Consumer confidence has been on the wane all year, and economic realities aren’t helping much. Yet retailers just wrapped up the month, and the first quarter, with surprising strength. In March, consumer sentiment hit a new low as inflation rose — the highest spike in four years — as the Iran war took a toll on energy supplies and people’s nerves. In the mostly discretionary segments covered by Retail Dive, though, retail sales surged more than 8%, with gains in most categories. That came on top of a nearly 5% increase in February and a nearly 6% increase in January. “Overall, a solid March rounds off a good start to the year for retail,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders said in emailed comments. But he warned that economic storm clouds are gathering, and the numbers aren’t all that they seem.

If you’ve been following J.Schmid’s blog posts recently, you’ve already enjoyed reading about the many ways to make your catalog stand out, from show-stopping covers to using devices that invite interaction. But what about rethinking the very construct of your catalog? What about developing a mix-it-up strategy? We know the traditional catalog format serves many purposes: it provides the real estate to express your brand and convey the breadth of your product selection. But the other truth is that you can also stand out in the mailbox, capture attention, and achieve multiple objectives by changing up your format every now and then. Here are five ways to think outside the catalog “box,” as it were. See more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-five-ways-to-mix-it-up/

The Home Depot has teamed with soccer-focused media network Men in Blazers Media Network for a traveling activation that will see the brands produce content around this summer’s FIFA World Cup, per details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. The Home Depot is the official home improvement retail supporter of the tournament in North America. “Our customers are passionate about their communities, and soccer is an increasingly important part of that,” said Allison Kolber, vice president of integrated marketing at The Home Depot, in a statement. “This partnership with Men in Blazers allows us to show up in meaningful ways for our customers — celebrating local stories, supporting the people building the game, and connecting with soccer fans across the country.”