It’s that time of year. Don’t pretend you don’t know. It’s that time when the task of getting the office mail suddenly gets interesting and potentially competitive. For the next month, the mailbox could contain any manner of festive cards, gifts and even chocolate. Here at Porchlight, we are busily doing our part to fill mailboxes with goodies. Mind you,…

At the most basic level, packaging serves two purposes. First, it must protect a product, both in transit to the retailer and the consumer. Assuming it does this first task well, packaging must also communicate what a product is and does. These two priorities may seem straightforward, but packaging is more complex. At its best, packaging works like a system,…

First impressions matter, and first impressions last. It’s true in an interview, on a date, in a restaurant and on the shelf. We are referring, of course, to product packaging. In most cases, a shopper’s first interaction with a product or brand is through packaging. And in the crowded, noisy, hyper-stimulating retail environment, that encounter is over in about seven…

Private brands are having a moment. It’s a well-earned moment, and one that is worthy of attention. Private brands are coming after the market share that national brands have long held. Name brands that aren’t nervous aren’t paying attention.  By nature, big brands have certain advantages over private brands. But those advantages require activation. Smart national brands are acknowledging the…

For all the influence that data is having on the retail world, there is no amount of data that can replace the experience of being in a store. Store walks are an essential part of any retail strategy. Whether you have a product on the shelf today or are pitching a new product, there is always something to be learned…

Once upon a time, people thought the world was flat and private label products were strictly relegated to the bottom shelf, where they lived a boring, budget-friendly existence. Sadly, this second belief is still prevalent, but perhaps it’s time to change. In our opinion, private label brands are unique, complex and dynamic product lines that can live anywhere within a…

These days, retailers are nervous and with good reason. The COVID-19 pandemic caused consumer behavior and technology to leap forward. Many retailers are struggling, while the Amazons and Instacarts of the world have charged ahead. The Amazon effect is rippling through our economy at lightning speed. It’s changing technology, raising expectations and turning retail inside out. After the upheaval of…

For those of us in retail, the advent of shopper data is one of the most valuable developments of the digital age. Thanks to cookies, IP addresses, subscriptions and social media, we now know more about consumer behavior and patterns than any other time in history. Although most retail platforms haven’t developed fully personalized shopping experiences for the individual, we…

In today’s omnichannel retail landscape, the influence of ecommerce is rising, and the home improvement industry is no exception. As consumers take to the internet to do more of their shopping, browsing, comparing and purchasing, there’s a growing disparity between products that show up well and those that don’t. We’re talking, of course, about retailer product pages. While they may…

If you’ve read any of our articles on ecommerce, you know that we’re adamant about the role of photography in the online shopping experience. High-quality imagery provides consumers with a pre-purchase experience. When that experience is positive, it can lead to sales, good reviews and even loyal fans. Photography and video combined are what we refer to as digital assets….