Paul Bradley Carr and Sarah Lacy, a married pair who opened the Best Bookstore in Palm Springs in 2022, will open a second store in their other home city, San Francisco. To be dubbed the Best Bookstore in Union Square, the new shop will be part of an urban revitalization project, Vacant to Vibrant, launched by the nonprofit SF New Deal (SFND) and the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD). V2V is a component of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Heart of the City initiative, which so far has attracted more than $50 million in private sector investments. To encourage independent startups, SFND and OEWD award grants, offer technical support with permitting and red tape, and provide generous leasing arrangements worked out with property owners and managers. “To continue accelerating downtown’s comeback, we are prioritizing safe and clean streets, supporting small businesses, drawing new universities to San Francisco, and activating our public spaces with new parks and entertainment zones,” Mayor Lurie said

A study released today by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company reveals that traditional marketing channels, including word of mouth, direct mail, and in-store signage, are largely untapped by marketers. The study, based on surveys of both marketing professionals and consumers, uncovers significant differences between marketer assumptions and what consumers say actually influences their brand awareness and purchase decisions. The survey results underscore four key themes that all point to the power of traditional marketing methods and how social and digital marketing continue to evolve: Theme 1: It’s time to redefine (and re-engage) word of mouth - Word of mouth traditionally refers to consumers sharing product and brand recommendations with one another verbally. Today, this has evolved to include interactions between acquaintances on social media. Theme 2: Gen Y is most excited to receive direct mail - More than half (51%) of consumers were more excited to receive direct mail in the past year than they were in the year prior, with the highest levels among Gen Y (65%), Gen Z (57%), and Gen X (53%). Theme 3: Dear retailers, are you ready to return to normal? The good news for the retail sector is that 62% of consumers are eager to return to their pre-pandemic shopping habits. More than a third (35%) of consumers admit that the changes they made to their shopping habits due to the pandemic will only last less than 6 months. Theme 4: Pinterest and TikTok on the rise while influencers wane - While consumers indicated their preference for some forms of traditional marketing channels, their engagement with brands online and via social media continues to evolve, posing additional complexities for marketers looking to connect with their audiences.

Retail print catalogs have often struggled at the expense of digital or online catalogs. As with so many aspects of our lives, the pandemic is causing change and lockdowns are proving that print is still very much a contender. It’s not hard to see why so many catalogs have transferred online. Digital does away with expensive printing and delivery charges and there’s no pulping of old catalogs or waiting around for new ones to be printed. The analytics associated with digital are now incredibly powerful, making it easy to collect large volumes of detailed data on user behaviors. An online catalog is a powerful package, so why is print making a comeback? With another national lockdown upon us, people are being forced to spend a huge proportion of their time at home and home is where print catalogs score. Recent research by Royal Mail revealed that 88% of people surveyed said they paid as much or more attention to mail during lockdown. This means leaflets and catalogs are far less likely to be dumped straight in the trash.