Reinventing Normal: Do Department Stores Have a Future?
Writer, speaker, retail futurist, and founder of consulting agency 22nd&5th Howard Saunders joins Reinventing Normal host Mark Landini to discuss the future of retail stores. Appreciating the long, hallowed history of shopping in the West and how it’s impacted the daily life of a vast cross-section of demographics, they dive into current industry problems and how to glean some way forward.
“The department store is dead… and we’re seeing the fallout of that,“ Saunders explained. “But you have to look at it deeper than that… It brings you to question what it is – when you talk about department stores – what it is you mean.”
Saunders and Landini explore the ways department stores have raised the bar to offer everyday consumers services previously available only to the financial elite.
They delve into the influence of trade pioneers Selfridges & Co., how businesses who hold their model excel, and why the monotony of shopping is toxic to the retail industry.
They also get real about the issues crushing in-life purchasing experiences due to companies cramping into a mold that is no longer profitable, groundbreaking, or stimulating to shoppers.
“They committed suicide by being so mediocre,” Saunders lamented with a laugh.
With a little nostalgia for the Golden Era of merchandising, they show how the digital age has revolutionized shopping for the masses – and how retail can overcome these issues while offering a better purchasing experience.
Emphasizing the past, they pave the way to the future.
Join the conversation on this episode of Reinventing Normal with Mark Landini.
More Stories Like This
IBM Study Shows a Growing Portion of Consumers Embrace Hybrid Shopping
How American Eagle Outfitters Went by Acquisitions to Fill Logistics Gaps
Latest
When Organizations Invest in Preventative Security Measures, They Can Secure Liability Protections
The kind of news that is delivered everyday serves as a grim reminder of the escalating violence across the U.S. Evidently, the need for proactive measures to ensure safety has never been more pressing. Such violence is not limited to any particular locale. It’s actually permeating in so many different areas once considered […]
VuWall’s Security Features Utilize AV Over IP to Meet Workplace Security Demands
The significant shift in security demands has seen modest operation centers evolve into larger, more intricate spaces. This change isn’t just a nod to expansion but underscores the demand and importance of comprehensive security in modern businesses. Then enter AV over IP solutions, which replaces the old-fashioned bulky matrix switchers and provides a decentralized […]
GSX 2023: The Present And Future Of Cybersecurity Architecture With Johnson Controls
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the integration of security systems and cybersecurity architecture is paramount for businesses. Johnson Controls, one of the biggest security system integrators in North America, recognizes the challenges faced by organizations in ensuring the reliability and uptime of their security investments. With the rise of connected devices, cybersecurity threats have […]