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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Can marketers successfully shift focus from acquisition to retention?
A new survey says that changes to protect privacy are compelling marketers to focus more heavily on customer retention instead of customer acquisition. Do you see investing in retention or…
Allbirds simplifies growth drivers to three trends
In the prospectus for its IPO, Allbirds said its growth will be driven by three trends influencing how consumers make their purchase decisions in apparel and footwear: purpose-driven positioning, casualization…
Ending prices that end in 99 cents
Retailers might want to rethink doing away with prices that end with “.99” if they believe the results of new research from researchers at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College…
What’s the formula for e-commerce profitability?
Dick’s Sporting Goods says it achieved significantly higher profitability in the second quarter in its e-commerce channel through fewer and more targeted promotions, better leverage of fixed costs and strong…
Should retail robots go humanoid?
If some big names in the robotics world have their way, the robots we see working at retail may some day more closely resemble a human shelf-stocker, or even a…
Best Buy builds a virtual store to assist customers remotely
Distribution centers have taken on a more important role in retail as e-commerce ordering has dramatically expanded. Best Buy is now using one of its distribution centers not just to…
Does peer-to-peer resale make sense for Urban Outfitters?
Taking on popular marketplaces such as Poshmark, Thredup and Depop, Urban Outfitters plans to launch a peer-to-peer secondhand marketplace, Nuuly Thrift, this fall. Do you see a big sales opportunity…
How should big box chain retailers deal with disaster response?
With a seemingly never-ending series of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters, federal authorities can quickly become overwhelmed. Reactions to Hurricane Ida again show how large retailers often…
Can IKEA’s store layout still amaze without a maze?
Customers have long associated IKEA with the experience with traversing a labyrinth of furniture and home décor. Now IKEA may be ditching the maze in favor of a layout it…
Amazon finally catches the ‘buy now, pay later’ wave
Following a rush of other retailers adding the payment option, Amazon is bringing a buy now, pay later (BNPL) checkout option to its U.S. platform for the first time. Does…
How can retailers help frontline employees recharge?
Last week, Nike closed offices worldwide to let employees “enjoy additional time off to rest and recover” following a year and a half of challenges. Are higher pay and bonuses…
Do retailers need a chief data officer?
Organizations have instituted the position of chief data officer over the last decade to help make some sense out of the flood of big data. Yet less than half of…
FMI research finds normalcy is not in the cards, not yet
Normalcy has become a relative term since COVID-19 hit the U.S. last year. There was certainly nothing approaching what we once considered normal following Labor Day 2020, and there is…
Are robots taking over Schnucks’ stores?
Schnuck Markets is going to the robots. The family-owned grocery chain announced that it is rolling out artificial intelligence-powered robots to all 111 of its stores in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri…
Should retailers give workers Labor Day off?
Labor Day is the USA’s version of a holiday meant to recognize the American worker, but for many working in retail that still does not mean getting a day off…
Should grocers take a lead role supporting weight loss efforts online?
Americans are dealing with an ongoing obesity crisis and surveys continually show the majority want to lose weight. Can grocers help now that they offer increased online access? Why don’t…
American Eagle acquires logistics startup to help transform its supply chain
American Eagle Outfitters has acquired AirTerra, a logistics startup which has developed a shipper aggregator system it claims will not only deliver packages to businesses more quickly but do so…
Do new Shipt and Walmart programs signal big changes to come in the retail delivery market?
Target-owned Shipt and Walmart each introduced new programs this week that may substantially affect the U.S. delivery market. What will the Shipt Preferred Shopper Program and Walmart GoLocal mean for…
Email marketing drives sales results and sometimes drives customers away
While one might think flooded in-boxes overwhelm consumers, surveys continue to show email marketing can be highly effective for brands and retailers. What are the differences between getting email retailer…
What will be the toy story of Christmas 2021?
Retail toy sales got off to a hot start in 2021. How well the category performs, however, particularly during the critical Christmas season, remains to be seen. Are you expecting…
Following full FDA approval, should employees be required to get COVID vaccines?
The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it has given full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of the virus in people 16 years of age…
