Last month, as I listened to many retailers having conversations about business, the most common lament I heard was about the slowdown in traffic in their stores. 

Everyone was asking, “Why?” There are predictable answers- higher gas prices, Katrina and Rita, interest rate creep, etc.  I got bored.  That started me thinking.

Why are stores like Pottery Barn, West Elm, etc. generating strong traffic into their brick and mortar locations? What is it about these brands that is attracting more and more consumers? 

A logical answer that comes to mind is their catalog distribution and, yes, this is one reason, but I don’t think it’s the only one. What I think- and this is only a guess on my part (verified by my own personal random consumer survey) is this: Consumers know IN THEIR MIND’S EYE the look ...Read More