New Concepts in Retail

March 2023

Retailers are pushing the boundaries of innovation. Euromonitor International’s annual New Concepts in Retail report highlights how these efforts are reshaping the retail environment. This edition explores innovation across three key areas: Rethinking the Store; Digital Shopping and Engagement; and Social and Environmental Responsibility. These three themes emerged from trends expected to have the most influence on retail in the near term.

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This report comes in PPT.

Key Findings

Digitalisation remains the key force reshaping retail

Retail is undergoing seismic shifts with digitalisation being at the core of much of the structural shifts afoot in the industry. Digitalisation is changing where consumers shop and how they engage with brands, leading not only to a rise in the importance of the digital channel, but also is forcing retailers to rethink the role of the store, too.

Theme No. 1: Rethinking the Store

As consumers’ desire to seamlessly shop both online and offline becomes clear, incorporating technology throughout the shopping journey will help unlock the impressive realm of opportunity. Retailers are being charted with crafting consumer experiences and reconnecting with shoppers who want to shop in a physical store. 

Theme No. 2: Digital Shopping and Engagement

Improving digital engagement remains the top trend influencing e-commerce. As more consumers search and shop across channels and platforms, digital has become key to enabling shopper engagement. Empowered by the rapidly developing applications of technologies such as AI, VR and web 3.0, retailers are exploring new ways of engaging across platforms.

Theme No. 3: Social and Environmental Responsibility

While sustainability initiatives have garnered a broad range of interest from retailers in terms of  rethinking stores, services and supply chains, much of the activity remains driven by improving brand reputation. Still, however, the impact of sustainability initiatives on retail is expected to increase as more retailers align commercial and strategic goals in the coming years.

Economic uncertainty leads retailers to de-prioritise key initiatives from a year earlier

While rapid digitalisation over the last decade put innovation into overdrive and will remain important moving forward, the reality is that some initiatives that once had top billing, such as increasing revenue in online channels, are taking a backseat due to a weak economy as retailers look to reduce operational costs.

Scope
Key findings
A variety of forces converge to reshape tomorrow’s retail landscape
One of the most prominent battles in retail today is the role of physical vs virtual channels
This report will explore retailer innovation through the lens of these three themes
Use of in-store technology gains relevance in retailers’ omnichannel strategies
Consumers increasingly opt for brands with engaging in-store experiences
Technology continues to be a major focal point in rethinking the future of the store
Case study: 6thStreet.com opens stores with no products on display
Case study: Intime launches mini department store format
Case study: Nah & Frisch opens store with unstaffed feature during evening hours
Case study: Deliveroo opens first brick-and-mortar store, Deliveroo HOP
Case study: Comfi.co.nz launches Comfi Sleep Hub, a 24-hour showroom
Case study: Edeka 24/7 fully automated store combined with Italophile deli concept
Additional case studies (1)
Additional case studies (2)
Effective digital engagement becomes key to unlock consumer value
Digital technologies are on course to redesign shopper engagement
Technologies impacting shopper engagement in the next year
Case study: L’Oréal integrates consumer insights from TikTok on Amazon marketplace
Case study: Tiki JSC leverages blockchain to create a new loyalty programme
Case study: Online supermarket Buo facilitates savings with cooperative shopping
Case study: Stitch Fix differentiates curation and search with its service “Freestyle”
Case study: Carrefour Bringo offers personalised shopping and cart sharing
Additional case studies (3)
Additional case studies (4)
Sustainability is a broad area for action as most retailers prioritise brand reputation
Impact of sustainability initiatives still less relevant as compared to tech and channel shifts
Changing operating environment connects sustainability to business performance
Case study: Nike and Alipay partner to support ecological projects by recycling sneakers
Case study: Platanitos introduces buying and selling of second-hand products on its website
Case study: Motatos brings online redistribution supermarket model to the UK
Case study: Zabka Eko Smart is an eco-friendly outlet with energy-saving features
Case study: Brown Thomas launches flagship store with sustainability-focused services
Additional case studies (5)
Additional case studies (6)
Economic uncertainty leads retailers to de- prioritise key initiatives from a year earlier
About Euromonitor’s Syndicated Channels Research

Retailing

Retail is the sale of new and used goods to consumers from a business for personal or household consumption from retail outlets, kiosks, market stalls, vending, direct selling and e-commerce. Retail is the aggregation of Retail Offline and Retail E-Commerce. Excludes specialist retailers of motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle parts. Also excludes fuel sales, foodservice sales, rental transactions, and wholesale sales (e.g. Cash and Carry). Sales value excluding or including VAT/Sales Tax. Retail also excludes the informal retail sector. Informal retailing is retail trade which is not declared to the tax authorities. Informal retailing encompasses (a) sales generated by unregistered and unlicensed retailers, i.e. retailers operating illegally, and (b) any proportion of sales generated by a registered and licensed retailer that is not declared to the tax authorities. Unregistered and unlicensed retailers operate predominantly (although not exclusively) as street hawkers or operate open market stalls, as these channels are harder for the authorities to monitor than permanent outlets. Activities in the illegal market, which is usually understood to refer to trade in illegal, counterfeit or stolen merchandise, are included within our definition of informal retailing. Activities in the “grey market”, which is usually understood to refer to trade in legal merchandise that is sold through unauthorized channels – for example cigarettes bought legally in another country, legally imported, but sold at lower prices than in authorized channels – will be included as informal retailing if no tax is paid on sale by the retailer. However if the retailer pays tax – for example on cigarettes bought legally in another country but sold at a lower price than standard – the sale is included within formal retail.

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