among retailers offering artificial intelligence-based driverless and drone deliveries, one stands out in the level of consumer trust it has achieved. Consumers named Amazon as the clear favorite when asked to name their most trusted companies for AI-based driverless and drone deliveries, according to a survey of 700 U.S. consumers and 300 U.S. delivery drivers from route optimization software provider Circuit. Amazon took the top spot (trusted by 55% of consumers), followed by Walmart 40%, Google 39%, Apple 36% and FedEx 25%.
Amazon Pilots Returns at Staples Stores [RetailDive]
Amazon confirmed that it’s testing select Staples stores as in-person drop off locations for product returns. Staples also sells Amazon-branded products, in stores and online, including the Echo, the Fire tablet, Fire TV Stick and accessories. If the partnership expands to all Staples stores, it will give Amazon about 1,000 more customer touch points in 45 states. |
FedEx to launch consolidated returns service [RetailDive]
FedEx will launch a consolidated returns service in 2023 that leverages less-than-truckload services to help shippers save costs, the carrier announced Monday. FedEx Consolidated Returns will allow customers to return items without a box or shipping label at approximately 2,000 FedEx Office locations. From there, the product will be consolidated with other returns from a variety of merchants and sent back to the shipper through a less-than-truckload option via FedEx Logistics.
CBRE: Brick-and-mortar’s BOPIS biz is on a fast track [Chain Store Age]
Digitally influenced retail sales–those that consumers pay for online but pick up in-store—currently account for 62% of total retail sales and will account for 70% by 2027, according to a Forrester report cited by CBRE. Lots more of that is going to happen since mobile device purchases–which now account for 47% of all e-commerce sales–are expected to rise to as much as 58% over the next four years. |
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Restaurants & Ghost Kitchens
Will Virtual Brands Remain in a Post-COVID Future? [QSR Magazine]
Digital restaurant brands are part of a ghost kitchen segment that could reach $1 trillion by 2030 if significant automation and investment occurs.
Inflation Isn’t Curbing Customers’ Newfound Delivery Habits [QSR Magazine]
Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti, at a recent Barclays 8th Eat, Sleep, Play conference, told investors the lure of delivery was holding firm two-and-half-plus years from the onset of COVID-19. Even with in-store growth accounting for much of the fast casual’s gains of late, the delivery occasion has remained heavy in the balance (digital mixed 36 percent of sales last quarter). And it’s beyond a matter of accessibility now; customers are still ordering delivery despite inflationary pressures. |
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Mall Talk
Mall owners bet they can save bricks-and-mortar retail by being more like Amazon [Financial Post]
Oxford Properties Group Inc. and Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust both have created their own online shopping platforms that mirror some of their physical properties. The bet is that having a digital marketplace that resembles Amazon will entice shoppers back to the mall, especially those jaded by the crowded gallerias and long checkout queues. |
ICSC New York: Retail real estate trends to watch in 2023 include… [Chain Store Age]
A focus on new concepts, innovative leasing strategies, diverse tenants and experimenting with “exclusive” engagement strategies will keep real estate and store design projects on track in the coming year.This was the message at the ICSC New York conference last week — ICSC’s first show in the Big Apple following a two-year hiatus. |
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Will Holiday 2022 Be Retailers’ Last Hurrah Before The Other Shoe Drops? [Forbes]
Mixed signals. That’s what every retailer faces as the year ends and a new one is about to begin. The economy is poised for a fall, even while U.S. consumer spending remains robust. |
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