Less is the new more and that's bad for retail.

Less Is More.

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past year you've probably already heard of Marie Kondo. Her "KonMari" philosophy or the art of tidying up books have sold in the millions and her Netflix series was nominated for an Emmy. 

Her philosophy of evaluating all of your possessions to see if they "spark joy" in your soul and if not, give them away, may in itself fuel the recent retail resale trend. 

Everyday we are being bombarded with "less" messages. Health gurus preach us to eat and drink less. Technology companies are promoting driverless cars, cashless stores and farmerless farms and now, environmentalists are encouraging sustainable fashion with the mantra if you don't think you'll wear it for a minimum of 30 times . Don't buy it. 

Less is catching on more and more. 

For decades retailers relied on consumers insatiable appetite for consumption and never thought it would ever end, but all that is changing. Rapidly. 

So what are retailers to do? Embrace change for starters. 

Not that long ago, I remember attending C-Suite meetings where experienced retail executives played down Amazon's success. They argued that Amazon wasn't profitable and its business plan wasn't sustainable. They severely miscalculated Amazon's strategy and have been paying a dear price ever since with bankruptcies, store closings and right sizing just to stay afloat. 

The new consumer is smart, informed and has the tools to research not only the best price but who will partner with them to help make a difference.

Stanley Marcus of the Neiman Marcus lineage would often say " Spend your money once " in reference to the logic of buying quality clothing that lasts. 

Given the current environment that sounds like good advice to me.