Inspiration Magazine

The Art of Organization

We speak to Sharon Tindell— President and Chief Merchandising Office at The Container Store — for an insider’s view of how this iconic 40-year-old retailer retains its coveted spot as the leading organizational store in the U.S. by Michelle Hespe People love to buy things. To own things. It’s what most of us do — gather things to improve our lives or add something…

Think About Drink: Beverage Trends in Retail

At the 2019 International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, the Trending Today Preview features the specialty beverage movement– highlighting the various types of craft beverage trends, including coffee, beer, cocktails and water, along with specialty glassware and accessories, craft beer & cocktail kits and more. We chat with store owners, retail experts, wholesalers and…

Cultivating Your Concept

We chat with Wolfgang Gruschwitz about how to create a successful concept retail store. by Michelle Hespe “What is your story?” That would be the first question that Wolfgang Gruschwitz would ask if you engaged his team to develop a successful retail store. Wolfgang is a consultant in the field of retail design, as well as juror for the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia), and…

Grounded | Spring Summer 2019

by Rebecca Charlton, Trend Researcher, Trend Bible Trend Bible is a home and interiors-dedicated forecasting agency working with leading international brands to help them understand the future of their market. They forecast future trends in the behavior of consumers in a two-to-five year timeframe and analyze how this will impact the home environment. A longing sense of…

Concept. In the Words of a Successful Concept Retailer

by Terri Winter We asked Terri Winter, co-owner and founder of the world-recognized concept retail store top3 by design in Australia, to share her thoughts on “experiential shopping” and concepts – what she sees is important in retail today and what has made top3 by design so successful. Your customers no longer come to your store just to shop. They go shopping to…

Retail’s New Best Friend

As the heart and soul of retailing further evolves, stores and the essence of shopping will continue to morph in unimaginable ways. However, amidst the storm of change, there is one aspect of shopping that remains pure, constant and motivational – the aspirational moment. For some, an aspirational moment is walking through the ABC Carpet Emporium in New York City, where the…

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…