• Using digital audits, we capture and process millions of data points using artificial intelligence applications like text analytics and machine learning to extract meaningful, actionable insights from unstructured text in social media

TGC Social Listening —- CLICK HERE

The post It’s what they say when you are not in the room that matters most… appeared first on The Grayson Company.

Retailers and Brands have long acknowledged that changes in the weather can significantly affect their sales, often pointing to Mother Nature when discussing disappointing or better than-expected results. Weather volatility is a reality that makes it challenging for retailers to plan effectively and keep inventories, operations, and resources aligned with shifting consumer demand trends. In fact, no other external variable has the ability to shift consumer buying behavior as frequently, directly, or meaningfully as the weather.

The post New Partnership Announcement: TGC & Planalytics appeared first on The Grayson Company.

The post Vineyard Vines at Target: by Steve Goldberg appeared first on The Grayson Company.

By Steve Goldberg

It’s so exciting to see Retail Innovation continue to evolve and respect consumer’s natural desires to be entertained and immersed in true merchandising experience at the same time.

Over the past several weeks, we visited some of the most dynamic Retail Innovations launched in one of the most demanding retail markets on the planet: New York City.

Bloomingdale’s: has always been the “IT” store for fashion leadership combined with immersive, theatrical presentation. Bloomingdale’s has doubled down on that commitment. This month, for example, Bloomingdale’s launched a provocative array of Fashion Windows facing Lexington Avenue with a dramatic nod to Earth Day and Sustainability. Bloomingdales partnered with Windex, which has now committed to plastic bottles that are made of recycled ocean waste products. These presentations not only continue Bloomingdale’s tradition of breakthrough statements, but brilliantly align with multiple generations genuinely concerned about the health of the planet.

Inside, on the Main Floor, substantial space has been dedicated to the Carousel, a rotation of designer curated concepts that combine “high fashion” with accessible “pickup” accessory and gift products not found elsewhere in the store. And, yes, you can buy Windex in its new sustainable packaging here.

Elsewhere, Bloomingdale’s has opened aisles all over the store, refocused on beautiful, completely accessorized fashion “models”, provided areas to charge phones, even dramatic “photo spots” to encourage selfies. Exceptional attention is paid to every detail in the store, from associates guest greetings to the beautifully accessorized and appointed Tabletop and Top of the Bed presentations.

Yes, this is customer centric experience at its very best.

Story at Macy’s: We have always been fans of Story, and have watched this brilliant concept evolve into a true destination under the High Line. When Rachel Shectman announced that she was selling her business to Macy’s and that she was going to join the organization as the Chief Experience Officer, we knew that something important and big was destined to happen. This past week, we had the chance to see the first manifestation of Story at Macy’s. With an incredible, expansive “takeover” of the Mezzanine, this first edition of Story at Macy’s was all about COLOR. The merchandising and presentation did not disappoint, with an array of color saturated, curated merchandising concepts that take the Story concept to the Next Level. Equally impressive, every Sales Associate had clearly been trained in the “Story Telling” methodology that Rachel Shectman perfected. Macy’s is now rolling this concept out to its best 30+ stores. Another example of customer merchandising experience at its best!

Hudson Yards: is a work in progress. All the major retailers that you would expect are there, in their latest versions of their best selves. But, very importantly, is the range of emerging brands, and digital natives that have opened some extraordinary, exceptional stores. This is Prime Time, and they were largely ready for it. Examples include Forty Five Ten, M.Gemi, Mack Weldon, Milk & Honey Babies, Rhone, Rudsak, The Conservatory, and, of course, B8TA, where we loved the Qwerkywriter retro keyboard. Atelier Cologne and Muji have created exceptional personalization experiences with monogramming and embroidery stations. Brands like Dirty Lemon are testing “frictionless retail” through their “take now, pay later” honor system model at The Drug Store. Here, customers are encouraged to choose one of many health boosting flavors of bottled elixirs, send a text message as to which flavor was chosen, and be on their way; there are no cash registers in the store.

The number of “Instagramable” moments at Hudson Yards seem endless. Of course, the Vessel, has already become an iconic destination unto itself, well worth the visit. The public garden and park, outdoor observatory deck, and The Shed are other attractions that promise to impress and entertain visitors. The “graffiti” wall made of scrapable sequins seems to be a hit among people of all ages. The long line at Snark Park, an ever-changing art, design, and architecture installation and retail counter with a twist, told us it is also a must see.

The experience at Hudson Yards will continue to evolve as additional stores open, and office towers and residential buildings are completed. But, without question, this too, represents an exciting reinforcement that physical customer experience is here to stay.

The post Retail Innovation at its Very Best appeared first on The Grayson Company.

Kevin Mullaney, CEO, and Steve Goldberg, President of The Grayson Company, attended the April 2019 Cowen and Company 5th Annual Future of The Consumer Conference in New York City

This Conference included an exceptional group of brands, retailers, wellness and hospitality innovators, both emerging and legacy, as well as critical thinkers and experts in supply chain, and transportation technologies.

Since this Conference is about the future of the Consumer, a thematic thread through almost every presentation was the race to engage today’s consumers with not only compelling product, but extraordinary and relevant frictionless experiences in the future. The stakes to acquire and retain customers and earn their loyalty has never been higher and the tools to reach and transact with consumers never more sophisticated.

