Hema, the next generation retail experience and brainchild of Alibaba, is a supermarket hybrid that operates on cutting-edge innovations. Serving as both a retail store and fulfillment center for online shopping, Hema brings convenience to new heights by offering in-store picking for online purchases, with…
As Chicago residents, we’ve been excited to see two Amazon Go locations open in the Loop. Now we’re waiting for the next Chicago Go to open – but this one has a slight twist. Rather than another street-level store in a bustling office district, Amazon…
Google welcomed neighbors and technology fans to the newly opened Google Hardware pop-up store in Chicago today. The first of its kind for the California-based tech giant, the store showcases their newly developed products. When you enter the Hardware Store, the third- generation of made-by-Google…
It’s difficult for me to write about the demise of Sears in the abstract, as a dispassionate objective observer. My family (literally, my entire immediate family) worked for Sears and Sears was responsible for putting a roof over our heads and for many of the…
Grassroots Cannabis. Green Growth Brands. Green Thumb Industries. Canopy. Cresco Labs. MedMen. There are more than a few cannabis-focused companies/retailers making headlines this year. Despite the federal government’s “yellow-light”, thirty states have given medicinal cannabis the green one. Last week, three leading companies in the…
Digital brands want low-risk physical space. Landlords want utilized assets. HiO, which opened its fourth location this week, is part of a cohort of concepts positioned to balance a brand’s demand for physical space with the landlord’s supply of empty locations. From a brand’s POV,…
Elvis Costello’s lyrics “Don’t bury me ‘cause I’m not dead yet” seem to be a fitting way to characterize a busy week of retail earnings on Wall Street. While there were disappointments (watch out, JCPenney), the strong showings of stalwart brick-and-mortar retailers like Home Depot…
The recently remodeled Walmart Supercenter in Salem, New Hampshire may provide an interesting glimpse as to what retail will look like in the future. But, if you’re expecting Jetsons-like customer facing features (I know, I date myself by merely mentioning the cartoon…), you are likely…
Former Amazon.com executive Brittain Ladd has been remarkably prescient and outspoken on what companies need to do to compete in the age of Amazon. Brittain and I collaborated on this article with two simple questions to answer: Why does Amazon seem to be playing a…
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…
