Retailers have always been at the forefront of consumer needs. They know their markets and have adapted to meet them. From blade signs to the metaverse, retail has transformed itself over and over. But like many things, trends can be cyclical. And what used to work, then didn’t work, can ultimately work better than before. How? Nostalgia is one explanation, but, more often, we find that while people evolve, they don’t ultimately change — at least not completely. People still want to connect with others. They need to engage, have experiences, explore, learn, be entertained and establish their position/identity within society. What we're seeing is that post-pandemic/quarantine psychology has elevated a renewed interest in physical engagements over digital. Thus, opening the once locked door to print marketing, direct mail and catalogs.

The ad industry and advocacy groups on Monday weighed in with the Federal Trade Commission on potential new privacy rules, with the ad industry voicing opposition to possible regulations, but consumer advocates contending that new rules are needed. “Advertising is the lifeblood of the American economy,” the Association of National Advertisers said in comments filed with the agency Monday. “The FTC should not presuppose that any kind of data-informed advertising is harmful without the administrative record necessary to support such a bold assertion.” The umbrella industry organization Privacy for America added that the FTC “should not cast itself as a quasi-legislature capable of regulating any activity it sees fit without a grounding in its congressionally granted authority.” “The more prudent path would be for the Commission to refrain from seeking broadly to regulate the entire U.S. data-supported economy while Congress is actively considering a comprehensive, preemptive standard,” writes Privacy for America, whose members include the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, Digital Advertising Alliance, Interactive Advertising Bureau and Network Advertising Initiative.

A mixed-use retail destination is on its way to the site of the former Motorola headquarters outside of Chicago. Full-service real estate firm UrbanStreet Group has announced the groundbreaking of the Veridian master-planned community’s retail district, a 30-acre "urban-inspired" destination that will bring new shopping, dining and entertainment experiences to Schaumburg, Ill., a northwestern suburb of the Windy City. The first phase of the retail district at Veridian will deliver 100,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurants, anchored by a 26,000-sq.-ft. The Fresh Market grocery store, along with 321 modern apartments. At full build-out, UrbanStreet says the district will include more than 200,000 sq. ft, of retail and restaurant space and over 600 residential units, adding to the 225-acre site already home to TopGolf.