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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Retail’s rocky road to omni-channel
New research from Accenture and Hybris Software, conducted by Forrester, finds that organizational, operational and technological challenges are hampering retailers’ efforts to meet customer demand for a seamless shopping experience…
Catalogs make a comeback
There’s no doubt the importance of print catalogs has diminished in correlation with the rise in retail e-commerce sales. Despite all the logical reasons print catalogs should cease to be,…
Changes on the menu at Starbucks
Starbucks, which has made repeated attempts in recent years to find the right menu items to pair with its java drinks, is making adjustments again, bringing back some of the…
Toys ‘R’ Us seeks to transform its business, again
At a media event in New York City last week, Toys “R” Us revealed a new turnaround strategy that relies less on wowing kids with hot toys and more on…
Alibaba invests in bricks to go with its clicks
While Amazon may never open stores, Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has made the decision to invest in Intime Retail Group, which owns department stores and supermarkets, to make a…
Macy’s Lundgren gives up president title
Macy’s has announced that Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren has turned over the title and duties of company president to Jeffrey Gennette, Macy’s chief merchandising officer. What is your take…
Will virtual reality lead to virtual shopping?
While its surprising $2 billion deal to acquire virtual reality headset maker Oculus provides Facebook with a gaming platform, many follow-up articles explore how such simulated in-person connections might revolutionize…
Just how engaged can store employees be?
According to Paul Hebert, a lead consultant at Symbolist, a common definition of an “engaged employee” is hard to come by. “It’s kind of like ‘quality’ – you know it…
Frequent shoppers aren’t necessarily loyal
A frequent customer is not always a loyal one. That a conclusion of a new study from Cardlytics based on a “whole-wallet” analysis of transaction records held by banks for…
Consumers explain why they dump their supermarkets
While much of the press coverage of Consumer Reports’ supermarket ratings has focused on the usual suspects getting the highest scores, a troubling point is that one-third of subscribers to…
One size doesn’t fit all luxury consumers
The super wealthy customer (aka the one percent) is the proverbial “center of the bulls-eye” target segment for luxury brands across varying sectors, but rarely is it the majority. Few…
Whole Foods pursues ‘higher purpose’ in nation’s capital
Whole Foods is doing that conscious capitalism thing again. The retailer announced that on April 5 it would launch a monthly fresh food market on the former campus of St…
FedEx CEO blames retailers for Christmas delays
Forget the ice storms and overwhelmed carriers. Much of the blame for the widely covered late arrival of Christmas gifts this past holiday season should fall on retailers, charges FedEx’s…
British fashion retailer follows familiar script in U.S.
Hobbs, described as one of Kate Middleton’s (AKA the Duchess of Cambridge) favorite retailers, is moving into the U.S. market after agreeing to open shops inside of five Bloomingdale’s. Do…
Walmart needs food stamps
Walmart has too often found itself caught up in simplistic red versus blue state political debates, the reality is undoubtedly much more complex than the stereotypes suggest as made clear…
Will the internet of things mean big things for retail?
Smart cities full of smart appliances, dubbed the Internet of Things (IoT), could offer retailers unlimited opportunities to sell new appliances. Everything from heating to lighting and appliances will one…
Is a price war about to break out in the cloud?
More and more companies are moving their information assets to the cloud. This, in turn, has led to intense competition among cloud service providers. In the most recent turn in…
CVS supports military vets with big discounts
Americans appreciate the service of the nation’s military veterans and it’s doubtful any retailer has ever gone wrong running promotions that reward the men and women who have served their…
What Hollywood can teach business
As business professionals, entrepreneurs and senior executives, the movies are more than just a relaxing way to be entertained. Hollywood understands the importance and relevance of the concept of “story”…
Happy birthday to me, yeah right
Today is George Anderson’s birthday. If somehow he’d forgotten the date, he would have been reminded by the many emails and postcards sent by retailers and various service providers. Do…
Is Lululemon’s new approach different than the old approach?
See-through yoga pants, supply chain issues and a lightning rod of a chairman have brought Lululemon a lot of unwanted attention in recent years, but the retail chain is looking…
