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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
What can TripAdvisor bring to retail?
TripAdvisor, the leading travel website, is opening a store at Raleigh-Durham Airport, the first such move for a reviews site. Do you see online consumer reviews becoming a bigger part…
Can parking lots save the mall?
To stimulate traffic, many malls are hosting events — ranging from carnivals to food-truck festivals, concerts, drive-in movies and car shows — in their parking lots. Should malls ramp up…
Will artificial intelligence replace CEOs?
Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba, is a big believer in artificial intelligence and robotics, even though he thinks the technologies will eventually eliminate the need for human chief…
Will 7-Eleven’s plan to deal with worker shortages in Japan migrate to America?
Seven & i Holdings, the owner of 7-Eleven, has an employee shortage problem in Japan. The situation has become so serious that the convenience store chain has resorted to using…
Would Albertsons and Whole Foods make a good match?
The Financial Times reports that Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity group that controls Albertsons, has begun preliminary discussions with bankers about making a bid for Whole Foods. Would Albertsons’…
Will omnichannel make the J.C. Penney and Sephora partnership more successful?
Store-within-a-store concepts are not uncommon today, but few can claim to have achieved the success of Sephora’s presence at J.C. Penney. Why has the J.C. Penney and Sephora partnership succeeded…
Can tailored digital video messaging transform grocery end-caps?
The Coca-Cola Co. recently rolled out a new digital signage system attached to endcaps located in the center store of supermarkets to deliver branded video and e-coupons to customers. What…
What customer service lessons can be learned from United Airlines?
Of course, retail isn’t like the airlines. Consumers have many, many options and a lot of them have chosen Amazon.com. They’ve chosen to talk to no one rather than coming…
Should Bloomingdale’s sales associates receive commissions for online sales?
Bloomingdale’s workers last week held a rally outside the upscale chain’s 59th Street flagship in New York City and are threatening to go on strike in part because they feel…
Will IKEA find success in standalone restaurants?
IKEA is considering opening standalone cafes and restaurants in urban centers, according to Fast Company. The move would come as managing director Michael La Cour has a made number of…
How will Walmart’s price cutting affect Kroger and other rivals?
Walmart may be the largest seller of groceries in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t want even more of the business. The retailer has turned to cutting its…
Are Millennials and Gen Z more about convenience or price when they shop?
Condé Nast and Goldman Sachs have issued their annual Love List Brand Affinity Index, which seeks to discover the brands and retailers that connect — or not — with Millennials…
What’s needed beyond KPIs?
According to Jonathan Adler, director of insights and analytics at Lenati, KPIs (key performance indicators) are good at providing snapshots, but subpar at providing any context. Are marketers overly reliant…
Has CVS crafted a promising new drugstore shopping journey?
While announcing plans to expand healthier offerings, CVS revealed it is adding more in-store informational signage and “discovery” displays to help customers explore new offerings and health solutions on their…
Will Amazon’s on-demand manufacturing create trouble for fast-fashion?
Are fast-fashion’s better days behind it? Will on-demand manufacturing reinvent the clothing business as we know it? These are questions that may be answered if Amazon.com moves ahead with a…
Is personalized packaging going mainstream?
When we think personalized advertising, data-driven offers and hyper-targeted messaging come to mind. But some brands have been experimenting with adding personalized elements to the packaging products come in. How…
Can McD’s succeed with commercials that don’t mention its name?
McDonald’s latest commercial doesn’t mention its name or display its logo. The spot is part of McDonald’s first unbranded marketing campaign in which it attempts to use the power of…
Will Chewy.com help PetSmart gobble up the online pet market?
PetSmart announced yesterday that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the online pet products retailer, Chewy.com. What will PetSmart’s acquisition of Chewy mean for pet product retailers and…
Will Walmart reap dividends from training academies?
Walmart announced the grand opening of its 100th training academy, located in Edmond, OK. The opening of the facility puts Walmart halfway to its stated goal of 200 across the…
Are consumers’ AI fears rational?
Many consumers were initially concerned about how the internet tracked their browsing habits but grew accustomed to it after enjoying the technology’s benefits. Is artificial intelligence going through the same…
Will Amazon pull a Quidsi on Zappos?
Amazon.com will officially close Diapers.com and the other sites operated by Quidsi tomorrow after the company, which it acquired in 2011, failed to turn a profit. While the decision surprised…
