According to CNN, “select” Hy-Vee grocery stores and Shoe retailer DSW have teamed up to open mini shoe stores inside the grocery Store. I had seen shoes for sale at a Hy-Vee near my home. What surprised me was that people were actually looking, trying on shoes and putting them into the cart with eggs, milk and bread.

Grocery chain Aldi and department store chain Kohl’s Corp. previously piloted an effort to locate the two stores next to each other. It seems retailers are moving from malls to locations where people congregate every week, and that is the grocery store. Can retailers increase traffic by attaching themselves to a grocery store or locating right inside the store?

Bill Jordan, chief growth officer at Designer Brands, told CNN that the shoe stores will feature a wall of shoes with 100 shoe styles and nearly 4,000 pairs of shoes. If someone finds a shoe they like, they can scan the QR code, order it online and have it delivered to their home or pick it up at the Hy-Vee location.

Technology and the coronavirus have caused rapidly changing consumer habits, and only rapid innovation will win the day. The economy and COVID-19 have challenged us all to be on our toes as preferences shift. Cheers to 2021 and all it will bring. Stay ready. 

Mark Mathis III is chief creative & strategy officer, partner and cofounder of AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising.