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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Does a Staples/Office Depot merger now make more sense?
Staples for the third time is seeking to acquire rival Office Depot as the accelerated shift to online shopping and work-from-home culture recasts the opportunity in office supply retail. Does…
What is Marc Lore’s legacy at Walmart?
Marc Lore, who has often been credited with jumpstarting Walmart’s digital evolution, is leaving the discount giant after five years. How much headway has Walmart made competing with Amazon over…
Will paying associates to get COVID-19 vaccines work for Dollar General and Trader Joe’s?
Dollar General and Trader Joe’s understand that associates can’t stock shelves and serve customers in stores if they are out of work because they’ve contracted COVID-19. That’s why they’re offering…
NRF 2021: Retailers make an appointment with the future
Challenges created by the novel coronavirus pandemic are compelling retailers to make changes that promise to fundamentally reshape how they conduct business in the future. Examples of that reality were…
Would a Not-Amazon.ca-like effort help indy retailers compete with the online giant?
A website with a provocative domain has seemingly overnight become a go-to directory to reach more than 4,000 independent stores across four Canadian cities. The success is more surprising considering…
Is Amazon on its way to becoming America’s favorite grocer?
A new survey finds that Amazon.com has become the preferred source of groceries for the largest number of Americans. What grocers do you think have been the biggest winners since…
7-Elevens could be destined to undergo a konbinification
In Japan, 7-Eleven has long offered a higher-end customer experience — one that might be coming to the U.S., thanks in part to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Do you think…
Which emerging tech will transform marketing this year?
Real-time marketing, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are just some of the technologies that marketers think will have an impact on marketing strategy in 2021, according to a recent survey…
Walmart to deliver groceries to temp-controlled smart boxes at customers’ homes
Walmart has announced a planned pilot of temperature-controlled smart boxes that will be placed outside the homes of customers. Do you think the smart box technology that Walmart plans to…
What leadership lessons have retailers learned during the pandemic?
In a keynote session at CES’s first virtual trade show, Corie Barry, Best Buy’s CEO, said she believes her role as leader is to create conditions for others to succeed…
Will contactless Hudson Nonstop concept stores take off in airports?
Hudson, which operates in airports, travel hubs and tourist destinations across North America, has announced the planned opening of a new store concept that allows customers to check out without…
Convenience retailers aren’t letting the pandemic get them down
If the pandemic served up lemons for convenience store retailers in 2020, the vast majority were able to turn them into lemonade based on the results of a new survey…
Will becoming a fintech powerhouse make Walmart an even more formidable retailer?
Walmart announced that it is creating a new fintech startup with venture capital firm Ribbit Capital, to develop and automate “tech-driven financial experiences tailored to” the needs of its customers…
Do sampled freebies drive loyalty?
A new study concludes that the use of free sampling often comes up short as a marketing tool, as many campaigns aim to bring new customers to a brand’s products…
Retailers give customers refunds and tell them to keep items
Offering refunds without requiring the return is being adopted more broadly by retailers during the pandemic, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Does it make sense to offer refunds…
Did Amazon Pantry outlive its usefulness?
Amazon.com last week discontinued its single large box service known as Amazon Pantry. The service had been seen as a way to sell less expensive household items online that would…
What will drive consumer tech sales in 2021?
Propelled by pandemic needs, consumer tech sales in the U.S. saw their strongest growth in 2020 in at least seven years, according to NPD Group’s “Future of Tech” forecast. How…
Should your DNA data be used to sell products?
Privately owned companies, such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com, are accumulating massive databases since genetic testing kits first appeared on the market, and these genetic datasets are finding their way into…
Are brands seeing a halo effect from ads on retailers’ online platforms?
As advertising dollars have shifted from traditional media to digital platforms run by retailers, consumer product brands have speculated that there is a “halo effect” happening. How convinced are you…
Will meatless burgers moo-ve in on beef’s market share as prices fall?
Impossible Foods announced yesterday that it is cutting the price of its Impossible Burger patties for the second time in under a year. Do you think prices more in line…
Will going public lead to riches or ruin for Wish?
Wish, an e-commerce marketplace offering cheap, sometimes bizarre products, factory direct from China, went public in December of 2020. After an early drop in share price, investors are not so…
