Evolving Consumer Sentiments
11 minute read
Consumer sentiments changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they will change again as society begins a process of reopening. Retailer...
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The Future of Branded Environments?
4 minute read
The first-annual “Miller Zell Innovation Scholarship” asked college students pursuing a degree in business, fashion merchandising, reta...
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The Digital Path Forward
7 minute read
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of in-store digital initiatives because of expediency. Those who had been digital leader...
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Lessons Learned
7 minute read
The COVID-19 pandemic presented myriad challenges to retailers and other businesses operating public spaces.
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How to Overcome Supply Chain Breakdowns
6 minute read
COVID-19 spawned unprecedented challenges for international trade, particularly with the North American supply chain, where there’s nev...
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Proud Goodbye to Miller Zell from Ron Lutz
5 minute read
Miller Zell EVP & Chief Retail Officer Ron Lutz announced his retirement from Miller Zell this month. We asked him to write a few words...
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Winning with Customers at Curbside
4 minute read
I enjoyed an opportunity recently to conduct a webinar for the International Signage Association on the rise of BOPIS (buy online, pick...
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Reflecting on 2020 and What Lies Ahead
5 minute read
No question, 2020 has been an unprecedented, anxious year, for people and businesses. Yet as we at Miller Zell reflect on what 2020 ent...
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What She Didn’t Say
5 minute read
I was honored to be interviewed on a podcast last month by Terry Badger from the financial services industry think tank, @BAI_Info (BAI...
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Giving Thanks Amid the Challenges of 2020
4 minute read
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the globe in late March of 2020, a client asked Miller Zell to procure, kit pack and distribute h...
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QSR Design Must Meet Evolving Customer Expectations
9 minute read
It’s 2022, and three different customers want to order lunch from their favorite quick-serve restaurant. All three decide to use the QS...
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Renewing Focus on Long-Term Planning
9 minute read
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many retailers to accelerate the adoption of their future plans, particularly digital innovations that red...
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Five Initiatives Retailers Should Focus on Right Now
10 minute read
The COVID-19 pandemic forced changes in how we manage public spaces. First, there was an urgent reaction based almost entirely on safet...
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Architects Offer Guidance for Environmental Design
4 minute read
Environmental build/renovation, from initial concepts to installation completion, can be a twisting and complicated process. Major proj...
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Evolving Trip Missions During Pandemic
9 minute read
The COVID-19 pandemic hammered two cornerstones of retail success: traffic and dwell time. Since March, stores have been forced to redu...
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How to Optimize QSR Menu Boards
7 minute read
When customers arrive at a quick-serve restaurant, whether they are using the drive-through or going inside, it’s fair to assume they a...
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Evolving Public Spaces in a Post-COVID-19 World
7 minute read
It’s easy to say that the only certainty right now is uncertainty, as the societal reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic so far has not ...
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COVID-19 Accelerates Need for Innovation
8 minute read
Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted people’s lives and the international economy, every retailer knew it needed to consistently inno...
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Back-to-School, Holiday Shopping During COVID-19
8 minute read
Our nation and world are reopening in phases and with caution, so retailers are adopting new standards while also aspiring to create th...
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Creating Safe, Optimized Spaces for Customers and Associates
8 minute read
The Covid-19 pandemic shutdown provoked anxiety, frustration and uncertainty. The reopening, at least initially, won’t be much differen...
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Emotional Intelligence and Store Design
7 minute read
The tired dad pulls up to the drive-through window to pick up his family’s dinner, his two young children screaming in the back seat. T...
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Earth Day 2020: Sustainability is a Business Imperative
7 minute read
As if there weren’t enough reasons for businesses to make sustainability efforts a priority, a recent nationwide study conducted at Har...
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COVID-19: Values Over Transactions
5 minute read
Edelman’s 2020 “Trust Barometer” noted that 73 percent of its respondents believe “A company can take specific actions that both increa...
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Retailers Join Fight Against COVID-19
6 minute read
Retailers are on the front lines of the both the battle against and ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Euroshop 2020: A Retail Tour
10 minute read
A crew from Miller Zell attended Euroshop 2020 in Dusseldorf and came away inspired by the potential for innovation in brick and mortar...
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Ready to Adopt the Latest Tech?
8 minute read
There were 4,500 exhibitors and 20,000 tech products at CES in January. Many were captivating. Some could become transformative in the ...
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Execution Failures Doom Good Ideas
3 minute read
Guest post written by our friend and retail consultant, Flora Delaney My retail clients usually come to me for one of the following: A ...
