Diva is gearing up for another installment of the DDI Student Window Challenge, presented by Saks Fifth Avenue—and she could Not. Be. More. Excited. Seriously! This year’s students hail from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and LIM College, and Diva is betting that they are the most creative bunch yet! If you’re in New York and you want to see the retail design industry’s up-and-coming talent, stop by Saks’ 49th Street windows on June 6—the students will be working in the windows all day, crafting inspiringly creative visual masterpieces (Diva’s sure of it!). Curious to find out who wins the daylong challenge (which is totally like “Project Runway,” only better because it’s about Diva’s main love—WINDOWS!)? Continue reading →

It’s been called a cross between a museum and playground, and it took more than 20 pounds of glitter and 100 gallons of pink paint to create Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience.

The 10,000-sq.-ft. interactive installation came to life (size) at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Fla., and in Berlin earlier this month. Though it’s designed for all ages, it’s probably most fun for little girls who can wander the many rooms and living areas of the Dreamhouse, each with interactive features. They can bake digital cupcakes on a touchscreen, for example, or explore an installation of platform stilettos or take in the more than 350 Barbie dolls. Continue reading →

Recently, we saw the opening of & Other Stories on Regent Street, London’s prime retail location. The store is confident, individual, distinctive, busy and, most significantly, owned and operated by H&M. & Other Stories is the latest in a series of openings that has established the H&M group as a manager of many brands, rather than a mono-brand.

Following Arcadia and Inditex, H&M has stretched its operation and used its expertise in the purchase and development of a very intriguing portfolio. Unlike the well-established names in the Arcadia and Inditex stables, H&M’s portfolio is full of promise, potential and personality.

The H&M brand provides a platform for the other brands to take risks; there seems to be an understanding that it takes time to develop a brand, build a customer base and make a connection between the offer, the fit and the end user. Continue reading →

The era of big data is not only here, it’s exploding! Retailers of all stripes are collecting consumer purchases and preferences, totally eclipsing reliance on demographics. So says Stuart Aitken at a luncheon sponsored by CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), which I had a chance to attend on May 14. Aitken is CEO of dunnhumby USA, a marketing services company, which is a joint venture of the Kroger Co. and London-based dunnhumby Ltd.

Founded back in 2002, dunnhumby USA tracks shoppers through loyalty programs that in turn allow it to provide “customer management, relevance marketing, analysis and insight services.” Other clients include P&G, PepsiCo, Kellogg and Kraft. Continue reading →

Just about everyone is talking about the new hook up between Target and Facebook.

Target is rolling out Cartwheel, a service that pairs a social network with “deal” pricing. Target’s new program (about a year in development) relies on customers using their Facebook accounts to select the deals they want online. But, the payoff is actually in-store, when the customer presents a barcode (either on paper or mobile screen) at a bricks-and-mortar Target to get the special offer pricing. It grows more “social” when a shopper can see what offers their FB friends have chosen, while claiming them generates automatic News Feed posts on Facebook (unless the user turns them off). Continue reading →