Google retail isn’t just mini-putt courses and doughnut shops anymore. In case you missed it, fun pop-up concepts defined Google’s entry into physical retail. But now, Google is getting serious and announced today that it will open its first permanent flagship store in Chicago’s trendy…
It’s been a busy week for Starbucks. After acquiring Milan-based Princi last year, Starbucks finally opened the first of what is planned to be a 1,000 store standalone bakery concept in their hometown of Seattle. Customers have been able to sample Princi goods inside their…
Earlier this month, Nike debuted its first “live concept store” in the Melrose shopping district of Los Angeles. Dubbed “Nike by Melrose,” a concept developed by members of the neighborhood. How so? The inaugural Nike Live store harnesses information from both Nike.com sales and Nike…
As the excitement of Walmart’s annual meeting dies down this week, it is pretty clear that the company is making a concerted attempt to court a more upscale consumer. The new website delivers a more lifestyle-driven experience that simplifies navigation and significantly declutters the homepage….
Walmart has invested in an extensive overhaul of their online experience to be a little less like, well, Walmart. Relaunched last month, the new site creates a more lifestyle-driven experience that showcases relatable photography with more localized and personalized features that are significantly differentiated. A…
Last week we published part 1 of our insights from April’s two events focused on technological revolution in retail – the Retail Robotics and AI Conference and the Retail and Consumer Goods Analytics Summit. Our key takeaways from part 1: The ubiquity of “Data is…
Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods has been far from a smooth transition to date. Between culture clashes (the data driven approach at Amazon versus the emotional and experiential approach of Whole Foods), changes of policies to small vendors and systems integration with widely reported out…
It has been 24 years since Amazon launched, although if you ask many retailers it seems like an eternity. Digital retailing has come a long way, yet we’ve only just begun. The stakes have never been higher as we enter the next stage of digital…
McMillanDoolittle, a retail consulting firm focused on converting customer insights into strategies, will be a sponsor and participant at Northwestern University’s Retail Robotics and AI Conference. The conference is organized and hosted jointly by Northwestern’s Retail Analytics Council and the Platt Retail Institute. It will…
Recently, we’ve commented on brands and retailers taking a lead as social activists. Starbucks has used its reach – 8,000 US Stores with 175,000 employees – to voice its position on social and political views multiple times. The company has encouraged conversations about race and…
