May marks a new phase of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Across the country, retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses are beginning to reopen. According to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, just over half of states had eased their public-health restrictions in one way or another as of the start of this week, with more states to follow soon...

Gen Z consumers want to be awarded points for walking into a brand's location...

anuary is well-known for being a reset month. A time to recover from back-to-back holiday parties and festive gatherings. A time to act on resolutions and look ahead with great anticipation to all that is possible in the new year. In the restaurant business, this also means a dip in sales, but restaurateurs are mostly undaunted. It’s the perfect slow-down to tweak recipes and menus, do some deep cleaning, or consider fresh ways to change up the customer dining experience. But January 2020, though initially characteristic, became the start of a year that would deliver the longest “time-out” in history...

Local governments and retailers together need to develop short- and long-term plans to use public open spaces to help retailers reopen, experts said on the recent ICSC Connect Virtual Series episode How Public and Non-Profit Partners Can Aid Retail Recovery...