Voices on trends, opportunities and challenges in retail

The demand for functional and sustainable sportswear continues to grow.

The goal isn't just to make a sale, it's to cultivate customers for life.

Authenticity beats marketing rhetoric. Consumers recognize empty messages. If the attitude does not match the brand, [...] it will be discovered relatively quickly.

And that means that the single retailer, if he understands that we are much more together, has a much higher chance than the single big one.

We focus strongly on the guest experience, as we call our customers. That's exactly how we want to treat people in-store and offer them an experience that they don't get in typical retail stores.

The community events are one of the steps we are taking to connect with our customers on a deeper level, build trusting relationships, provide more value and open up opportunities for collaboration.

Community sports are also booming in urban areas. Whether it's functional training in the park, urban running, or outdoor group training, exercise is becoming more social and visible in public.

Retailers should specifically manage AI to ensure a balance between bestsellers and niche products. Curated content and personalized recommendations help to maintain diversity and surprise customers with new products.