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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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