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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Is curbside pickup a better solution for online grocery?
Harris Teeter hopes its new $99/year subscription service will drive more customers to use its Express Lanes online shopping service. Just four hours’ notice produces handpicked grocery orders ready for…
Target names new CIO, announces switch to chip-and-PIN cards
It didn’t take long for Target to find a new chief information officer, announcing that it has hired Bob DeRodes to head up its technology initiatives and to lead efforts…
Rite Aid to take on CVS and Walgreens in clinic business
With Rite Aid’s announcement earlier this month that it has acquired RediClinic, it’s quite clear that the company, along with larger rivals CVS and Walgreens, sees in-store clinics as an…
Millennial marketers should throw out their lists
Though pundits write articles centered on Top 10, seven or five lists of recommendations, BrainTrust panelist Bill Hanifin had a revelation that the key to reaching a nirvana-like state in…
Walmart takes entry-level worker training outside its stores
Walmart is taking the training of new cart pushers, cashiers, stock and backroom clerks out of stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and moving it to the company’s new Talent…
Amazon opens store dedicated to wearable tech
Slow sales have led some to question the market for wearable technology, at least in the short term, but it appears that Amazon.com doesn’t share that feeling as the company…
The missing link: online ads to in-store sales
Similar to how click tracking measures a web ad’s impact on online sales, a program being piloted by Google is designed to help retailers better figure out if their online…
Retailers hope to get pinned by shoppers
A growing number of retailers are looking to social media to develop deeper connections with their customers and nowhere is this truer than on Pinterest. What do you see as…
Farm to trunk service succeeds nationwide
Meat lovers rejoice! Now you can get high quality beef, chicken, fish and pork delivered in bulk at low prices to a church parking lot near you. Do you think…
Amazon takes steps to own the last mile
Authenticating rumors in the marketplace, Amazon is indeed testing its own delivery network in the U.S., according to an extensive report last week in The Wall Street Journal. How important…
Study identifies traits of emerging chief digital officer
A new survey by Constellation Research identifies four CIO personas that helps define the skill sets that may be required for the emerging chief digital officer. Which of the four…
Taco Bell new fast-casual concept zigs where others zag
Taco Bell is testing a new concept, U.S. Taco Co., aimed at the fast-casual, Mexican food market but with an American flare. The big difference is that many ingredients are…
Apple’s new retail chief ready to get to work
The mystery over when Angela Ahrendts would begin her tenure running Apple’s retail business is finally over. A recent report by The Guardian which said Ms. Ahrendts would leave her…
Are stores the answer to peak-time online fulfillment challenges?
A post-holiday review of online fulfillment by Kurt Salmon identified shipping from stores as a largely unutilized but highly beneficial way to fill orders during peak selling periods. Can stores…
Amazon opens its pantry program to Prime members
Back in 2008, BJ’s Wholesale Club responded to competition from larger rivals Costco and Sam’s Club by offering smaller-sized products that focused more on the needs of individuals rather than…
Primark sets sights on conquering America
Primark believes it can succeed in America where other British retailers have not. The discount fashion chain’s parent, Associated British Foods, announced it would open its first store in the…
The graying of the internet
While in far fewer numbers than their younger counterparts, the population of seniors going online is expanding and those that do are active participants in the cyber world. Does the…
Loyalty members get advice from Sears and each other
Sears has launched new personalized online services that enable Shop Your Way members to ask questions and receive answers about products and services from the retailer and also other members…
Amazon losing sales because of sales tax
Amazon.com’s inexorable march to retail dominance has hit a bump in the road. A new report finds that households in states where Amazon previously did not collect sales taxes reduced…
Seven ways to cut out-of-stocks
Even if a vendor shorts you on an order, management doesn’t want to hear that – out-of-stocks are always your fault. No matter what, you’re going to have a little…
Will the need for data scientists change America’s educational model?
In a discussion last month on RetailWire, Nikki Baird of RSR Research wrote that finding a data scientist was akin to finding unicorns and dragons in retail enterprises. Do you…
