With vaccines now being rolled out, retailers are anticipating the return to full in-store capacity. But not all consumers will be comfortable jumping back into a pre-pandemic retail environment—and online shopping is not enough to bridge the revenue gap. Retailers need to take the shopping experience to consumers, rather than wait for consumers to come to them.In Perennial | DCM’s 2021 Brand Outlook video, Chief Brand Officer Kevin Lund shares our take on the important shift brands must make to succeed in the coming year, and offers three filters for evaluating success.

Since 1965, when the first Gold’s Gym opened in Venice, CA, the fitness business model has offered consumers a somewhat limited big-box experience that, in five decades, has remained much the same. With COVID-19 now disrupting that model, and changing the way consumers pursue fitness, it’s time for the grocery sector to shake up the routine.

More people are owning pets, and more owners are treating them like members of the family. This growing trend is an ideal opportunity for grocery retailers to cater to an expanding consumer segment that would welcome the one-stop convenience of covering off all their pet supplies—with some added perks—in the same place they buy their groceries.

While digital has proven a communication lifesaver in recent months for brands and consumers alike, its overuse has been shown to erode customer trust, as Canada’s financial institutions are finding out. Now is the time for them to fill this void and bridge the divide that is leaving some customers feeling disconnected.

Winter is here—and with it comes the need for distancing and isolation as COVID-19 continues to wear on. But with a little imagination and innovation, brands can create engaging, socially distanced events that bring consumers together safely while generating revenue.
In Perennial | DCM’s 2021 Brand Outlook video, Chief Brand Officer Kevin Lund shares our take on the important shift brands must make to succeed in the coming year, and offers three filters for evaluating success.

Over the past year, many brands rose to the challenge to stay connected to consumers and drive innovation through adversity. As we head into 2021 and continue adapting with the times, what comes next? How does your brand stay relevant amid ever-changing consumer behaviour?

In Perennial | DCM’s 2021 Brand Outlook video, Chief Brand Officer Kevin Lund shares our take on the important shift brands must make to succeed in the coming year, and offers three filters for evaluating success.

As a leader in retail consulting and design, Perennial | DCM has worked with great brands and leaders for over 30 years. In that time, we’ve seen them not only lead in the face of adversity, but use that adversity to drive positive change. With 2020 coming to a close, great brand leadership has never been more apparent—so we’re celebrating it: Introducing the Perennial | DCM Brand Leadership Awards. Chief Brand Officer Kevin Lund has the details in this latest video.

In our latest Perennial Perspective video, DCM’s Chief Brand Officer Kevin Lund looks at a solution for reclaiming brand relevance among food-service businesses in the delivery channel. While delivery apps are now a revenue mainstay in the industry, they have made restaurants beholden to a business model that works against them. Delivery is undeniably convenient, but when executed by a third party, it disconnects customers from the restaurant brand. Restaurants need to consider the channel as part of their own business—not someone else’s.

Today the healthcare experience takes place across a variety of touchpoints, with the patient bearing the responsibility of connecting the dots. The opportunity to unify that experience, under a single brand, exists in the grocery channel. The retailer that delivers on this will achieve a new level of customer intimacy and loyalty, maximizing wallet-share potential.

Direct-to-consumer models have been an industry game-changer for CPG players, unlocking highly coveted access to individual, consumer-level data. But the model also brings with it the risk of mediocrity: simply creating an online catalogue of an in-store offering is not enough. Here’s how we believe CPG companies can use the model to achieve maximum value.

Across North America, once-vibrant strip malls are struggling to retain their relevance. Could these random, retail hodge-podges be restored to the community anchors they were intended to be?

If retailers are eliminating physical flyers, they are going to need to tighten the often adversarial relationship between their merchandising and operations teams.

Covid-weary consumers are facing a holiday season of continued distancing and digital—and they’re craving a more connected experience. Any brand that ignores that and approaches the holidays the same as years past will not be successful.

The anchor is a relic of a retail past that is now overshadowed by e-commerce and digitally native brands. Could we revive anchor stores in a new way—one that revitalizes both the store and mall and grows alongside a changing market?

When the retail industry was virtually knocked off its feet (aka: disrupted) by the advent of e-commerce a dozen or so years ago, brands had two options: Adapt to this brave new online world, or be left behind by it.

From initial annual sales forecasts of $5B to current projections of less than half that, the high hopes for legalized cannabis in Canada have not materialized. The answer lies in the convenience channel.