Retail

Paul Goldsmith Headshot

Bringing Optimism to Your Marketing and Communications

A big buzzword for 2021 is optimism. Politicians, marketers, and even celebrities are cheering the world on as vaccination efforts roll out. And while the end of the pandemic may still be further away than we’d like, at least an end is in view. How does this relate to the retail experience? As we all know, […]

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The Guide to Humanizing Your Brand’s Digital Experience

While COVID-19 has accelerated the move towards digital technology and platforms that allow people to connect, work, shop, learn and play online, these digital experiences are also causing major opportunities (and disruption) for brands. At the forefront of those industries that are facing long-term risk are the ones that rely on branded environments and physical

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Man and woman watering a plant with money in the background

Show Me You Care: Building a Social Brand in 2021

2020 was a tough year for many, and although 2021 is looking a little more hopeful, the fact remains that our way of life will be very different moving forward. As a result, brands should consider how to best support their customers. A year marked by a global pandemic, widespread social protests, and man-made environmental

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Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Orange colours blending together on colour wheel

How to Ensure Your Digital Experience is Inclusive

Digital experiences and communications, including websites, social media and digital content, play an essential role in influencing shopper decisions, but first it has to reach the right audience. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, online interactions have increased, as has competition for your consumer’s attention. Inclusive communication and marketing design is now more important than

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Drawing of a man getting his temperature checked during COVID

What Retailers Need to Know About COVID Vaccines

The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has begun, and with them come a welcome light at the end of the tunnel for retailers who faced unprecedented challenges in 2020. Even those that did well, such as grocery stores and big boxes, have faced unforeseen challenges – who would ever have imagined that policing hand sanitization or

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2021 trends to watch out for

2021 Trends and Implications for Retail Brands

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that predictions and best laid plans don’t always come to fruition. While many brands learned this the hard way, there are countless success stories from the past year – stories of brands that adapted, listened and inspired. As we look ahead to 2021, the unknowns and challenges that

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SLD team predictions for 2021

Looking Ahead to 2021 With the SLD Team

At the end of every year, it’s tradition to reflect on the things we’ve loved, hated, and what we’re looking forward to for the coming year. 2020 was obviously pretty unusual, and although 2021 promises to be an improvement, it will also certainly be a year to remember. In this episode, some designers and thinkers

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The Ever-Evolving World of Digital Marketing

TikTok and Snapchat, Google’s antitrust lawsuit, AOC versus Zuckerberg, it seems like every day there’s a new factor that could change digital marketing, making it a moving target for brand marketers. With so much to stay up to date on, it can be hard to know where to focus your efforts. Luckily, our guest today

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How Beauty values are shifting

The Shifting Values of Beauty and How Brands Can Adapt

The financial and social uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racial injustice, and widespread unemployment has meant that consumers are now reconsidering their priorities. As a result, any discretionary spending has been reprioritized and shifted elsewhere. A Mckinsey study from June 2020 found that consumers are pulling back spending in categories such as apparel and

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Scientists in a lab testing a COVID-19 vaccine

What Brands Can Learn from the COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

The world continues to struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, and in its wake, consumer behavior, and therefore, brand service design, is being rewired. The good news is the recent announcements by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna regarding the viability of their vaccines energized financial markets and provided a much-needed sign of hope. The race to

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George Wang Headshot

What Artificial Intelligence Means for Retail Design

One of the buzziest and most debated tech terms of the last 5 to 10 years is artificial intelligence. To start off with, what does the term artificial intelligence actually mean? If you just Google “define artificial intelligence,” you’ll discover that even computer scientists and engineers don’t entirely agree on what to call everything that

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Cyber security hacker behind a screen

Digital Distrust: How Brands Can Navigate a World of Disruption

Technology has been a salvation during the pandemic and has thrust us into the age of omni-channel once and for all. And yet, there is a looming threat to the digital brand experience: a growing sense of mistrust in technology and the cyber-verse. Fanned by the flames of fake news, online hate and political interference,

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