Trend Q&A: IRL vs URL retail and more

Brands in the metaverse, post-pandemic beauty and the battle of bricks and mortar versus e-commerce. That and more on today’s episode. 

Want to know what’s next? Listen to the show where our experts from around the globe unpack your biggest challenges. This week, WGSN’s President and CEO Carla Buzasi takes us to New York and London. Hear from the friendly faces of our Beauty and Insight teams.

Watch the full episode below or read on for highlights of this episode:

Q: There is so much buzz around the metaverse, it’s a little overwhelming. How do we begin to engage? 
“The metaverse is gearing up to be the ultimate buzzword. Similar to the rise of brands launching dedicated social media and influencer marketing teams over the last decade, we will also start to see the rise of brands building ‘meta-force’ teams, or the metaverse workforce. In 2022, brands should begin investing heavily in teams dedicated to building and powering virtual worlds and the branded experiences within them.”
– Cassandra Napoli, Senior Strategist, WGSN Insight
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Q: The pandemic has changed beauty rituals. Which ones are here to stay? 
“Beauty snacking, home working and hybrid living have liberated beauty and self-care from the traditional AM and PM routines that have bookended the day and saw new micro-beauty moments emerge. Going forward, it’s clear people will want to retain the flexibility and convenience of beauty snacking. As work patterns, travel and socialising return, we’re already seeing snackable innovations emerge, such as the two-minute make-up bag and portable no-spill formats.” 
– Clare Varga, Head of Beauty, WGSN
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Q: How can we build an omnichannel offering with a strong correlation between the real-life retail experience and e-commerce? 
“The idea of blending the IRL and URL means retailers need to upgrade their omnichannel services within the physical store. This is everything from click-and-collect to kerbside and same-day shipping from the store, to ensuring your staff have all the necessary shop floor tools that allow them to easily switch between online and offline selling.”
– Laura Saunter, Senior Strategist, WGSN Insight
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