Inspiration Magazine

Useful tips and resources prepared by business, industry and design experts to help retailers grow their businesses!

Stories to Sell: Global Trends in Retail

We talk to the four gia expert jurors about the new emotionally charged and uber-connected world of retail. by Michelle Hespe Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen, an expert at utilizing technology in retail, has noticed a massive trend in retail that is also reflected in everyday life: the pace at which people move and the speed at which they do things,…

Adding History to Your Story

by Martin M. Pegler When you do a display—or merchandise presentation—you tell a “story”. It can be about how the products being featured complement a particular lifestyle or enhance an upcoming holiday dinner, or a new look or trend in home or housewares. Whatever you are trying to promote will benefit if you can illustrate a story in your display, especially if you can…

Increasing Impulse Shopping

by Martin M. Pegler If visual merchandising or display is vital anywhere in the retail space, it must be where impulse items are being offered. The whole concept of “impulse shopping” is based on attracting the shopper to a product that she did not come into the store to buy. It means, “waving a flag” in front of her—making her stop, take notice of, maybe try or touch, and…

Retail: A Mix of Science and Art

Anna Berry is Partner and Head of Buying, Gifts, Cook and Dine, at John Lewis & Partners in the UK. After three decades with the company, she continues to inspire the industry by approaching buying as a mix of science and art. by Michelle Hespe Who doesn’t love a beautiful, immaculate department store filled with exciting things to see and do? Lights showcasing shiny…

Survival and Success in the Retail Renaissance

by Tom Mirabile “It’s no secret the marketplace is experiencing unprecedented and rapid changes in how consumers gather information, shop and buy products. But these changes represent tremendous opportunities for the housewares industry,” said Tom Mirabile, consumer trend forecaster for the International Housewares Association and senior vice president of global trend and…

PANTONE®VIEW home + interiors 2019: Focusing on the Future

by Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director Pantone Color Institute Films, fashion and design are hugely influential in color trends, as are food, consumer products and social movements. On other fronts, the healthy eating trend and the subsequent culinary culture that has evolved in recent years has also brought with it a movement in natural, earthy colors being used in…

Home Smart Home

By Michelle Hespe Carley Knobloch knows a thing or two about smart homes: She’s consulted with HGTV on their annual HGTV Smart Home build for years, and is a regular tech contributor on the Today Show. Her home, a blend of California cool and high tech, was just featured in Good Housekeeping. To Carley, “A truly smart home is as beautiful as it is intelligent — the gadgets…

Guide to Effective Retail Store Design

by Martin M. Pegler If RETAILING is your chosen path of livelihood, here are some simple guidelines you might like to consider when planning your retail store. 1. Let There Be Light! Without the proper light the merchandise cannot be seen or judged, colors cannot be appreciated, coordinates cannot be assembled, nor buying decisions made. Let your light be the best you can…

Inspiring the Industry: Katrina Markoff

by Michelle Hespe Katrina Markoff is a highly-creative chocolatier and the founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, a Chicago-based chocolate maker that inspires people to open their minds and travel the world through chocolate. As is the case with most successful business ventures, there was a defining moment that created the seed from which Vosges Haut-Chocolat would grow…