Lara Marrero 
Photo courtesy of Bazaarvoice.
I consider myself to be a trusting person, but when it comes to shopping I apply a high level of scrutiny to every possible transaction. Bottom line: If I'm going to spend my money, I want make sure I'm getting what I want.
My travels took me to Buenos Aires last spring—I know, poor me—and during the trip I managed to squeeze in an early excursion to the Paloma area prior to my evening departure. I have to say, even my unfortunate exhausted companions felt it was worth all the walking. While there, we stumbled upon a non-descript shop—there was no noticeable sign to identify the store. The storefront had only two small shoebox-sized windows displaying examples of the handcrafted wares being sold within. Less being more in this case, and being the shopper that I am, that was a big enough hook for me.
John Bricker 
Do you have a favorite brand? One that you feel so attached to, that if it went away for some reason, you’d feel like a part of you was missing? That’s exactly the kind of emotional connection that brands strive to achieve with their customers: a relationship so strong and so loyal that it feels human.
An art installation in San Francisco's Mission District Mission District serves as a reminder to look for opportunities to engage your surroundings.
Poet, writer, and activist Eve Ensler’s TEDtalk titled “Suddenly, my body” poignantly describes the moment in which she reconnected her body to the living continuum, Ensler’s phrase for our responsibility as individuals to be active participants in the world at large. Simply put, the living continuum describes the purpose for our presence of earth: to enrich the lives of the people and the places with which we interact. Listening to Ensler speak, I began to consider the ways in which the living continuum is in a roundabout way a common theme among the most successful brands and is a contributing factor in the uprising of awareness concerning how we use our presence on this earth to contribute to a greater good.
2012 is upon us and I'm happy to report that despite some bumps in the market retail is here to stay!
2011 saw the development of some interesting trends that have worked their way into the retail vocabulary and reflect our world's culture at a specific point in time. In my view, 2011 was the year of “Empowering the Consumer.” Retailers went to great lengths to give consumers more choices, more discounts and, most importantly, more personalized shopping experiences. Expect this trend to continue in 2012, giving retailers the opportunity to increase brand loyalty by further empowering customers.
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