Manhattan has always been considered the top retail city in the U.S., but we believe that Chicago is an oft-overlooked hotbed for new store concepts and cutting-edge tech implementations.
That’s why we’re excited to launch our latest Guided Store Tours for the 2023 Retail Innovation Conference & Expo. And we’re extra excited to share that Insider Trends, one of the world’s top retail consultancies, is our official partner for the program!
Many trust Insider Trends for their in-depth research and analysis of emerging retail technologies and strategic concepts. However, many brands also rely on Insider Trends to host retail safaris across New York, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Tokyo and so many more cities around the world so they can dig into the brands and store concepts shaking up the industry. For this year’s tours, which will take place the afternoon of June 13, Insider Trends will give attendees an exclusive look at Wicker Park and Bucktown, which have quickly become top destinations for emerging brands to test new store concepts…and for established retailers to test-drive innovative, tech-integrated experiences.
The Insider Trends team is still confirming the final list of spaces on their tour. However, they offered our team a bit of a taste of the brands nearly confirmed:
- The world’s leading example of community-building spaces
- A digital-first convenience store with a new business model for grocery retailing
- A “new luxury” space that is more focused on content creation than sales
- A unique and iconic independent fashion retailer blurring the lines between PR and retail
- The record store that, by never changing, has built a global cult following
Intrigued? We’re glad to hear it! With each visit, attendees will get tours from executives and/or employees, so they can get a unique, first-hand perspective of the brand story, the strategy behind the experience, as well as lessons and takeaways that can be applied. When curating their tours, Insider Trends takes an extremely thoughtful approach, assigning topical themes and discussions they want to leverage to prioritize brand visits.
Key themes they’ve selected for #RICE23 include:
- The unique role that stores play for digital-first brands, which is especially top-of-mind for our digital-natives-turned-omnichannel-players.
- How physical locations can transform into community-driven spaces that solidify fandom.
- The emergence of “new luxury” and how brands beloved by Gen Z are reinventing the “premium experience” in stores.
- How brands of all sizes and across categories can thoughtfully use technology to empower and delight visitors.
To ensure our retail executive attendees have the best possible experience, Insider Trends is hosting several tours of small groups. This will give everyone ample time to explore each location, ask questions and, of course, network with each other! In addition to the extensive discussion time as attendees venture from store to store, Insider Trends will host intimate micro-sessions at the top of each tour to provide high-level perspectives on the trends and topics that will be outlined in the store visits.
Are you excited to take to the streets of Chicago and see innovative store concepts in action? Us too! Given the limited nature of these tours, brand and retail executives will get first dibs on their slots.* Folks interested can fill out the quick form and get further updates from our team.
*(Note: Store Tours will be available for an additional $149 fee.)
