Beauty’s Retail Reckoning: Specialty and Mass Retail Poised for Further Gains

White shopping bag with several beauty brands and retailers names drawn over it - banner
By Allison Collins on October 29, 2021  ||  WWD The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have specialty retailers including Sephora and Ulta Beauty poised to gain even more market share in the U.S., experts said. How many brick-and-mortar retail stores does the beauty industry actually need? That’s the question those in the industry are asking themselves in ... Read more

20 New Shopper Trends Retailers Should Know for 2021

As we look forward to a 2021 full of hope, we decided to look back on what shoppers have taught us this year, which is what retailers and brands will need to deliver next. Here are 20 of the most significant findings from WSL’s 2020 archives. Determination. In the WSL Dictionary of Retail and Shopper ... Read more

WSL’s Retail Caring Scores: What Matters to Shoppers?

WSL asked shoppers to rate retailers based on measures that show how much they CARE about their customers in the midst of the pandemic. The results: Being cared for means keeping shoppers WELL, not just with sanitizers and masks, but encouraging the purchase of healthier choices and creating happy, low-stress experiences. When it Comes to ... Read more

Shoppers are Taking Back WELL: 5 Ways Retail Can Help

Remember December, when so many people resolved to include holistic wellness in their foods, products, and activities? The pandemic sidelined the healthy-living movement for many, but now, after several months of sheltering-in-place, shoppers are reclaiming the concept of personal and family wellness in all they do. Here’s how retail stores can help. Shoppers Are So ... Read more

These CPG Categories are Going to See a Big Online Lift

Our research indicates that online shopping for basics, including groceries, will continue to lift as more customers are won over by the channel’s safety, price, and ease. People who bought the basic groceries and health products online as a result of the pandemic tell us about their experience and their future plans. One new long-term ... Read more

4 Ways to Get Ahead of the Real Financial Crisis

We could take some encouragement from the recent jump in retail sales, but let’s keep it measured. WSL’s research shows as many as half of Americans remain pessimistic about their financial security, depending on socioeconomic conditions. That figure is likely to rise as unemployment and stimulus checks dry up. Our latest How America Shops® research ... Read more

How to Wrestle a Crisis: 8 Retail Revelations from Helena Foulkes

Helena Foulkes is a rare retail titan. She has spearheaded dramatic transformation as both the former president of CVS Pharmacy, and as CEO of luxury brand Hudson’s Bay Co, and she is a board member at Home Depot. As a cross-channel retail leader, Foulkes has learned how to manage a crisis in real-time. Here, she ... Read more

Retail Safari® Reopened Retail: A Look at Copenhagen

  What’s with the sneakers? As retail reopened in the US and around the world, one category that shoppers flocked to is sneakers. Did feet grow as America was locked down? Do new-found home fitness routines require new yoga shoes? Or is it part of shoppers’ continuing passion for comfort and wellbeing? This isn’t just ... Read more

Retail Safari® Reopened Retail: A Look at Israel

The COVID-19 retail rollercoaster. Israel was one of the first countries to issue “stay at home” orders back in February and one of the first to begin reopening in mid-May. Zack, our Israel Scout, noted that shortly after full reopening (including retail, restaurants, salons) cases spiked then declined again. What should we anticipate and how ... Read more

Will Shoppers Surge to Re-opened Retail? Probably Not

Sales signs may not be enough to bring shoppers into reopened stores. Two mighty forces are working against a resurgence of store traffic: One is the risk of contracting COVID-19, which will keep many shoppers away; the second will be how shoppers rethink spending after being unemployed or furloughed for months. Our Retail Safari® scouts ... Read more

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