In an effort to provide some headspace on a Friday, the editorial team at Econsultancy has been rounding up their favourite reads from the past week.

Here’s a few articles to skim with your afternoon coffee…

From around the web:

To save British high streets, forget the lost era of retail – and listen to millennials – This is an interesting piece with a slightly misleading title, as it only contains a brief mention of millennials and generational differences. What it does contain is a very worthwhile exploration of the future of public spaces and the high street post-Covid-19, written by Bill Grimsey, the former CEO of Iceland, Wickes, and Focus.

He makes a compelling argument that trying to revive the high street is a pointless, backwards-looking endeavour and that instead local authorities and companies should pay attention to evolving consumer trends and cater to the desire for experiences, reshaping high streets around culture, leisure and food rather than retail.

While the article stops short of considering what exactly this means for retailers, it’s not hard to imagine that this will go hand-in-hand with a continued focus on ecommerce, a continuation of the experiential retail trend (coronavirus permitting) and a move for retailers to make more of the store space they do have, focusing heavily on quality over quantity.

How swimwear brands market themselves during a vacation-less summer – During a summer where few people are venturing abroad or going out to public pools, how are swimwear brands coping? This article focuses mainly on the fortunes of one swimwear brand, Andie Swim, which has apparently managed to sell a record 30,000 swimming costumes during a pandemic by implementing a range of savvy strategies: from marketing its costumes for use in yoga to exploring new channels for customer acquisition and implementing support via SMS. It’s an interesting look at a market that hasn’t cropped up much in the discussion around Covid-19, but is heavily affected by it nevertheless.

Gen Z are showing an interest in linear TV – WARC reveals that Gen Z are acquiring a taste for TV, despite the age group typically avoiding linear TV in favour of streaming services. Spurred on by stay-at-home orders, it appears that the young audience are starting to view linear TV as a “hearth” – a way to socialise as a household. This is particularly true across Europe, with spikes in the Netherlands and France. The question remains if this habit will become more permanent, or whether it simply reflects a temporary change in lifestyle throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

Is skeuomophism making a comeback? – The new macOS unveiled at Apple’s WWDC 2020 Keynote uses a Skeuomorphism-based design language for its UI. This means the design language mimics real-life objects, including shadows and 3D effects (which are lacking from so-called flat design). This Medium article discusses the overlap between skeuomorphism and flat design languages (e.g. in the choice of icons such as a floppy disk for the save function). Alternatively, if you’re not happy with either definition, Jack Koluskus writing for Input Mag defines Apple’s new design as ‘neuomorphism’, saying it focuses “on how light moves in three-dimensional space.” instead of “simulating textures on surfaces.”

Amazon Prime Day rumoured to be postponed until autumn ­– There are rumours that Amazon Prime Day will be postponed until October, according to Tech Radar. The company’s highly anticipated annual sale normally takes place during July, but due to continued uncertainty caused by Covid-19, consumers are less likely to be in the mood, or financial position, for a shopping spree this month. It is also thought that manufacturers would not be able to keep up with demand if the event is scheduled too soon, as they have been affected by supply chain issues.

Moving from product or initiative-based teams to durable teams – Anna Shipman, Technical Director for Customer Products at the Financial Times, reveals how the org shifted from initiative-based teams (which can disband a team just as they learn to work efficiently together and may leave tech orphaned and teams without agency), into ‘durable’ teams that can “think strategically about the domain they own.” As Shipman writes, “When the team knows they are going to be around to experiment, iterate and see the outcomes from changes they make, then they can take bigger bets.”

From Econsultancy:

That’s your lot, have a great weekend.