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Retail trends go under the microscope at August Summit

Consumer trend experts Vickie Abrahamson and Mary Meehan will share the findings of their latest research.

July 10, 2011

At the second annual Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit, August 8-10 in Minneapolis, consumer trend experts Vickie Abrahamson and Mary Meehan will share the findings of their latest research in the session "The World in Motion: Consumer Trends Shaping Retail."

"What we will be sharing with the attendees are the overarching trends we see shaping and shifting the landscape of retail—technology, experience, innovation, demographics," said Abrahamson. "We will of course talk about the U.S. shopper--their passion points, where the untapped and underserved pockets of consumers are today and in the near future, and ideas on how to market to them."

Vickie Abrahamson and Mary Meehan are co-founders of the consumer trend database Iconoculture, and now Panoramix Global. They transformed the market research industry with a proprietary methodology and a business model that gave clients the first-ever online access to consumer trend insights coupled with expert advisory services.

Among the trends they will discuss:

• Trend: Magic Kingdoms Fantasy Islands. Shopping as a gawking experience; retail is attempting to break new territory in the U.S. and abroad. What models are capturing wallet as well as eyeballs?
• Trend: Why Buy? Is collaborative consumption a nightmare or the next incarnation of alternative retailing? When the pain of recession collides with a sustainable conscience consumers are seeking nirvana in sharing, swapping, renting and reinventing.
• Trend: Niche is the New Mainstream. Who are the undiscovered, underserved, ignored or forgotten clients ready to be courted? Savvy retailers are aligning their brands with the values, needs and aspirations of niche consumers to court new relationships, spur loyalty and growth.

Registration for the Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit is now open.