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What's Top-of-Mind for Retailers in 2020?
8 minute read
While every retailer enters 2020 with a specific set of priorities and challenges, Miller Zell has been hearing six on a regular basis.
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Beware of the “Guaranteed Savings Model” in Print Management
5 minute read
The name sounds so good: “Guaranteed Savings Model.” What could be better than the certainty of savings when deciding upon a print mana...
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Black Friday Releases the Foxes
6 minute read
The Black Friday to Cyber Monday shopping maelstrom took on added frenzy this year because of the late timing of Thanksgiving, which re...
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How Do Retailers Meet the Expectations of Multiple Generations of Customers?
11 minute read
Millennials are now the largest adult generation in the United States, but Baby Boomers possess more than half of household wealth. Yet...
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What Keeps Retailers Up at Night?
5 minute read
The nameless, faceless customers walk through your store. Some are unhappy, but you don’t know why. You don’t know them or what attract...
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Are Complex Rollout and Campaign Processes Impacting Your Customer Experience?
4 minute read
Creating the ultimate customer experience not only creates loyal customers but ultimately leads to brand enthusiasts. But the path to g...
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Flash Over Substance Fails in Retail
4 minute read
Guest post written by our friend and retail consultant, Flora Delaney. It was March 2015, and my client needed help. The home improvem...
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Engagement: Employees and Shoppers
4 minute read
Miller Zell focuses on customer experience, trust and values when it comes to the work we do with our clients. These inspire customer e...
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Shoppers Want Retailers to Match Their Values
9 minute read
Sustainability. Philanthropy. Community service.
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Worried About an Economic Downturn?
5 minute read
Is the longest, consumer-led economic expansion in U.S. history running out of steam?
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Back-to-School Shopping is a Two-Headed Beast
6 minute read
While we would never compare the gift-seeking festiveness of the holiday season in December to the back-to-school shopping frenzy of la...
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Miller Zell Design Saves Time and Money
5 minute read
Fram oil filters created a classic TV commercial in the 1970s that concluded with a catchphrase: “Pay me now… or pay me later.” Either ...
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Searching for Innovation in a Midwestern Retail Hub
12 minute read
The idea began casually enough at Miller Zell’s Atlanta headquarters. Someone noted that a good number of “stores of the future” and “l...
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Culture is a Business Priority
5 minute read
When it comes to our retail clients, Miller Zell focuses on what is important to them: an exacting focus on thoughtful innovation, opti...
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Not Just a Piggy Bank: Why Banks Still Need Branches
2 minute read
Bank and credit union customers more and more perform basic financial transactions over mobile, online or ATM channels, in large part b...
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Three Lessons From Committed Green Retailers
3 minute read
Going green is no longer an option. Based on what consumers want from brands, it’s now a necessity to remain competitive. In its “Globa...
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Creating a Unique Customer Experience to Drive 2019 Success
3 minute read
The retail industry spent the last decade investing in and expanding “how” a customer can shop. Many were successful with what became t...
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Are Your Bank Branches Boring?
2 minute read
While Miller Zell can’t guarantee this presentation will cure that pesky double-chin, few people know more about transforming bank bran...
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A Look Back at 2018
3 minute read
At Miller Zell, this introspection uncovered a series of themes from 2018. The year saw our growth by strengthening client partnerships...
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How to Meet Customers’ Elevated Expectations During the Holidays
1 minute read
First, experts are projecting increased retail spending this holiday season. Second, demanding customers want seamless, personalized ex...
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3 Ways to Keep the Personal Touch in Brick-and-Mortar Retail
2 minute read
The good news is the so-called “Retail Apocalypse!” narrative is turning out to be another ghost story. It’s a dramatic, scary idea but...
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Retailers Enhance Shopper Journey Through Storytelling
2 minute read
A J.P. Morgan analyst told CNBC that we could have the "best back-to-back [seasons] that the consumer has seen in five-plus years.” Sho...
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What Does Prime Day Mean for Retailers Other Than Amazon?
7 minute read
When Amazon decided to invent a new holiday, we wondered if it would become the next thing in online shopping. Three years later, the a...
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Boomers or Bust
8 minute read
Facing greater competitive pressure, retailers are transforming the Store of the Future into a modern reality. Tactics such as a more f...
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Reach 100% of In-Store Customers
2 minute read
Every week, more than 100,000,000 people walk through Walmart’s doors. And, as they do, each of those millions pass through through the...
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