SmartGifty Editorial Team

From Gold to Currency: Why Data Sharing is the Future of Physical Retail

Expert series / By

In this issue, Reinhard Winiwarter, Publisher of ACROSS Magazine and a veteran of European retail real estate, explores how customer insights have evolved into the industry’s most valuable asset. Drawing from his extensive career in center management and retail development, he examines thewidening data quality gap between retailers and property managers. Winiwarter argues that overcoming these …

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Rethinking Value: From Croissants to Destinations

Newsletter / By

In our latest feature, Jurij Triller reveals why the most valuable parts of real estate are often those you can’t measure with a ruler. We dive into the “Croissant Economy” and explore how to transform gift cards from impersonal vouchers into strategic growth tools for entire destination ecosystems. Explore the future of personalized loyalty and …

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The Mother’s Day blueprint and the rise of the multi-tiered gifting season

General / By

May in many coutrnies is traditionally anchored by Mother’s Day, which remains one of the highest spending periods in the global retail calendar. However, for a sophisticated brand, May represents something much larger: the beginning of a multi tiered gifting season that stretches into early summer. Beyond the immediate rush for flowers and jewelry, there …

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The gifting lifecycle: Capturing the momentum of May for year round growth

General / By

May is is may countries often characterized in the retail world by a singular, intense focus on Mother’s Day. While this is undoubtedly a massive revenue driver, viewing May solely through the lens of one holiday is a missed opportunity for long term strategic growth. In reality, May is the launchpad for a complex gifting …

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Clicks, Bricks, and Heavy Lifts: Decoding the Divergent Retail Playbooks of Gymshark and Squat Wolf

Expert series / By

In this issue, Alex Andarakis, the Founder and Managing Director of Andarakis Advisory Services, explores the diverging retail strategies of Gymshark and Squat Wolf as they navigate the high-stakes transition from digitally native disruptors to physical retail powerhouses. While both brands achieved rapid scale through the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) model—leveraging influencer ecosystems and social media dominance—their shift into brick-and-mortar storefronts …

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The Croissant Economy: Why the Most Valuable Part of a Building Isn’t the Penthouse

General / By

In the modern real estate landscape, the most critical asset isn’t the square footage of the penthouse or the marble in the lobby. It’s the smell of sourdough and the line of people waiting for a flat white on the ground floor. We have entered the era of the Croissant Economy, where hospitality has shifted from …

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In the Age of AI, Human-Centered Mixed-Use Is the Only Real Estate That Matters

Expert series / By

In an era where algorithms predict our needs before we feel them, the physical spaces we inhabit are undergoing a radical transformation. As we navigate the complexities of the 2026 property market, a singular truth has emerged: a building’s “intelligence” is only as valuable as the human connection it fosters. In this insightful article, Gabriele Bertini—a veteran …

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Is a gift card still just a gift, or your most powerful tool for growth?

General / By

Most people still view gift cards as an “emergency exit” for when they don’t know what to buy for a birthday. However, if we look under the hood of modern business, we quickly find that digital cards, vouchers, and credit systems have become one of the most sophisticated financial and operational instruments in modern retail. …

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When a Destination Stops Feeling Like One Place

Expert series / By

Unfortunately, we live in an era where tragic attacks in public spaces are no longer “if” scenarios, but “when.” Whether it is a targeted act of violence or a sudden emergency, the vulnerability of high-traffic environments has never been more apparent. Yet, in this issue, we must address a sobering reality: while the risks evolve, …

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When a Destination Stops Feeling Like One Place

Expert series / By

In this issue, Michel Žalac, founder of Caron Partners and growth operating partner for mixed-use destinations, explores the subtle but costly shift that happens when a destination stops feeling like one place. We often treat “digital transformation” as a checklist of tools, yet the most common point of failure isn’t a lack of technology—it is the presence of fragmentation. When …

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