McMillan Services Page

Our partners are constantly studying consumer behavior in retail settings. We see a lot of consumer research, and we visit and benchmark hundreds of new stores every year. As a result, we have developed a number of "points of view" on retailing and on retail trends, and then documented those views in publications, presentations, and seminars. Listed below are some of the key articles we have written on consumers and retailing:

Published Articles
(Note: PDF viewer required.)

"EST" Retailing and How to Avoid the Black Hole - A well respected and easily understood model, developed and copy-written a number of years ago by our firm to explain who is winning at retail and why.
Three's A Crowd - Consolidation, a shortened retail lifecycle, and a reduced consumer shopping set (i.e., they don't have time to shop the 3rd and 4th best retailers) have resulted in the disappearance of the third place retailer in the market.
A Fifth EST? - We originally had four winning positions on our EST model (Cheapest, Biggest, Hottest, and Easiest). We added a fifth in 1998... Quickest.
Customer Loyalty, It's Not Just A Card - Every one wants loyal customers (they are very profitable) and every one is developing programs to get and keep them. But, it has to be more than just a card.
Are Category Killers Still Killers - Category killers are in trouble category-by-category. This article asks and answers the basic question... Is biggest still a valid EST position?
Retailing's Next Frontier: The Efficient Consumer - Retailers have always focused on productivity, their own. It is time they started focusing on the customer's.
Impact of the Internet on Retailing - Our views on the Internet, its potential and long term impact on retailing.
Tomorrow's Hot Retail Concepts - After a recent slowdown (1998 & 99), we are begining to see a lot of new retail ideas, formats, and concepts. We see three drivers creating change.
Bringing Effective Science to the Art of Merchandising - Anne Brouwer’s insightful three part series on the hot area of revenue management optimization techniques.

Contact Us