What: Conversational commerce may be proving brands better ways of connecting with their clients.

Why is it important: Messaging apps and shopping may be the sweet spot known as conversational commerce that is already being exploited in regions such as Africa,Pacific Asia and South America.

Brazilian brand, Triya, grew annual sales fivefold on Whatsapp after its presence on the platform and South American brand calls WhatsApp their favourite messaging tool to handle customer requests, send order information, receipts and tracking numbers. Wechat, Apple Business Chat and Facebook Messenger are all players in the chat commerce sector, along with traditional email and phone marketing.

A few examples of known brands who have tested the waters of conversation commers include:

•    Estee Lauder, using chatbots to scale its Whatsapp presence

•    Louis Vuitton’s ‘Client Advisors’ using Whatsapp to assist customers

•    L'Occitane using it for skincare consultations with clients

However, they are behind brands and retailers who are going beyond digital clienteling and use the messaging platform to conduct business on a mass scale.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, total daily conversations between users and businesses on Facebook Messenger and Instagram platforms grew by more than 40% as consumers and brands used it as a key communication tool.The option to converse one-to-one with a brand easily and directly has a global appeal. Whatsapp has provided an entry point for small- to medium-sized businesses that cannot afford the costs of running a website or a physical store.

Customers can interact with brands in a way that feels colloquial and non-transactional, and companies say the financial impact is encouraging.

Will conversational commerce catch on?

What: Q4 turnover are significantly increasing in both China and SAR Hong Kong.

Why it is important: The reported growth in China is not surprising given the healthy situation for luxury in the country (and raises questions about what comes next for luxury retailers in the rest of the world once borders reopen), however the growth rate in HK is more surprising and might suggest that the city is slowly returning to normal levels of business.

The Hong Kong-based real estate group has seen its revenue grow in Q4 2021 by double digits in 2021, in both China (between +11% and +33.4% according to the location) and Hong Kong (between +8.8% and +27.4% according to the location).

Occupancy rates are reported to be at 90%.

Swire properties sees luxury malls’ Q4 revenue grow across China

What: Bergdorf Goodman’s 2022 artist exhibitor Kristin Simmons is bringing a colourful installation to the retailer’s Fifth Avenue flagship. Starting Thursday through March 20, the artist will welcome visitors to her interactive exhibition, “Obsessions and Confessions,” spanning the store’s seventh floor.

Why it is important: Art and commerce have always been a great match, and even more at a time when customers are expecting more experiences from their retailers’ stores.

The exhibition juxtaposes cultural symbols of success, status, power and pleasure with underlying societal critiques. It’s a metaphorical sugar rush of brilliant colours and pithy witticisms that examines conspicuous consumption and also pokes fun at my own appetite for luxury.

Original works on view are available to purchase for $3,000 to $60,000, and for $2 visitors can play the claw game for a chance to win one of Simmons’ works. A portion of proceeds from the exhibition will benefit Free Arts NYC, a non-profit that provides arts mentorship for underserved youth across New York City.

Interactive art at Bergdorf Goodman

What: JC Penney introduces its first men’s denim lifestyle collection, called Mutual Weave.

Why is it important: After two years of refocusing, relaunching and adding new private brands, Mutual Weave, the men’s private label collection. The denim collection has six fits, 34 washes and 59 sizes.

It also offers sun-washed slub fabrics, curved hem shirts, oxford shirts, chambray shirts, vintage fleece hoodies, jackets, accessories and footwear, and comes in regular, big and tall, and adaptive sizing. There are nearly 300 items in the collection. Prices range between $20 and $60 excluding a few higher-priced items.

Mutual Weave aims to attract a wider range of ages and men with varying style preferences and is inclusive in sizing. It is being merchandised next to Levi’s, Lee and Arizona, which Penney’s considers its “powerhouse” jeans brands.

J.C. Penney launches men's private label

What: In what could have a major impact on the central London department stores mix, the Fenwick family is reportedly seeking to sell its Bond Street flagship store for redevelopment.

Why it is important: The Sunday Times reported that the site is on the market for GBP 500 million “after a plan to sell the entire chain was scuppered by the pandemic”. It was reported that the department stores group was set to be sold to Central Group just before the pandemic struck.

At that stage, it’s unclear whether that means an end to department store retailing on the site or whether developers would make the most of the existing planning permission the company has. The Bond Street store has permission for four floors of offices above the 131-year-old building.

The newspaper said that potential buyers are believed to include luxury giant LVMH — fresh from its La Samaritaine redevelopment in Paris — and Sir Stuart Lipton, who was behind the Broadgate development in the city.

