Reviewing Retail in 2017, Part 1: Mergers, Acquisitions and Investments

2017 was a more eventful year in retail than many probably expected. This week and next, we will review the year, and consider what its developments tell us about the state of the sector and the strategies retailers are adopting… Continue Reading

“Will that Be Cash, Credit, WeChat Pay or Alipay?”

Some 40 years ago, American Express told its credit card holders, “Don’t leave home without it.” If that famous ad campaign were created today, it would likely refer to users’ smartphones, not their credit cards. That is because electronic payment… Continue Reading

Alibaba Shattered Singles’ Day Records Again in 2017—Here’s How

Singles’ Day, November 11, is the biggest online shopping day in the world. The holiday was originally created in the 1990s by Chinese college students who wanted to celebrate their single status. In 2009, Alibaba used the idea to market… Continue Reading

As the World (Re)turns: Returning Stuff Is a Whole Lot Easier than It Used to Be

In the ancient days, before e-commerce, when you wanted to return something, you had to go back to the store where you bought it (if you bought it in a store) or wait in line at the post office, if… Continue Reading

Our Top Digital Retail Trends for the Holiday Season

This holiday season will see digital channels capture more spending, digital devices play a greater role in the shopping process and digital assistants help more shoppers. Here, we share our top trends in digital retailing for this holiday season. US… Continue Reading

Amazon Is Making Big Changes at Whole Foods Market and Creating Waves in Grocery

On August 28—the day Amazon closed its $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market—subtle changes were already evident in Whole Foods stores, New York Produce Market they work with the most recognizable brands of fresh produce in the industry, as… Continue Reading

Toys “R” Us Files for Bankruptcy: Why? And What Does It Mean?

Retail giant Toys “R” Us filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US and Canada this week, and the news furthered the popular narrative of a “retail apocalypse” in the US. The bankruptcy proceedings do not affect the… Continue Reading

The Magic Returned to Las Vegas Again This August

This week, the FGRT team attended the August Magic trade show, held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is produced by UBM, a UK-based event organizer that puts on more than 300 events per year. Magic is held… Continue Reading

Reviewing WeChat, a Communication, Connection and Commerce Ecosystem with Almost a Billion Users

We recently attended the Rise 2017 Conference in Hong Kong, which is one of the largest technology conferences in Asia. The event featured a talk by Stephen Wang from Tencent, which owns the WeChat mobile app. Wang gave an overview… Continue Reading

Prime Day’s Importance Lies in Driving Reconsideration, Not Just Sales

This week saw Amazon offer up its third annual Prime Day—a feast of special offers available exclusively to Amazon Prime members. By the time this is published, many readers will have seen a slew of statistics on the sales values… Continue Reading