The economic backdrop to this conference was still very positive. Employment is at high levels, and consumer sentiment is strong. However, some important preliminary signs of “softness” and headwinds in the economy were discussed and cast a “cautious optimism” over the conference.

Some of the top learnings from the Cowen Conference.

• New Consumer Experiences and Engagement are Critical

What did Legacy retailers like Walmart, Kohl’s, Tiffany, and Nordstrom all have in common? They recognize that “no brand has an entitlement”. Each of these retailers are engaged in massive makeovers of how they reach the consumer, the range of their services and, of course, their product offerings. What impressed us:

• Kohl’s is now engaged in an aggressive array of new brand introductions such as Nine West, The Property Brothers, and Evri (plus size), as well as shop in shop partnership tests that include Planet Fitness, Aldi, Amazon, WW (Weight Watchers), and PopSugar.

• Nordstrom continues its obsessive focus on its customers holistically and not by “channel”. They plan to continue to leverage their unique service offerings, such as tailoring to deepen their customer relationships. Note that Nordstrom is now the largest employer of tailor’s in the U.S. and plans to further leverage this unique service capacity.

• Autonomous Vehicles are Here, and Will be Vital to the Consumer Infrastructure

This is not just about having an Uber flying taxi or a Jetson’s era car in your backyard. The fact is that we are facing a dramatic shortage of pilots; the pipeline of new pilots to replace mandatory retirees is simply insufficient. Similarly, there is an urgent shortage of truck drivers today, let alone what we will face in the near future. Securing an uninterrupted transportation pipeline is vital for every level of commerce and is accelerating the race towards autonomous vehicles. And, by the way, Amazon is in the process of assembling its own massive air fleet, as well as a dedicated airport.

• The Cannabis Industry is Exploding

As regulatory hurdles continue to fall, the Cannabis industry is exploding in its range of product offerings, both recreational and medicinal. Retail concepts, as well as CPG level wholesale brand concepts are emerging at a rapid pace.

• Blurring the Lines Between Physical and Digital Engagement

Retailers continue to “blur the lines” between delivering physical and digital experiences.

• Health and Wellness companies such as Planet Fitness are in a hotly competitive race to ramp up their “APP” experiences to allow consumers to workout “anywhere” and to have a vast array of wellness solutions at their fingertips. Peloton is making massive investments in these technologies as well to “merge” the physical and digital worlds.

• Walmart is pushing the envelope of digital / physical experience with “curbside” grocery pick up tests

• Supply Chain Disruption
  • The trade wars between China and the U.S. have had massive cascading impacts on Supply Chain efficiency and costs.
  • Suppliers in “secondary” markets such as Viet Nam simply do not have enough capacity or infrastructure now to “offset” the disruption on the China supply chain machine. However, aggressive investments are being made throughout alternative supply chain sources in anticipation of future disruption.

The post Learnings from Cowen Conference 2019 – By: Steve Goldberg appeared first on The Grayson Company.

Read more from Steve Goldberg on JGA’s blog:

CLICK HERE  http://jga.com/commentary/knowing-how-to-pivot/

The post Knowing How To Pivot: by Steve Goldberg appeared first on The Grayson Company.

Click here to read article

The post National Geographic Ocean Odyssey Wins Visitor Attraction Award appeared first on The Grayson Company.

Click here for full article

The post Our client, USPA, to Unveil Gauntlet of Polo Trophy appeared first on The Grayson Company.

The Conference provides highly efficient opportunities to learn about major consumer and retail brands, as well as emerging digital natives, brands and industry sectors, both public and private.

This year’s conference came on the heels of a very unique year where Consumer sentiment and confidence was high, and overall retail performance was in positive territory. However, at the same time, it was against the backdrop of some major changes in the Consumer marketplace, and the political environment as well.

Here are the Top Learnings from ICR:

• Consumer Experience counts!
  • Companies like Tilly’s, Lovesac, Yeti, Salt Life, Aritzia, Faherty, Five Below, Tommy John, Urban Outfitters are all outperforming largely because they have created unique ways of engaging the Consumer with unique product and shopping experiences while building fierce loyalty.
• Speed to Market is crucial
  • The most successful companies we met have recognized that they need to continue to bring newness to the market faster, and execute in tighter time frames
• Digital Meets Physical
  • “On-line” versus “off-line” shopping is past; harmonized digital consumer experience is now. Order on-line, pick up in store, while such an obvious opportunity, is working and driving consumers back into retail stores. However, it has taken some time for retailers to make this capability seamless and operational.
• Cannabis is here to stay
  • Multiple companies at ICR presented their vision for building Cannabis retail environments, and positioning Cannabis as a future CPG business model
• Blockchain will become foundational across retailing and manufacturing
  • It’s complicated, but Blockchain solutions are removing friction from Supply Chains, while creating more securitized methods of communicating
• Retail and Distribution Channel Opportunities are Evolving… Fast
  • Retailers and Brands are rapidly moving to new and evolving distribution channels ranging from Alibaba’s Singles Day to Travel Retail on new Mega Ships to super sophisticated Vending Machines
• The Amazon Effect
  • It continues to dominate almost any conversation about Retailing and Brands. With over 100 Million Prime Members, and now four different “brick and mortar” retail concepts, it has to. In short, Companies are grappling with how to deal with Amazon profitably, or what the alternatives are

The post Learnings from the 2019 ICR Conference appeared first on The Grayson Company.

Click here

The post Toys For Tots Suffers by the Closing of Toys R Us appeared first on The Grayson Company.