Fenwick’s Bond Street store for sale?

What: Convenience stores’ market share outrank supermarkets for the first time, amid the fast-growing trend to shop in less crowded places due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it is important: Sales revenue of three convenience stores (GS25, CU and 7-Eleven) accounted for 30.7% last year, following the department stores share (Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai). The figure surpassed the largest supermarkets, E-mart, Lotte Mart and Home Plus, by 0.3% point for the first time.

Compared to 2020, convenience stores’ sales revenue surged by 6.8% last year, whereas major supermarkets saw their sales decrease by 2.3%.

Meanwhile, retail giant Lotte Group recently announced it has completed a deal to acquire Ministop, taking control of some 2,600 branches. Taking the latest deal into account, market insiders estimate the market share of convenience stores will increase in the years to come.

Korean convenience stores outrank supermarkets 

What: Saks Fifth Avenue will feature Lupita Nyong in digital-first spring campaign.

Why is it important: Academy Award-winning actress, who stars as the voice of Sema in the YouTube Originals series “Super Sema” and in the upcoming summer blockbuster “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” will participate in interviews and videos on Saks’ social media, appear in a magazine ad and custom content, as well as other promotional elements.

 Saks' spring campaign

What: Printemps’ first overseas store is scheduled to open in the Doha Oasis complex in September

Why is it important: After closing its last overseas outpost in Tokyo in 2017, Printemps is expanding in Doha, Qatar, as part of an omnichannel strategy to double the size of its business over the next decade

The new department store will be in the historic district of the Qatari capital, located within the upscale Doha Oasis complex that includes a five-star hotel, luxury residences, an amusement park and numerous leisure facilities such as restaurants, a 4D cinema, and a bowling alley.

The 323,000 square feet spread over three floors, will be the second-largest location, after the Parisian flagship on Boulevard Haussmann. It will be home to some 550 brands, with 30 percent of the offering earmarked as exclusives.

In addition to physical retail, Printemps’ e-commerce platform will be open to Qatar-based consumers, who can shop and preorder from the Doha store as well as the Haussmann flagship.

Recent developments have included livestream shopping, the extension of its Printania loyalty program to overseas customers, and the opening of a circular fashion floor on the seventh floor of the Haussmann flagship.

Printemps’ first overseas department store plans on opening in September, a few weeks before the FIFA soccer world championship.

Printemps plans to open store in Doha

Printemps plans to open store in Doha

What: Macy’s is using 3D visualisation to help customers see furniture they are interested in, in the context of their homes.

Why is it important: Macy’s thought of this new technology because their customers needed to touch items, and see them in context, to make up their minds. This is especially true when it comes to goods in the furniture sector, which cannot always be displayed in-store due to lack of floor space.

Macy’s 3D Room Planner, See Your Space, allows customers to design rooms according to templates, to create their own space through a build your-own functionality as well as discover new products through inspiration.

Users can browse inspirational photos and drop Macy’s products directly from the photos into their 3D room, as well as customise interiors to recreate the look of their own homes. They can use AR to visualise products in their homes via their mobile phone by using 3D Cloud models, while the instore 3D room planning service allows customers to walk around their newly created rooms.

The “CustomizeIt” sectional configurator feature allows customers to build the perfect sectional sofa, where they can experiment with configuration and design, check the measurements in regard to their room and see their final design in 3D.

Macy’s 3D room planner “see your space” 

What: Retail group Fraser, plans to offload 16 retail park assets that they have accumulated over the past several years.

Why is it important: With all out-of-town assets they plan to offload, it could be worth a total of GBP 320 million.

Frasers Group may be seeking to sell based on investor demand for retail parks that have performed better than shopping centres during the pandemic. Also, retailers are using the larger store formats as distribution centres and click-and-collect hubs.

Fraser has been remodelling and updating some of their flagship city centre Sports Direct and adding physical stores to higher-end Flannels banner, which now has over 55 across the UK.

Fraser group looks to offload retail park assets

What: Neiman Marcus launched its 2022 spring campaign called “Looking Forward, Forward Looking.”

Why is it important: Exuding optimism, the campaign has a strong point of view, promotes glamour and travel, and is digitally driven.

“Looking Forward, Forward Looking” incorporates anticipation for a season of celebration marked by a resurgence of engagements, weddings, birthdays and graduation parties as COVID-19 cases generally decline in the U.S.

It’s a digitally-led campaign where video and social media are key, though there are new visuals, lots of color and graphics, digital and print advertising, and Neiman’s stylists are ready to engage with customers in spring.

