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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Can a new off-price retailer find treasure without opening stores?
A new discounter in Los Angeles is trying to make an online-only indie brand treasure hunt a reality. Do you think that an off-price apparel retailer can thrive online?
Retailers share how they make the most of their trade show visits
Each year we ask successful retailers how they make each trade show trip profitable. Here are some of their top secrets. Which of the tips above do you find most…
Is Forever 21 a wise investment for its new mall landlord owners?
Mall operators Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners, along with the licensing firm Authentic Brands Group, have made a deal to acquire virtually all of Forever 21’s assets just…
Can luxury retail attract a new generation of shoppers?
“I think the strategy for Millennials is actually not to have any strategy for Millennials, because they can smell it,” said Laurent Claquin, president of Kering Americas, the major European…
Aerie looks to role model ambassadors to drive change
Aerie, the lingerie brand owned by American Eagle, recently added eight new role model ambassadors — including actors, scientists and activists — in support of its 2020 #AerieREAL campaign designed…
Which commercial won the Super Bowl?
While fans of the Kansas City Chiefs are happy today and San Francisco 49er faithful are not, we’re not going to talk about the Super Bowl. We’re here to discuss…
Is Amazon’s speed killing the competition?
The numbers of customers using Prime’s one-day and same-day delivery more than quadrupled in the fourth quarter to help drive healthy holiday sales for Amazon.com. Has success at executing one-day…
IKEA makes a data promise to its customers
IKEA last week announced a set of principles and approaches to how it uses data called “The Customer Data Promise.” The stated goal is to have “people feel as safe…
Will a resale shop deliver bigger sales for Nordstrom?
Secondhand clothing has found a home at Nordstrom. The department store retailer has launched a new resale concept — See You Tomorrow — online and at the Nordstrom flagship in…
Is hot food the ingredient Amazon Go has been lacking?
When Amazon Go launched it was billed as the future of the convenience store, but the fully-automated retail store had one notable omission — no hot bar. Now, Amazon has…
Kimberly-Clark solves some mysteries around click-and-collecting
Kimberly-Clark noted that something was getting in the way of selling tampons and Kleenex to click-and-collect shoppers that wasn’t similarly inhibiting companies selling foods and beverages. It decided to investigate…
Is it ethical for resellers to raise the price of Kobe Bryant merchandise?
Prices on Kobe Bryant sneakers and jerseys soared two to three times within 24 hours following news of the sudden death of the Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant. Is…
Will 2020 be the year of less flash and more substance for in-store tech?
At the NRF Big Show this year, one could say there was a more sobering mood to technology adoption by retailers. How should retailers balance the drive to constantly innovate…
Etsy’s diversity push seeks to ‘keep commerce human’
Etsy announced yesterday that it has made strides toward its goal of doubling the percentage of Black and Latinx (a person of Latin American origin or descent)) employees in its…
The measured store, version 2.0
At the NRF Big Show, a number of startups in the Innovation Zone were dedicated to providing heat maps and other computer vision-based solutions for understanding consumer behavior in stores…
Can a former Victoria’s Secret exec turn J.Crew around?
It took more than a year, but sales-challenged and debt-laden J.Crew has a new chief executive officer. The retailer announced that Jan Singer, who most recently served as CEO of…
Are retailers ready for the coronavirus?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update earlier this week on the spread of the coronavirus from Wuhan, China to the U.S. and other countries. What would…
Will online food and beverage sales be even bigger than imagined?
Few would deny that online grocery sales are gaining momentum, yet there’s debate on how far and how fast. A soon-to-be-released study from FMI and Nielsen previewed at FMI Midwinter…
Will investors sleep on Casper’s IPO?
Direct-to-consumer mattress brand Casper has made its mark with customers. Now it is trying its luck with investors. What can a company in Casper’s position hope to gain by going…
Food retailers need to go ‘all-in’ with Hispanic consumers
The fastest-growing population in the country over the next forty years will be Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. How effective have U.S. grocers been in catering to the…
Why did IKEA end its pilot on Amazon?
IKEA recently decided to end a pilot in which the retailer tested the strategy of selling on Amazon.com’s U.S. site, although it apparently isn’t giving up on marketplaces — those…
