RECENT discussions
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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Why should DTC brands sell to Nordstrom?
At Nordstrom’s recent Investor Event, a panel of brands explored the benefits of selling to the retailer in an increasingly direct-to-consumer (DTC) world. What are the benefits for brands selling…
Will marketplaces become legally liable for what they sell?
Purchasing from online marketplaces can be a gamble for customers. Now the state of California wants to put responsibility for the safety and quality of products sold through these platforms…
Why hasn’t plus-sized apparel been an easy win for retail?
The women’s apparel chain Loft has angered many shoppers and surprised retail watchers with its decision to stop offering plus sizes just three years after entering the category. What do…
Are you feeling loyal?
Until March 2020, BrainTrust panelist Peter Charness was a typical software industry road warrior. But this past year, all his travel was “zooming” around, with zero miles and nights used…
Whole Foods wants to help consumers eat mindfully
Whole Foods Market announced a partnership with meditation platform Headspace to help customers reprioritize their physical and mental well-being “by tapping into positive moods associated with certain foods.” What do…
Walmart uses brutal self-assessment in omnichannel turnaround strategy
They say the first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem, and according to Walmart, they’ve had a big one. “We fail our customers today,” reads the first…
Will COVID vaccine promos take retail sales higher or just provide a short sugar rush?
Retailers and other companies are very keen to get employees and customers on the COVID-19 vaccine bandwagon with the hope of bringing their businesses back to some semblance of pre-pandemic…
Will Five Below’s sales go above and beyond with a new store-in-store concept?
Five Below shoppers have proven willing to spend more than just $5 on the items they find in the store. With that in mind, the value retailer is expanding its…
Is AI adoption moving too fast?
According to KPMG’s “Thriving in an AI World” study, 53 percent of business leaders in retail said COVID-19 increased their pace of AI adoption, yet 49 percent believe adoption is…
Walmart opens marketplace to non-U.S. sellers, hears DoorDash drivers’ gripes
Two news stories breaking in recent days have Walmart’s digital operations in the spotlight again. What do you predict will be the effect of Walmart opening its marketplace to non-U.S…
Does keeping it real, really work?
During the pandemic, successful brands were able to adapt an online presence to build trust and establish a deeper level of connection with the customers, teams and communities they serve. Do…
How to save today’s mall
New food ideas and health & wellness both rank highest as concepts that would increase consumers’ visits to the mall, according to an ongoing study from Cushman & Wakefield and…
Will tech acquisitions enable Nike to drive personalization at scale?
On its third-quarter conference call last week, Nike Inc. expounded on its recent acquisition of Datalogue, a data integration platform, and its overall push to tap insights that it can…
Will homey habits from the pandemic fuel Williams-Sonoma future growth?
Williams-Sonoma Inc., the parent of Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and West Elm, reported that same-store sales grew 25.7 percent in the fourth quarter and 17.0 percent in 2020 with the help…
How are 2020’s wacky comparisons affecting retailers now?
The mantra is to beat last year’s numbers, but the pandemic has distorted sales comparisons. Now a few retailers on fourth-quarter investor calls are encouraging analysts to compare 2021’s figures…
Are retailers prepared to respond to increasing supply chain complexity?
Since the start of the pandemic, retailers have needed to update their channels and delivery methods and take steps to future-proof their business, making the supply chain more complex. What…
Starbucks melds tech and people to assist the blind
Starbucks is using technology to make trips to get coffee more customer friendly for those who are blind or have otherwise compromised vision. Should solutions like the one Starbucks is…
Amazon is America’s biggest clothing retailer and there’s no close second
Amazon.com is the number one seller of clothing in the U.S., having surpassed Walmart in 2020 to earn that distinction. What do you see as the biggest factors supporting Amazon’s…
What makes some ads more shareable than others?
A new study from Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger and Daniel McDuff of Microsoft Research finds that positive emotions result in more sharing, but so do feelings of disgust. What’s the mystery behind why…
Should the Feds move in to help indie grocers?
The National Grocers Association says that outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic only widened disparities in how its members are treated compared to large regional and national chains. Do you…
Why is gaining meaningful insights from data still so hard?
Half of the marketing, information and marketing tech professionals surveyed in the UK and U.S. state that their organization’s data is not organized for easy consumption, making it the most…
