Social media is constantly evolving. Something as little as removing the number of likes can make a big difference in the way users respond to a post. Just when marketers feel like they figured it out, a new platform, a new trend, or a tweak to the algorithm switches it all up again. Today, we’re […]
Social Media Trends In Retail Read More »
As consumer shopping patterns and expectations are constantly evolving, it’s important for retailers to ensure an effective omnichannel strategy is implemented within their customer journey. To deliver an impactful service experience, organizations need to ensure that all customer touch points truly reflect their customer’s shopping habits. Not only should the customer journey consider both the
How To Develop an Omnichannel Customer Journey Read More »
https://www.sld.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/header_1.mp4 POWERING THE BRANCH OF THE FUTURE Immersive digital experiences bring to life what the future holds for the banking industry. CLIENT Intel PROJECT Bank of the Future RELATED SERVICE Digital Strategy AR / VR Experiences Strategic Foresight THINK Intel’s technology has been at the heart of computing breakthroughs. Financial institutions today are going through
What does the future of the supermarket look like? In our latest design exploration, we examine what the grocery sector can do to bring excitement back to the customer for a more engaging and holistic experience. The Supermarket of the Future will look at how grocers have been disrupted by COVID-19, e-commerce, and subscription-based services. It
The Supermarket of the Future Read More »
The customer journey is closer to becoming seamless with the convergence of brand focus on UX, omnichannel, and overall shopping experience. However, much will change as a new sales channel emerges with the advent of the metaverse and augmented reality. What seems like a novel platform gained momentum with the recent announcement that Apple’s creation
Creating the Right Omni-Channel Experience Journey in a Metaverse World Read More »
As the world transitions towards a plastic-free future, retailers need to keep up with sustainable packaging trends. Previous methods of packaging that retailers considered essential, cost-saving measures, such as single-use plastic shopping bags, utensils, or cups, are losing their desirability. Using cheap sources of plastic ensures products are safe – but creates an ecological issue
Small Changes, Big Impact: How 6 Retail Brands Are Becoming More Sustainable Read More »
Understanding the sustainable packaging context Brands, retailers, and consumers increasingly want to reduce their use of unsustainable products and packaging. However, visiting a supermarket anywhere in North America doesn’t necessarily reflect this desire. Consumers still shop without reusable shopping bags, and the recycling bins are only getting fuller. There are some positive signs: in 2021,
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As electric vehicles slowly overtake the roads, EV charging stations will become a must-have for gas stations. If you need to install specialized electric vehicle charging points on your premises, you will ideally need some electric parking bay markings from https://evchargingbaymarkings.co.uk/ to help identify the areas. Even though the infrastructural demands, market uncertainty and regional
How will EV charging transform fuel retail? Read More »
Every other day, you read a headline about labor shortages hurting restaurants and hospitality. In some places, companies are recruiting 14-year-olds, while others are offering big signing bonuses. Many restaurants are closing their doors several days a week because they don’t have enough staff to stay open, further hurting businesses that have managed barely to
The Future of the Hospitality Industry Read More »
The Current State of Transformation Digital transformation, for many institutions, has ended at the doorstep of their retail channels. The pandemic has accelerated the growth of both Amazon and Fintech, forcing banks and retailers to shift their focus to digital to help drive sales and customer retention. However, as digital transformation efforts mature and
Five Ways to Fill the Digital Transformation Gap for Retail Brands Read More »
The movie Ready Player One, live events hosted by Fortnite, and Facebook’s recent name change to “Meta” are all harbingers of a coming advance in technology that will be a game-changer: the metaverse. Just how far away we are from the vision Mark Zuckerberg laid out in his infamous video is a subject of great
Future-Proofing for the Metaverse Read More »
At the end of the year, we like to regroup and look back at the big brand stories that caught our attention throughout the year. And this year was a particularly strange one. The pandemic experience has become regionalized and our appetite for doom scrolling has kind of disappeared. Political intrigues have been flying under
Best Brand Stories of 2021 Read More »
2021 was not the year many had hoped for. The pandemic, natural disasters, inflation, supply chain issues and a persistently polarized planet has put humanity’s resilience to the test. Yet, with the new year’s arrival, there is renewed hope that conditions will stabilize and provide retailers with a clearer look ahead. As a future-focused strategic
What Will 2022 Look Like for Retail Brands? Read More »
Welcome to SLD’s second annual trends report! Last year, we were in the midst of a global pandemic that called into question what the future of design and business as a whole could look like. Though a lot of those questions still linger, 2021 has at least provided some clarity on the trends that will
SLD’s 2022 Trends Report Read More »
As we look back on 2021, it would be nice to be able to view COVID-19 in the rearview mirror with a sigh of relief. But to quote Michael Corleone, “just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” This must be the way a lot of brands are feeling right now,
The Best Brand Pivots of COVID-19 Read More »
Since the pandemic began, retail has been in a state of near-constant crisis and change. For those who have made it this far in solid shape, a new challenge is arising that poses a longer-term threat: staffing. As headlines across the continent state loud and clear, there is a shortage of workers especially in frontline
Five Trends Influencing Retail’s Labour Shortage Read More »
Retail may have suffered a blow during the harshest times of the pandemic, but as we emerge in various stages around North America, people are heading back to stores, salons, restaurants, theaters, and malls. But are they shopping the way that they used to? A significant shift to e-commerce is not the only drastic change
Showrooms, Flagships, and the Future of Destination Shops Read More »
For many years, fast fashion was on top – cheap, ubiquitous, ripped from the runway designs that were so fast and easy they were literally designed to be disposable. However, the impact of this approach to clothing has come under intense criticism. From enormous quantities of product ending up in landfills to chemical dye pollution
The Rise of Slow Fashion Read More »
Transformation is messy and carries a high degree of failure, with more than 84 percent of digital transformations failing and more than 9 billion dollars going to waste. The pandemic has increased the risk due to the accelerated need for organizations to digitally transform themselves to respond to the shift to online shopping, home delivery,
Physi-Digital: Humanizing Digital Transformation for Retail Read More »
Even though grocery stores remained open during lockdown, many people chose to do their grocery shopping online to avoid exposure to COVID. In fact, in SLD’s recent study on e-commerce for CPG brands, 69 percent of respondents said they shopped more online for groceries during the pandemic. For CPG brands, this news is not generally
The Future of E-Commerce for CPG Brands Read More »
