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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
How close are retailers to personalization?
Last month BrainTrust panelist Martin Mehalchin was a guest of personalization vendor Monetate at their customer Summit in Philadelphia. In her CEO keynote, Lucinda Duncalfe introduced a concept she calls…
Will ‘365 by Whole Foods’ spell trouble for Trader Joe’s?
Trader Joe’s is going to have to up its fresh foods game or the grocery could be in serious trouble with the launch of Whole Foods’ new “365” concept. Do…
IKEA begins making house calls
IKEA, which recently celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its first U.S. store in Plymouth Meeting, PA, wants to get to know its American customers even better, so much so that…
Will the Target/CVS pharmacy deal lead to a future merger?
Target and CVS Health have reached a definitive agreement for the drugstore chain to acquire the mass merchant’s pharmacies and in-store clinics for a deal valued at $1.9 billion. What…
Lidl follows Aldi to the U.S.
Lidl, the giant German limited-assortment grocer, officially revealed plans to expand into the U.S. the same week its arch rival Aldi announced plans to open its first stores in California…
Digital marketing recasts emotional interaction with brands
Downloaded coupons get up to an 85 percent redemption rate with current brand users but they are failing to persuade switchers or recruit new users. True pre-shop consideration is moving…
Study: Two-thirds of retailers to ID shoppers entering stores
If you have a smartphone in five years, there’s a really good chance stores are going to know a lot about you as soon as you make your entrance. Will…
How can retailers offset paying higher wages?
Will raising prices be necessary to offset the cost of higher wages? A Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher found that strong retailers treat the money spent on workers as a…
Masking high-tech cybertheft with low-tech break-ins
Hackers have found lower-tech ways to fly under retailers’ radar by way of misdirection and even physical store break-ins. This was one of the takeaways from a presentation given by…
Sam’s Club adds higher-tech pickup
Already the only warehouse club in the U.S. to provide a pickup option, Sam’s Club has added some mobile sophistication to its Club Pickup offering to “help save its members…
Retail CEOs among the best
Glassdoor, the online career site where employees rate their employers, has just released its 2015 Highest Rated CEOs list, and retail executives figure prominently. What makes a great retail CEO?…
A parent’s nightmare: Five Below is opening nearby
Five Below is opening a new store on the road George Anderson drives on every week. His life may never be the same. What is your assessment of Five Below’s…
Is Amazon spreading itself too thin?
While many laud Amazon.com for its fast fail culture, others say the organization is involved in so many different ventures that it lacks focus. The most recent venture that has…
Five steps to better training outcomes
One sure way to get managers and employees to roll their eyes and all but wish for a short-term illness is to announce that they are to attend or participate…
Blue Apron plans to show America ‘a better way to cook’
Blue Apron, the subscription service that delivers pre-measured and packaged gourmet ingredients for home cooking, just received $135 million in its latest round of funding. Is there a big enough…
Does Wegmans carry too much private label?
Recently named America’s best supermarket — again — by Consumer Reports, Wegmans regularly receives accolades, including praise of its devotion to quality private label assortments. Naturally, some national vendors believe…
Apple Pay to support retailer credit cards and reward programs
Apple announced yesterday that, with iOS 9, it will add retailer branded credit and debit cards to its Apple Pay program as well as support for retailers’ reward programs. The…
Blue Nile opens ‘webroom’ in Long Island mall
Blue Nile learned a number of things from its test of jewelry cases at Nordstrom, like that most who came to the cases weren’t Nordstrom customers, but people who wanted…
Walmart adds perks to pay increases
Beyond its widely covered wage increases, Walmart is taking several other steps to improve employee morale, including relaxing wardrobe requirements, changing in-store music playlists and adjusting store temperatures. What do…
Where have all the hackers gone?
It’s been awhile since the last major data breach. Have the hackers moved on from retail or is this a calm before another storm? Probably both and neither. What do…
How sub-programs are maximizing customer loyalty
An increasing number of companies, particularly retailers, are launching sub-programs that target specific sectors of their loyalty base, that can increase memberships, goose up shopper frequency and encourage positive word-of-mouth…
