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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Should Social Tools Be Allowed in the Workplace?
Nearly half of employees report that social tools at work help increase their productivity, but more than 30 percent of companies often restrict their use, according to a new Microsoft…
Should Retail’s Selling Floors Encourage English-Only?
Whole Foods Market last week indicated it was reviewing its employee language policy after two of its Spanish-speaking workers in New Mexico said they were suspended for complaining about it…
Has Penney Made Another Pricing Blunder?
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. J.C. Penney, which drove customers out of its stores by eliminating sales under previous CEO Ron Johnson, may have found another way to…
MarketingCharts: Retailers’ Facebook Updates Aren’t Being Ignored by Online Shoppers
A study of online shoppers by UPS and comScore reveals that the vast majority of those who have “liked” a retailer on Facebook pay either a little attention to its…
Will Fear of Amazon Cause Many Others to Pursue Online Grocery?
Engaging in me-too behavior is often unwise, yet mimicry is often the name of the game in retailing. Will the expansion of AmazonFresh lead other food retailers to expand…
Compete Blog: How Well Do Merchants Understand Consumers’ Digital Paths to Purchase?
A study from GroupMNext and Compete exploring what role digital media plays in the path to purchase has identified six distinct segments of online consumers. Do you agree with the…
Will Whole Foods Be a Hit in Motown?
Whole Foods is looking to put its conscious capitalism to the test with the opening of stores in underserved areas. But nowhere has more attention been paid to Whole Foods’…
Has America Become a Self-Serve Nation?
When consumers tell store associates they don’t need any help, they mean it. According to new research by Cisco, consumers prefer doing it themselves when it comes to buying at…
Are Pop-Ups a Permanent Fixture in Retailing?
A rash of pop-up stores have opened in recent years to fill in the darkened spaces that were created during the recent recession. But many market observers don’t see the…
Will L.A. Love AmazonFresh?
It appears as though all the predictions that AmazonFresh will expand beyond Seattle will soon be proven correct, perhaps as early as this week. Is Los Angeles the right market…
Will Change in REI’s Return Policy Affect Its Business?
As the outdoors retailer has become known as “Rental Equipment Inc, REI’s 100 percent satisfaction guarantee pledge has gone from having no time limits to being capped at one year…
BrainTrust Query: When Will E-Commerce and Entertainment Merge?
The use of a second screen opens interesting possibilities in the advertising world. From an overt perspective, advertisers need to figure out how to connect their TV commercials to the…
Will Starbucks’ Smoking Ban Affect Its Business?
When Starbucks revealed it was not only going smoke-free inside its stores, but 25 feet outside them as well, people both happy and unhappy with the announcement took to Starbucks’…
Can Costco Continue Posting Strong Comps?
Costco recently reported its fiscal third quarter numbers and they were, no surprise, strong. For the latest period ending May 12, comparable club sales in the U.S. were up six…
BrainTrust Query: How Can Retailers Avoid Drowning in Big Data?
Last week, Mark Price met with a company that had the most complete data that he’d have ever seen. The company had invested in their data infrastructure as a key…
What is the Significance of a Smile?
According to a new study, a smile and a friendly hello is the most common reason why consumers feel loyal towards small and independent retailers, but only 54 percent of…
Do Beauty Consultants Make Sense for Target?
After a test last summer, Target is expanding its Beauty Concierge program to reach 200 Target stores this summer.
To succeed, how should Target’s Beauty Concierge program particularly differ from the…
Retail TouchPoints: What Role Does Social Play in Customer Service?
Research indicates that social customer care tools and solutions enable retailers to connect with consumers as well as react to questions and complaints quickly and efficiently. What beyond responding to…
Will Chinese Ownership of Smithfield Affect U.S. Retailers?
China needs pork and a lot of it, so Shuanghui International’s $4.7 billion bid to acquire Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest processor and producer of pork, makes perfect sense. But…
Will Motorola Gain an Edge With Phones Assembled in the USA?
Motorola Mobility has announced that it is opening a plant in Fort Worth, TX where the company will employ up to 2,000 individuals to assemble 70 percent of its new…
Is Servicing Data (Rather Than People) an Answer for Sears?
Recognizing the world needs less space for retail and more to store data, Sears plans to turn some of Sears and Kmart locations into data centers and disaster recovery spaces…