Neiman Marcus’ spring campaign celebrates optimism

Neiman Marcus’ spring campaign celebrates optimism

What: Plans to invest USD 2.3 billion to build a global supply chain center in the southern port city of Guangzhou.

Why it is important: Shein is becoming a giant in the retail industry and the boost in their supply chain will only make them stronger.

The project will reportedly cover an area as big as three football fields, according to an official document published Tuesday by the provincial Development and Reform Commission, showing planned construction projects for 2022 in Guangzhou.

The South China Morning Post said that as of Friday, the document could no longer be found on the government website.

Shein plans USD 2.3 billion supply chain hub

What: Central will invest over the next 5 years a bit more than a half of the total Selfridges purchase price in its strategic development.

Why it is important: So far, it is all about stores revamping and expansion, but this might change as new opportunities might arise.

Central Retail Corporation plans to invest $3.03 billion in expansion during the next five years, as the “CRC Retailligence Strategy” plan aims at multiplying the revenue by 2.5 times.

This investment plan needs to be compared to the $5 billion purchase made in cooperation with Signa holding for the Selfridges group, suggesting, as confirmed by the CEO Yol Phokasub that the planned investments will be dedicated to stores revamp and expansion rather than new acquisitions. This needs to be taken with some cautions though, as some opportunities might come on the market (such as the sale of the Fenwick flagship store location in London).

Central Retail plans an investment of $3 billion in the next 5 years 

What: Wall Street expects Macy’s Inc to report the biggest holiday sales among US department stores in coming up holiday quarter results.

Why is it important: Macy’s was able to keep supplies stable during the peak shopping season because it used multiple ports to receive early deliveries of apparel and accessories from overseas suppliers.

In their last quarter, Macy’s added 4.4 million new customers, up 28% from pre-pandemic levels, with around a third of them returning to the brand after months. Their quarterly online sales have been growing for nearly two years, thanks to its loyalty program that has attracted millions of younger customers. Macy’s plans on building on the momentum by launching a marketplace, where third-party sellers can sell brands the department store does not carry and help expand its customer base.

Macy’s expects best sales among US department stores

What: Selfridges innovates again with a new approach to wellness.

Why it is important:  They propose a wide array of activities aiming at both providing new opportunities to customers while also making money through new services.

Selfridges has unveiled its latest initiatives planned for 2022 under the codename “Superself” as part of their innovative programme dubbed Superfuture.

These initiatives include therapeutic experiences including sex counselling session, confidence coaching sessions and other services aiming at helping customers to live a “brighter lifestyle”. These sessions can be booked for a price ranging from £30 to £150 for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Seflridges also proposes a 10-minutes sensory reality experience in VR pods with the same objective.

Selfridges doubles down on wellness in 2022

What: M&S is set to increase their minimum wage by more-than-5% and add other benefits including access to an online GP service, health check screening, and advice on financial management.

Why is it important: At the beginning of April, more than 40,000 staff in the UK will see their base rate of pay increase by GBP 0.50 an hour to GBP 10, with rates in London rising to GBP 11.25 from GBP 10.75.

This will put M&S workers just ahead of the new legal minimum wage of £9.50 an hour for those aged 23 and over.

M&S to increase the minimum wage and add worker benefits

What: Saks Off 5th is building a more balanced assortment with many more brands and has begun using the SkyPad software solution.

Why is it important: Soaring inflation is driving consumers to shop value-priced retailers and prolonged supply chain issues mean late arriving, out-of-season merchandise that regular-priced retailers will want to unload to off-pricers.

When Hudson’s Bay Co teamed up with investor Insight Partners to establish the Saks Off 5th e-commerce business as a stand-alone operation, Insight invested $200 million into Saks Off 5th. This helped fuel digital growth by adding talent, technology and widening the company’s assortment. The investment enhances digital capabilities, including fulfilment and logistics, support infrastructure, and expanding the assortment.

With 500 added brands in 2020-2021 and Saks Off 5th planning on adding 300 more in 2022, they partnered with the Sky I.T. Group and its business-to-business SaaS platform called SkyPad. This will automate and speed the flow of information between Off 5th and vendors and provide greater insights into selling trends.

The data generated covers unit and dollar performances by style; color; size; retail door and online, across a wide range of time periods, such as week-to-date, month-to-date, and season-to-date. SkyPad provides training and support to retailers and brands.

Saks Off 5th brand and technology growth

What: Marks & Spencer reveal a new deal with Clinique, the beauty brand that will be sold both in-store and online.

Why is it important: This partnership is part of Mark & Spencer’s ongoing strategic ‘Brands at M&S’ plan, which sees the rolling out of third-party brands through its stores.

