Baby Durables - US  

“Baby durables products are essential, but the category has faced slow growth amid low birth rates in recent years. While economic pressures will bring an increased focus on value, parents continue to prioritize safety, quality and durability. Establishing trust will be critical as parents look to brands to provide guidance and build community on top of delivering a strong value proposition.”

– Brittany Steiger, Senior Analyst – Retail & eCommerce

Food & Beverage Retailing - Brazil  

“With more frequent visits and smaller purchases, retailers need to adapt to accommodate a larger number of customers and create a pleasant and practical environment, so consumers don’t spend too much time inside the store. Consumers show interest in the use of technology, as well as in retailers that offer sustainable options and services, such as bulk sales and recyclables collection machines.”

– Ana Paula Gilsogamo, Food and Drink Senior Analyst

• Valentine's Day - UK  
  Valentine's Day - UK

  

  “Valentine’s Day 2023 was challenging with the number buying gifts falling and average spending down among those who did spend. 2024 is likely to be more promising as confidence improves, particularly if brands and retailers can reframe the event as not just romantic but also one that taps into the wider trend of ‘self-care’, opening up a space for self and friend gifting.”– Emily Viberg, Retail Analyst
• Optical Goods Retailing - UK  
  Optical Goods Retailing - UK

  

  “Outside of the downturn caused by the pandemic, the optical goods industry has been witnessing slow yet steady growth. The cost of living crisis is setting back growth seen in 2021, however, as customers rethink new purchases and tighten budgets. The emergence of new disruptor brands is set to challenge the purchasing journey for spectacles and lenses both on and offline, as well as online services offering customers additional touchpoints for eyecare.”
• Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - Spain  
  Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - Spain

  

  "The cost-of-living crisis and high inflation are changing how Spanish consumers shop for beauty and personal care products. With household budgets stretched, many shoppers are looking at ways to cut back spending on the category, reducing purchasing, switching to lower-priced options and shopping at low-cost retailers. Retailers will have to fight hard to offer added value to attract the spend of more cost-conscious consumers. Flexible payment schemes and own-label beauty should be considered as well as options that simultaneously boost affordability and help save the planet."
• Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - Italy  
  Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - Italy

  

  "The major chains of specialist beauty and personal care retailers, which are still primarily store-based businesses, have an opportunity to help their customers deal with the cost of living crisis by using discounts to build goodwill and increase loyalty which will bear fruit in the future. Faced at the same time with growing consumer demand for them to become more sustainable, these retailers also have an opportunity to encourage their customers to adopt more sustainable behaviours – which may also be rewarded with discounts or lower prices – and use this to drive footfall back into their stores, as part of a wider strategy of giving customers a compelling reason to shop in-store again, rather than online."
• Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - France  
  Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - France

  

  "The beauty retail sector in France was heavily penalized by the health crisis, but looks to be regaining momentum. The end of obligatory face coverings, the return to face-to-face working and growth in tourist numbers have all had a positive effect on demand for beauty products. But a new threat is now weighing down the market: soaring inflation and its consequences for household purchasing power. In the short-term, retailers need to find ways to communicate value in its various forms to their customers, but they should also be looking to the future and how new technology can help them enhance the shopping experience, both in-store and online. Services such as individual consultations and virtual try-ons can attract an increasingly well-informed consumer looking for personalised beauty solutions."
• Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - Europe  
  Beauty & Personal Care Retailing - Europe

  

  "We estimate that beauty and personal care specialist retailers’ sales in the European Big 5 markets rose by around 7% again in 2022, as the sector continued to recover from the disruption caused by the pandemic. This is largely attributed to higher prices as well as increased visits to stores. Overall, beauty and personal care has been one of the more resilient consumer markets during the cost-of-living crisis. The most successful retailers will be those that can tailor their offer to the key consumer demands at the moment, especially around the-cost-of living crisis, value, promotions, impulse purchasing and also sustainability without compromising shopping experience and convenience."
• UK Retail Trends - Spring - UK  
  UK Retail Trends - Spring - UK

  

  “A combination of the cost of living crisis and natural rebalancing in key categories following heighted demand during the peak of the pandemic, saw volume retail sales decline by a record level in 2022. However, given the macro-economic backdrop retail demand held up relatively well and the sector enjoyed a better than expected festive period. Early 2023 has seen the trend of deep volume decline continue, and the prolonged squeeze on income will continue to create a tough trading environment in the short-term even if the signs are that inflation will begin to ease past Q1 2023.”
• Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - Spain  
  Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - Spain

  

  "Amazon is the biggest player in the ever growing online retailing market in Spain and the company has been expanding there rapidly in recent years. It is projected to continue its rise over the coming years, as the online habit sticks, fuelled largely by the overwhelming demand for convenience and the wider range of brands online than when shopping in-store. Significant opportunity exists for the business driven by rising sustainability awareness, greater appetite for fast delivery as well as potential new services, such as prescription medication provision."
• Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - Italy  
  Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - Italy

  

  "Since it launched in Europe, Amazon has evolved from primarily an online book retailer into a retail-based ecosystem, the online equivalent of a department store but with added video, music, gaming and reading services. Its relentless focus on price and service/fulfilment has proved a popular proposition for Italian consumers and it continues to add products and services to its portfolio, using Prime membership benefits as a key driver. Our research finds it is ubiquitous in Italy now but that there are concerns among some consumers that shopping with Amazon may contribute to physical stores closing. We believe there are still opportunities for Amazon to grow its revenues in the country by introducing complementary services and at the same time to partner with store-based retailers to tap into their offline inventories and help to alleviate shoppers’ concerns about the consequences to the high street of shopping online."
• Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - France  
  Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - France

  

  "Amazon is the largest non-food retailer in France, but it is significantly less used by shoppers in that country than in the other markets in our research. There are many reasons for this, not least the advanced state of the online market and the strength of local operators. It operates in a developed and competitive e-commerce sector, where the number of marketplaces is flourishing. Many of these have a focus on local or national businesses, often with an ethical slant. Our research found a common sentiment that there are downsides to shopping at Amazon including concerns about over-packaging and over the impact of shopping at Amazon on physical stores. As e-commerce rebalances post-pandemic, we’re likely to see online spending diffuse across more platforms and retailers, which may slow Amazon’s market share growth."
• Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - Europe  
  Amazon: Creating an Ecosystem - Europe

  

  "Amazon is the undisputed leader of the dynamic online retailing market in Europe. It is set to benefit as the channel continues to gain popularity across product and service categories and it has benefitted greatly from the pandemic. It is forecast that Amazon’s rise will continue, albeit with growth not as high as the inflated levels seen in 2020, fuelled by greater demand for convenience and the wider range of brands online. The region presents good prospects for the company as the market is shaped by shifting consumer priorities driven by growing sustainability awareness, interest in rapid delivery services and an appetite for new services."