My prediction for 2019: the blurring of sectors will gain steam. We’ll see more sectors colliding and combining to create something bigger and more impactful than each could do on its own. Think co-working spaces meet retail, art meets yoga, burgers meet shoes. In fact, as I write this, I sit at WeWork with a live Christmas retail marketplace happening around me, representing the coming together of two concepts in a not-so-obvious way.
Understanding your customer’s basic, societal, and growth needs should influence your current strategies and offerings. What is the future of retail? A question that has stirred up spirited debate — one we are reminded of with a simple walk to the grocery store or while mulling over a gum purchase. The notion of looking in unordinary places to answer ordinary questions has always inspired me. Triggered by a desire to pursue a consulting venture that provoked positive change and coming off six years in strategy at Lululemon, this trail led me to none other than the field of evolutionary psychology. If that phrase conjures up Psychology 101 and images of Abraham Maslow, you’re on the right track. It is in the posthumous of Maslow’s work and its iterations that lay an undiscovered truth that, if unpacked, can open up a world of opportunity.
"I’m going to be honest, I went to Lindsay Angelo’s talk, Betterment, the Future of Retail & Maslow, mostly because Lindsay works for Lululemon and I’m a sucker for dropping a lot of money on a pair of Lululemon Wunder Under yoga pants. I wanted to judge the company that made yoga apparel mainstream more than I wanted to learn about the actual subject matter of Lindsay’s speech. Shame on me, I know. But here’s the thing, once I was in the room, I paid attention to the actual subject matter and it was really fascinating – Lindsay turned Maslow’s tired hierarchy of needs on its head...
