In the last Weekly Consensus, our colleague Billy Busko wrote The Big Story about NFTs, retail and the metaverse.  Continuing with that theme, one of this past week’s major headlines was the announcement that Microsoft is buying the gaming company Activision Blizzard. The almost $70 billion price tag is the largest ever all-cash purchase of […]

Until late 2020, the most Mike Winkleman – the digital artist known as Beeple – had ever sold a print for was $100.  Last year, he sold a non-fungible token, or “NFT,” piece of work for $69 million at Christie’s. Consumer brands are also entering the world of NFTs and the digital, virtual realm in […]

Today is January 10th, which means that for those participating, Dry January is roughly 30% over. As the name suggests, participants in Dry January abstain (or try to abstain) from alcohol for the month of January to moderate and/or reassess their drinking habits and kick off the new year with a healthier start. Many consumers […]

Nordstrom has reportedly retained AlixPartners to explore a spinoff of its recently-struggling Nordstrom Rack off-price business. The move, first reported by Bloomberg, follows Saks Fifth Avenue’s hiring of AlixPartners to explore a separation of its online business. Saks.com is expected to undergo an IPO in 2022. Macy’s and Kohl’s are both facing shareholder pressure to […]

One recent weekend, my family and I visited friends at their home for dinner. While our toddlers played together, I was able to take in the awesome tech setup my friend has created in his home. I was astonished by how he can manipulate seemingly everything in his home from his smart phone or tablet. […]