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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Will an online dating site formula work for pop-ups?
Pop-Up Shops, a startup describing itself as Match.com for “spaces and brands,” is looking to connect entrepreneurs looking for a short-term lease with property managers seeking to fill vacant storefronts…
Best Buy makes health and wellness tech a strategic priority
Members of Best Buy’s Geek Squad can fix your computer, but will they someday troubleshoot your pacemaker? The consumer electronics chain recently announced that it’s making health and fitness-related technology…
To catch a Walmart return thief
A 23-old-year Walmart shopper has been arrested and accused of making $1.3 million worth of fraudulent returns at 1,000 of the chain’s stores nationwide over an 18-month period. Where are…
Microsoft exploring checkout-less technologies
Microsoft is working on autonomous-checkout technologies that could help retailers compete with Amazon’s cashierless stores. Is Microsoft investing in automated checkout technology good news for retailers and the evolvement of…
Is Amazon killing Barnes & Noble’s chances for a turnaround?
While some argue that lax government policy toward giant corporations has allowed Amazon to take over the book business and made it impossible for Barnes & Noble to compete, experts from…
Kroger walks away from Raleigh-Durham
Kroger surprised many locals and retail observers with its announcement last week that it would exit the Raleigh-Durham market. The nation’s largest grocer blamed over-saturation in North Carolina’s Triangle region…
Sam’s to open small concept focused on tech, fresh and grab-and-go foods
Sam’s Club announced plans to open a new smaller store concept that’s big on tech, fresh foods and grab-and-go meals. What do you think Sam’s Club intends to do with…
Marshalls brings Father’s Day gifting to Manhattan’s streets
On Wednesday, June 13, Marshalls installed a “larger-than-life billboard” in the Flatiron District in Manhattan to help “Dad’s Day procrastinators nationwide.” How would you rate the effectiveness of Marshalls’ Father’s…
Merchants seek the right balance between classics and fad items
While new hot products come and go, classics never go out of style. For retailers, this means that maximizing revenue is a balancing act: it’s important to appeal to customers…
Do retailers need RFID to do BOPIS right?
In a session at the IRCE last week, it was suggested that RFID is the only way to do BOPIS right, stating that the technology’s time has finally arrived. How…
Retailers stand out by vetoing the ‘pink tax’
Female consumers are wising up to the gender-based pricing discrepancies on some of their favorite products, also referred to as the “pink tax.” Do you see an opportunity for retailers…
Reasons you’re afraid of retail sales training and what to do about It
While a lot of new boutique owners are proclaim they don’t care if people buy their goods, that it isn’t about selling, but about people coming together, let’s not forget…
The question for today’s retailers: What business are you in?
In one of his best-known works, “Marketing Myopia” in Harvard Business Review (HBR) from 1960, Theodore Levitt focused on a single strategic question: “What business are you in?” Is it…
Macy’s takes stake in retail-as-a-service tech firm
Macy’s announced yesterday that it has taken a minor stake in b8ta, with the intent of using its software platform to scale The Market @ Macy’s, the chain’s in-store pop-up…
Will IHOP’s burger buzz translate into sales?
IHOP, the company formerly known as the International House of Pancakes, created a lot of attention for itself when it tweeted last week that it was considering a name change…
Are chronic online returners only a few bad apples?
A new poll from NPR/Marist seems to show that the high rates of online returns are being driven by a small group of chronic returners rather than large swaths of…
Should retailers incentivize store staff to accept digital transformation?
While adopting new technologies may be necessary for brands and retailers to remain competitive, it’s not always easy. What sort of hurdles might those in charge of digital transformation encounter,…
Facebook to ban advertisers if they don’t clean up their acts
Facebook is rolling out a new feature that will allow users to provide feedback on their experience with advertisers on the site, according to a Wall Street Journal report. How…
Are retailers short-changing national grocery brands?
A study from Acosta finds that shoppers overwhelmingly prefer national brands and that pushes toward private labels might be undermining their effectiveness. Can private label expansion work against the positioning of…
Brands win with TV 2.0 and the new direct mail
While a lot of marketing talk focuses on making the most out of social and other new media, some brands are having the most luck with good old-fashioned TV ads,…
Too many meetings and reports undercut promos
Are too many meetings, too much paperwork and too much manual data entry driving you crazy? You’re not alone. Where do you see the biggest pain points in the promotions…
