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Tablets for Sales Staff? Two Simple Ways to Make Them Effective
You get it: technology for technology’s sake is a bad thing. You know that tablets are a window into realizing that goal. But how can tech issues be dealt with…
Are Big Box Stores Running Too Lean This Holiday Season?
Big Data and little data are supposed to eventually tell us what each shopper wants, when and where. For now, however, we haven’t gotten to that point. Can retailers “break…
Loehmann’s Hits the Clearance Rack
With the filing of its third bankruptcy, Loehmann’s, renowned for its discount designer duds, has apparently struck out. Failing to find a last-minute buyer, the Bronx-based bargain institution filed for…
Haggling for the Holidays
A front-page article in Monday’s New York Times detailed how consumers are increasingly engaging in haggling, and store associates are being trained to react to the practice. Under what circumstances…
The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge: Pier 1 Imports Vs. TJX Cos.
In the ninth episode of the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge, we offer up new spots from Pier 1 Imports and TJX Cos. for you to critique. Which will do the…
Does Buying Local Work for E-Tailers?
To promote “shop local” online shopping with Chicago retailers, a group of Chicago’s top brands and some of its local retail customers banded together for the BUYCHI effort. How would…
Is Online Information Upending Traditional Marketing?
With access to a wealth of online product information and user reviews making consumers smarter about their purchase decisions, traditional marketing approaches and loyalty schemes are increasingly becoming less relevant…
Some Retailers Cut Hours and Benefits, Others See Opportunity With Obamacare
While much of the publicity regarding Obamacare has centered around companies cutting back hours and reducing health care benefits for employees, there has been a wide range of responses among…
Is Renting a Threat to Shopping?
According to a new survey, 27 percent of consumers have rented a product instead of purchasing it in the past year and 56 percent would be open to it in…
Sainsbury’s Turns to the Crowd to Source Its Advertising
With nary a brand or a product in sight, U.K. supermarket Sainsbury’s has used the experiences of real families during Christmas 2012 in creating a feature film and commercials to…
When Going Viral Goes Wrong
Having an ad go viral may be the dream of ad managers and their agencies, but being viewed a gazillion times on YouTube and elsewhere is no guarantee that views…
Who’s Afraid of AmazonFresh?
The big issue facing all companies in the online grocery/home delivery space is making it work financially. There has been some trepidation that AmazonFresh would expand beyond its first test…
Does Webrooming Offset Showrooming?
While showrooming gets all the attention, webrooming – the act of browsing online before going to a store to buy – is apparently occurring more. How would you compare showrooming’s…
Target Tries to a Get Handle On the PFresh Format
When Target first launched its PFresh grocery program, the concept was billed as a convenience. But as a Star Tribune article points out, convenience is in the eye of the…
Is Creativity Dead?
Why aren’t we more creative? A recent article on Slate makes the case that society and the groups that make it up are more comfortable with conformity than creativity. Do…
How Much Do Consumers Want Personalized Offers?
According to ISACA’s 2013 IT Risk/Reward Barometer, two-thirds of American consumers believe certain personalized promotional tactics are invasive when shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. Are heightened privacy concerns making consumers more…
Dollar Stores Give Walmart, Grocers a Run For Their Money
In good times and bad, Americans love a bargain. That’s what first led many to go shopping in dollar stores, and it’s what has kept them going back for everyday…
Can Nordstrom Stay Atop the Favorite Fashion Chain List?
Nordstrom is North America’s favorite fashion retailer overall for the second year running, according to a new study of more than 6,800 consumers by Market Force Information. What is your…
Is It Too Late For Retailers to Salvage Christmas?
The Thanksgiving Weekend got off to a slow start, Cyber Monday sales were strong, and retailers are still running price promotions to get people to spend in stores and online…
Are Loyalty Programs More Important During the Holidays?
Studying the Maritz Loyalty Marketing 2013 Gift Buying Survey may prompt retailers to make some quick adjustments in their loyalty programs to prepare for the rest of the holiday season…
Will Kohl’s Outpace Rivals With Its Ultra-Marathon Shopping Event?
Raising the bar for others, Kohl’s last week announced plans to stay open for 108 straight hours in the days before Christmas Eve. What is the likelihood that other retailers…
