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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
The Five Lies Customers Tell And How To Sell Around Them
While customers often feel salespeople can’t be trusted, retailers are often faced with selling to customers who tell white lies to avoid purchasing an expensive item. What are some ways…
Do Millennials Make Bad Bosses?
Surveys say members of Gen Y entering the workforce are sometimes self-centered and have work/life expectations that are unrealistic. So what happens when these same people move up to management…
Making the Digital/Analog Merge Work For Retail
A new iPhone app called Pounce augments the newspaper experience by allowing users to point their mobile phone’s camera at an item in the circular and have it added to…
How Should Online Customer Service Be Measured?
While measuring customer service at brick & mortar stores appears second nature to many, STELLAService rating system measuring customer service online analyzes four key service areas. What metrics should be…
What’s Behind 7-Eleven’s Venture Capital Business?
7-Eleven has launched a venture capital arm with the purpose of making small investments in early-stage companies in the retail and food spaces. What benefits do you see from 7-Eleven’s…
Should Penney Cut The Apron Strings With Martha?
A report by the New York Post says that J.C. Penney CEO Myron “Mike” Ullman has decided to end the department store’s deal with Martha Stewart, regardless of what a…
Should Grocers Sponsor Tailgating?
With tailgating in parking lots and at home not showing any signs of slowing down, several supermarkets are actively playing up their roles as sponsors of various NFL as well…
E-Cigarette Use on Rise Among Kids
A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the percentage of high school students who tried an e-cigarette rose from under five percent in 2011…
Is Samsung Gear the Future of Computing Technology?
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is not the first smartwatch to hit the market, but it is the one that has made the biggest splash. Do you see smartwatches being eventually adapted…
Retail Customer Experience: Keep Your Brand Message Burning When Traditional Marketing Fades
The world of business used to run on the model of “product, price, promotion.” But the internet caused the world to wake up. The resulting, post-awakening commercial environment is now…
Will Cutting Spousal Benefits Help/Hurt Kroger?
Kroger is cutting medical coverage for the spouses of employees in the Indianapolis area. The move, which will affect 11,200 workers, will go into effect with the New Year. Will…
Wegmans: Customers No Longer Need Price Freeze
Wegmans has announced the end of its the seasonal price freeze program. The chain initially rolled out the freeze in 2011 in response to financial challenges its shoppers were facing…
Will Target Ticket Steal Video Streaming Show?
Joining the race to get in on the subscription streaming video service business, Target will soon debut its own service called Target Ticket, which will allow consumers to rent or…
Which Came First? The Content Or The Egg?
Everyone’s talking about content like it’s a revolutionary new concept. In reality, it isn’t new, but it’s becoming more and more vital to provide relevant content to your customers to…
Will Same-Day Delivery Save The Mall?
General Growth Properties (GGP), the second-largest mall operator in the country, is introducing same-day delivery of both online and in-store purchases. Is there a market need for same-day delivery of…
Promos Face a ‘Push’ or ‘Pull’ Future
At the Retailer Roundtable in Portland, ME last month, Alex Rampell, CEO TrialPay, questioned how ‘offers’ should be driven and insisted the model has to change from “push” to “pull”…
Should Pirate Joe’s Walk the Plank?
With no Trader Joe’s in Canada, a store has opened in Vancouver selling inventory bought at retail prices at Trader Joe’s locations in the state of Washington. Trader Joe’s has…
Why Aren’t Millennials Big E-Spenders?
According to NPD Group, Millennials have the lowest shopping conversion rate of all generations, but the bulk of their retail dollars is spent in-store rather than online. Do you agree…
Skip the Tip?
A recent move by Sushi Yasuda, a high-end Japanese restaurant in New York, to ban tipping has prompted another round of discussion about whether tipping should be eliminated at restaurants…
Amazon Adds In-App Sale of Physical Goods
Amazon is giving app developers digital tools to sell the site’s physical goods from within mobile applications, opening a new selling channel. Will mobile users be receptive to the sale…
Can Boxed Deliver the Warehouse Club Experience Online?
Billing itself as “Costco in your pocket,” Boxed is a new mobile app that promises to offer warehouse club savings without the need for a lengthy trip to the store…
