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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Target’s data breach gets uglier
Target revealed last week that its pre-Christmas security breach was much worse than thought. Instead of some 40 million credit and debit card accounts, 70 million to 110 million were…
Are retailers ready to own the last mile of the customer experience?
What happens when the last mile breaks down? Recently, this concept was severely tested when Amazon didn’t get last minute shipments to customers in time for Christmas. Are many retailers…
NRF 2014: Malls need to embrace social connections
At the first keynote session at NRF’s Big Show yesterday, Rick Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated, the shopping center owner and developer, predicted that the American suburban mall…
NRF Big Show: Show Me the Execution
What is BrainTrust panelist Nikki Baird going to be looking for at NRF’s Big Show next week? Two main things: the latest in tracking in-store customer behavior, and the evolution…
Gen Now: Forget Loyalty Points, Give Us Free Coffee
Mark Price, managing director of the British grocery chain Waitrose, has caused a bit of a stir in England with the myWaitrose loyalty card. His secret? Give cardholders free coffee…
Did Gmail Reduce Retailers’ Christmas Bounty?
Did Google, specifically Gmail, put the “bah humbug” on e-tailer’s Christmas sales? According to reports, there are some who think so. Six months and one holiday season after relegating e-commerce…
Are Grocery Shoppers Tuning Out In-Store Media?
Many of the proponents of in-store media fail to recognize that the shopper is not in the store long enough to absorb and interact with the plethora of messages that…
Are You Tough Enough to Cut It at Amazon.com?
As a recent book by Brad Stone of Bloomberg Businessweek makes clear, Amazon.com is a challenging place to work and get ahead. A new Wall Street Journal piece says that…
Where’s the Sustainable Beef?
Earlier this week, McDonald’s went public with a pledge “to begin purchasing verified sustainable beef in 2016” shich begs the question “What is sustainable beef?” As it turns out, McDonald’s…
Is the Future of In-Store Marketing Inside Giant Eagle?
Apple’s iBeacon technology has made its way to the grocery store, and one company, inMarket, claims the technology will vastly improve the shopping experience for shoppers where it is initially…
Study Could Make Employers Sick Over Wellness Plans
If you noticed HR people at your place of business looking a bit queasy in recent days it may be because they read the findings of a new RAND Corporation…
Is Facebook the Path to Family & Friends Recommendations?
With its connections to family and friends and personal experiences, Facebook is the most trusted product review platform, according to a new survey. How effectively are marketers tapping into the…
Will T-Commerce Redefine TV Advertising?
H&M plans to air a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl as part of a t- (for television) commerce campaign. Owners of certain Samsung smart TVs will be able to…
Nordstrom Makes Room in Stores for Online Jewelry
Nordstrom recently began testing collections of merchandise from online-only retailers Blue Nile and Bonobos at its flagship store in downtown Seattle. The mechandise is for display only, with all purchases…
Will RFID Alter the Retail Landscape in 2014?
A blog on the RFID 24-7 website with the hyberbolic headline, “RFID Will Alter Retail Landscape in 2014,” posits that this will be the year when bold predictions made for…
Best Buy Bounces Back
Best Buy shocked many a retail observer by stabilizing its business over the last year. The second quarter marked the electronic chain’s first quarterly profit in a year. Comparable-store sales…
Are You Ready For Marketing Automation?
Most B2B marketers have heard of marketing automation, but many platforms are not just for marketing to businesses any more as companies across B2C categories, including retail, “are adopting the…
Staples is Set on Making More Happen
Retiring its “That was Easy” tagline after more than a decade, Staples is adopting a new slogan to herald how its assortments now extend well beyond ink, office chairs and…
Bangladeshi Apparel Workers Named ‘Newsmaker of the Year’
While most of the candidates for Women’s Wear Daily’s “Newsmaker of the Year” were trendsetting designers or risk-taking execs at fashion houses or retailers, the winner for 2013 was the…
Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores’ Associates ‘Say Yes’
While others may insist that “Customers come first!,” Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores has made it a policy. The company wanted to reduce the volume of complaints while making the…
Walmart’s Recall Heard Around the World Wide Web
The news of Walmart’s recall of “Five Spice” donkey meat in China suggested trouble for the company in that country. What wasn’t immediately clear was that it might have an…