The development of their beauty offer is part of Mark and Spencer’s focus to reshape its identity, helping it to become more relevant to its customer base.

Clinique products will be available through Marks & Spencer, with a Clinique counter including on-hand experts. Forty stores will have Clique’s products displayed in fixtures, with each experience curated specifically to the retailer’s consumer needs.

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Marks & Spencer partner up with Clinique

What: Spain’s fashion spending in 2021 has surpassed 2020 with the high purchases of intimates and swimwear, although still lower than pre-pandemic.

Why it is important: Spanish 2021 textile consumption grew by 15.7% compared to 2020, but it was still 14.3% less than in 2019. Intimate apparel, both for men and women (up 15%), and hosiery (up 20%) led the recovery.

E-commerce has continued to grow and represents 20.8% of total consumption (in 2017 was at only 6%).

With these numbers, Spain is confident that fashion consumption will return to pre-pandemic levels as soon as social life fully recovers.

2021 Spain fashion consumption was led by Intimates and swimwear purchases

What: La Samaritaine is putting on an exhibition exploring fashion’s creative process, themed “Atelier Mode.”

Why is it important: The department store is launching its first store-wide exhibition.

In the store’s central stage until May 12 is the “La Mode Est Un Jeu” exhibition, dedicated to fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld. It will explore his radical approach to composition, optical illusions, and depth of field using techniques such as translucent screens or putting negatives in the refrigerator.

La Samaritaine will also offer more hands-on opportunities, from do-it-yourself kits in the “Boutique de Loulou” selection, to workshops including live sketching sessions on weekends that include designing a look virtually through a sketching app or IRL, with a selection of fabrics from deadstock platform Nona Source or learning how to do makeup like a runway pro in the beauty department.

Brands like Dior, Destree and By Far will also get in step with the program by being given free rein for a week to showcase their creative universes through in-store events.

The store-wide exhibition will roll out in-store and online for 12 weeks starting February 17th.

La Samaritaine’s storewide exhibition themed: “Atelier Mode”

What: American Dream super mall in New Jersey, drained a reserve fund to make a bond payment as it struggles to attract shoppers and tenants with the pandemic.

Why is it important: The American Dream, which features an indoor ski slope, amusement park and water park, nearly emptied a reserve account to make a $9.3 million payment due on about $290 million of debt.

Failure to make a payment on the sales tax debt doesn’t constitute a default or require the mall to pay back the loan immediately however, American Dream wasn’t complying with obligations to provide updates on project costs and performance

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American Dream mall drains reserves

What: New filters according to diet, allergens or specific requirements are introduced to help customers with a specific diet to shop.

Why it is important: Wellness is everywhere and customers are increasingly concerned about their health as a whole. It is more than probable that this type of filter will generalize.

Walmart has partnered with Sifter, a diet-specific shopping specialist, to offer a new way to shop in their stores through Shop-by-Diet. This new app allows customers to scan grocery items to determine if they align with dietary needs.

They can also flag allergens, or desired categories (gluten free, plant based, etc…). According to Walmart, 200 m customers are following an alimentary diet and 85 m are avoiding specific types of food for health reason.

Walmart launches a shop by diet shopping app 

What: A hardware specialist commits to guarantee lowest prices 30 days after the purchase.

Why it is important: This stunt is astutely built to drive traffic to the website or the app, as the claim can not be made in stores.

Hornbach, the leading German and Austrian DIY hardware store, launches a new stunt in the Netherlands, as in case the price they paid is lower in the next 30 days, the price difference will be refunded.

This offer is valid on the entire assortment (120,000 products) and the refund (only through form of credits) can be claimed only through the website or the app, not in store. One has to note that this tool seems crafted to increase Hornbach’s marketshare in the Netherlands, a new market for the company.

German DIY chain Hornbach refunds customers if prices drop 

What: The updated programme has been reimagined to “instantly” reward customers with a range of personalised benefits and a 5% cash-back offer.

Why it is important: Customer incentives are key this year even for higher-end retailers as the cost of living rises alongside inflation. That extends to loyalty schemes and easier payment options.

Points, earned across shopping, dining and by downloading the Harvey Nichols app, are then converted into cash rewards that can be spent online and in store. As members spend more, their points level increases and benefits build, offering up to 5% cash-back. Unlike many programmes, this is redeemable at any time, notes the retailer.

As part of the Rewards programme, members are also able to choose from up to 14 personalised benefits and select “those that matter to them most”. The higher their membership level, the more to choose from.

Harvey Nichols relaunches rewards loyalty programme