Category
Business
Ritual Sampling
Trend cluster
Category
Aspirational
Retail
Consumers gravitate toward curated retail displays.
5.0
Trend score
What's Happening
What is the Aspirational Retail trend?
Aspirational Retail: In a continuation of the store-within-a-store approach, many retailers are offering installations and in-store exhibits that best showcase their products. As more and more consumers seek shopping that's enjoyable, they crave highly curated, borderline artistic forms of retail. This strategy is proving to be successful because not only is it more targeted, and therefore easier to navigate; it also allows consumers to better visualize the product outside of the store and in their own lives.
Trend themes
Themes within the Aspirational Retail trend
Three behaviours holding the trend together01
Curated Retail Displays
The store-within-a-store approach is being replaced by installations and in-store exhibits that showcase the store's highly curated merchandise, making shopping more enjoyable for customers.
02
Scaled-Down Department Stores
Department stores are debuting miniature versions of their stores featuring highly-curated selections of premium fashion and beauty brands that cater to niche customers.
03
Shoppable Health Hubs
The holistic approach to health and wellness is leading to the creation of 'shoppable health hubs,' which supply clean, pure and effective products and services to consumers seeking total health and wellness support.
Industry implications
What the Aspirational Retail trend means for industry
Where the trend changes the playbookFor
Retail
Retailers can benefit by using highly-curated retail displays to reduce decision fatigue and help consumers better visualize their merchandise in their own lives.
For
Cosmetics
Cosmetic brands can create in-store cosmetic bars and other experiential design elements to give customers personalized recommendations and differentiate their brand from competitors.
For
Health and Wellness
Health-minded entrepreneurs can create shoppable health hubs that stock high-quality produce, functional foods and drinks, and offer services like IV drips, to attract consumers looking for a holistic approach to wellness.
Workshop question
What other offerings compliment your brand's image and how can you co-create a lifestyle-guided experience for consumers?
Trend signals
Trend signals for Aspirational Retail
Trend score 5.0 out of 10, from popularity 72%, activity 71%, freshness 8%.
Popularity72%
Activity71%
Freshness8%
Audience
50%Men
50%Women
- Gen Alpha
- Gen Z
- Millennial
- Gen X
- Boomer (not a primary audience)
Market
North America
Europe
Asia-Pacific
South America
Evidence
Examples of the Aspirational Retail trend
5 featured examples from Feb 20, 2017 to Jul 26, 2018CategoryLifestyle
Curated Grocery Stores
Japan's Yaoyasuika Vegetable Store Shares Carefully Selected Produce
Disruptive innovation opportunity: Transforming the traditional grocery retail industry by offering carefully curated selections of high-quality produce and products.
CategoryLifestyle
Shoppable Health Hubs
'Clean Market' Offers a Curated Range of Health Products and Services
The health and wellness industry can explore the potential of shoppable health hubs to provide a holistic wellness experience for empowered consumers.
CategoryBusiness
Ultra-Curated Fashion Stores
'Reformation' Uses Automation for a Custom Shopping Experience
Fashion retailers can adopt ultra-curated, automated, and experiential store designs to attract and retain customers, offering a unique shopping experience.
CategoryFashion
Glow-Boosting Cosmetic Bars
Becca Cosmetics Launched an In-Store 'Glow Bar' at John Lewis
There is an opportunity for beauty and cosmetics companies to enhance customer experiences with personalized consultations and curated products and services.
CategoryBusiness
Scaled-Down Department Stores
The New David Jones Store Offers a Curated Selection of Items
Retailers have an opportunity to create more niche and highly curated stores to cater to specific shoppers.
