Gearing Up for the Holidays

Making a Comeback

For years now, U.S. apparel makers have off-shored their manufacturing, affecting not only apparel workers in the States, but also entire local economies. Today, just 2% of apparel in U.S.…

The Kids Are Alright

It is great to be an American tween: old enough to know what is trendy, yet blithely ignorant of U.S. and global economics.  So, even though Mom and Dad might…

Rockin’ the Schoolhouse

‘Tis the season to be jolly — if you are a parent, that is.  If you are a kid, maybe not so much, since the school year is just around…

Rethinking Underthings

When it comes to what people want in their most intimate apparel items, it is the same softness and comfort they have always held dear – plus, perhaps, some performance…

The High and Low Of It

The designer collaboration is alive, well and multiplying rapidly — a fact that should keep shoppers awash in one-offs for quite some time.  But the newest collaborations are breaking with…

In Celebration of Shopping

Fashion’s Night Out is back.  And for those wondering if it is bigger and better than ever, in a word: Bieber.  As in, Justin Bieber, who says in the event’s…

As You Like It

The good thing about malls, city shopping districts and e-commerce sites is the bounty of retail choices they provide.  But such abundance makes it trickier for stores to differentiate themselves.…

Getting Personal

In an effort to hone in on what makes consumers buy rather than browse, retail science has gotten a little…sci-fi. For brick and mortar stores, there are “technologies like heat…

Seeking Social Skills

For today’s retailers, the question is no longer whether to use Facebook, but whether Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr are being used as effectively as possible. Smart stores realize social…