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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
SCDigest: A Unified Theory of Out-of-Stocks?
It seems obvious that the out-of-stock problem is getting worse for many retailers of late. In certain stores one might see as much as 75 percent of the pegs on…
Are Conventional Grocers ‘Doing Just Fine’?
According to Mike Schlotman, Kroger Co.’s CFO, the “full-service grocery industry in the United States is very healthy.” Is the threat of big boxes on traditional grocers over-exaggerated? How would…
How Devastating Was the LivingSocial Security Breach?
Talk about a bad deal. An e-mail from LivingSocial CEO Tim O’Shaughnessy on Saturday advised customers that a cyber attack on the company’s computer systems led to unauthorized access to…
Compete Blog: Amazon Prime Members Are Located in Aisle 5
The rate of adoption of Amazon Prime, coupled with the growing reach of Amazon.com, has caused rivals to scramble to offer alternative programs and initiatives to stay competitive. How much…
Ten Years After: iTunes Store Changed Music Biz
People used to go to record shops and buy albums. It’s not that they don’t anymore, it’s just a lot less frequent since Apple launched its iTunes store 10 years…
Teens Go Wild Before Prom Night
The annual prom season is approaching, and kids and their parents are digging deep to pay for the big event, according to Visa’s third annual survey of prom spending. What…
Retail TouchPoints: Retailers Enrich the Customer Experience With Scheduling Optimization
The most-recent workforce management study from Retail Systems Research shows a bidirectional pull between meeting consumer demands for better service and a more enjoyable shopping experience, and pressure to reduce…
Why Aren’t More Stores Giving Customers Hand-Held Scanners?
For years now, we at RetailWire have been reading, writing and talking about stores testing consumer-operated hand-held scanners. Consumers love it and it works for retailers. What is holding up…
Will Pizza Hut Kinect With Gamers?
Video gamers love pizza. Pizza Hut loves video gamers’ money. Now the chain has a unleashed an app that allows gamers to order pizza directly through their Xbox using the…
BrainTrust Query: Four New Approaches to Consumer Segmentation in a Digital and Social Age
Traditional consumer segmentation can be maddening. It is at the heart of marketing practice to group consumers into segments, yet it simply does not work that well because it is…
Are Amazon and Netflix Programmed for Success?
Based on the most recent news, it appears that original and/or exclusive programming is the key to success in the video rental business. Is original programming a necessity for success…
BrainTrust Query: How Can Retailers Avert Facebook Disasters?
Social media is a great way for retailers to engage their customers. But that same level of engagement can work against them when something goes wrong. How should retailers respond…
Retail CEO Shares Bonus With Workers
Lord Wolfson, CEO of Next, the U.K.’s biggest department store chain, shared his $3.6 million bonus with full and part-time employees. Do you think Lord Wolfson’s gesture will be meaningful…
What If Rewards Came From Just Browsing?
A new loyalty rewards program has arrived that pays off for just browsing, that is, in cyberspace. Perk is billed as the world’s first loyalty web browser, giving consumers a…
FRBuyer: What Does It Take to Achieve New Item Success?
Everyone loves to complain about the failure rate of new items, but all too often retailers are responsible for that failure. In what ways do you see grocers undermining the…
Will Gap’s Take On In-Store Pickup Be a Retail Game Changer?
While in-store pickup works great for customers, it actually works against the retailer, according to Art Peck, president of growth, innovation & digital at Gap Inc. Will Gap Inc.’s reserve-in-store…
MarketingCharts: Would $25 Buy Your Feedback?
The magic number is $25, says Parago, an incentives and engagement company, in a new research study that asked consumers what their time is worth when providing feedback, listening to…
Is Martha Stewart Worth the Fight?
Among the mistakes made by Ron Johnson as CEO at J.C. Penney, one of the biggest may have been his deal to acquire a stake in Martha Stewart Living and…
Will RFID Take Off Now That Tag and Hardware Prices Have Dropped?
Among the objections put up by companies that have chosen not to use radio frequency identification technology in the past is the cost of the hardware and tags. Now the…
Will Retailers Benefit By Knowing Who’s the Boss?
The NPD Group’s report, Generation Mom: How Moms Provide and Kids Influence Consumption Patterns in the Home, found “kids eat 43 more meals per year at home than they did…
Will Aldi Import Its Convenience Concept to the U.S.?
It wasn’t so long ago that former Walmart CEO Lee Scott said the reason that Asda was getting knocked around by Tesco in the U.K. was because of Tesco’s Express…
