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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Will others follow Mall of America and provide free space for struggling moms and pops?
Mall of America is donating temporary space to several local businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest. Do you see Mall of America gaining more than good…
New Jersey hops back on the bag ban bandwagon
Bans of single-use plastic bags had become common throughout the U.S., but the pandemic drew attention away from environmentalism and toward more immediate self-preservation strategies as government, grocer and customer…
Walmart reimagines its supercenters
Walmart has introduced a new store design to help millions of customers who shop at its supercenters every year reap the full advantages of the “omni-shopping experience.” Does Walmart’s new…
Will Amazon’s palm reader reveal the future of retail payment?
Facial recognition and other forms of biometric ID have proven controversial. Yet Amazon is going live with a test of a biometric solution that will let customers pay by palm…
Is it time to hit the ‘panic button’ as women leave the retail workforce?
A new study has found that one in four women are considering leaving the workforce or cutting back due to COVID-19. Should retailers be concerned about losing female employees burned…
Will same-day deliveries be a difference maker for Bed Bath & Beyond?
BBBY is working with Shipt and Instacart to offer customers at its namesake banner and the buybuyBaby chain the option of ordering online and same day delivery. What will it take…
Is the Halloween retail opportunity becoming less scary?
Party City last week announced plans to open 25 Halloween City stores, down from 255 in 2019. In September, Spirit Halloween revealed plans to open about 1,400 pop-ups, three percent…
Holiday hiring ain’t what it used to be
It’s that time of year again when retailers set out their “help wanted” signs for new hires to assist in getting through the Christmas rush. This year, however, has been…
Did CDC’s announcement boost retail’s online sales prospects for Christmas?
The CDC wants Americans who have made Black Friday an annual event to stay far away from the mall and retail stores this year. Will earlier promotions, recent changes in…
Are Amazon Prime delivery shoppers disrupting Whole Foods’ stores?
Amazon Prime delivery shoppers are reportedly crowding aisles, emptying shelves, ignoring safety rules and bothering busy associates as they scurry around Whole Foods stores fulfilling online orders. Do you see…
Store IoT platforms are set to go mainstream
The real-time store Internet of Things platform is moving into the mainstream, climbing out of the “trough of disillusionment” into the “slope of enlightenment,” according to a new Gartner report…
Are Amazon’s flying security drones a threat to homeowner privacy?
Amazon’s smart security subsidiary, Ring, last week at its virtual hardware event launched a flying indoor security camera that is becoming the latest product to set off privacy alarms. Are…
Retailers and brands shortchange cross-platform analytics tools
Only 43 percent of brands have unified cross-platform analytics capabilities, preventing a consistent and complete view of their customers’ online engagement and behavior. What’s holding back marketers from tapping cross-platform…
Do consumers need beauty products delivered within an hour?
Sephora is partnering with Instacart to support online delivery of beauty products in “as fast as an hour” from local retail stores across the country. How would you rate the…
Will curbside pickup be Costco’s Achilles heel?
Costco’s membership business model certainly isn’t broken and so there doesn’t appear to be a need to fix it. Yet some believe that the warehouse club is in danger of…
Walmart has changes in-store as the holidays near
The Christmas selling season is kicking off earlier than ever and Walmart announced on Wednesday its plans to meet the needs of its customers at this time. Do you approve…
Can retailers drive climate change action?
With the elevated environmental risks posed by this year’s hurricane and wildfire seasons in the U.S. as a backdrop, Walmart, Amazon.com and REI this week launched major climate change initiatives…
Will homes of the future include ‘Amazon Rooms’?
The pandemic has forced changes on how we live, how we shop and now it seems it could impact how we build houses. The home of the future might be…
Will limited-assortment warehouses help Chewy avoid ‘demand shock’?
A number of retailers have set up smaller warehouses to support last-mile delivery. Chewy last week said it opened its first “limited-catalog fulfillment center” to handle surges in orders. Will…
A successful diversity initiative led to an unintended consequence at Walmart
A Bloomberg article on Walmart tells the story of an unintended consequence that arose as a result of the retailer’s commitment to greater gender diversity. How can large retail organizations…
Will lockers help Lowe’s pick up more sales?
Lowe’s announced that it plans to have self-service pickup lockers installed at its stores in most major metropolitan areas by Thanksgiving and those remaining by the end of March 2021. …
