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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Johnson Era is Over: What Will It Take to Fix Penney?
The new boss is exactly the same as the old boss at J.C. Penney. Yesterday, the department store operator announced that Ron Johnson was out as CEO and his replacement…
Retail TouchPoints: What Does Customer-Centricity Mean?
To Robert (Bob) Willett, the retired CIO of Best Buy, true customer-centricity certainly involves technology but also providing store associates with the freedom to reach service excellence. What traits make…
Walmart Launches Lifestyle Magazine in Canada
Contrary to popular belief, people still do read print magazines. At least, that’s the case in Canada, according to Walmart. What is your reaction to the launch of “Walmart Live…
BrainTrust Query: Why I’m Done With Foursquare
After over 1,100 check-ins, 39 badges earned, and over 200 friends gathered on Foursquare since 2009, Bill Hanifin is going to walk away for a bit. What’s the next step…
Will Walgreens Succeed Treating Chronic Illnesses?
While not aiming to replace a patient’s primary care physician, Walgreens will become the first retail chain to offer the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. Do you think in-store…
Are Checkout Impulse Buys a Mobile Casualty?
According to a recent Bloomberg article, sales items typically stocked near grocery checkout counters have fallen sharply over the last year and a half. The possible culprit: smartphones occupying shoppers’…
Will Samsung Threaten Apple’s Retail Dominance?
Samsung is going retail in a big way with the launch of a store-within-a-store concept that will eventually have it operating in 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy mobile locations…
Retail Customer Experience: How Should Retailers Compensate Customers For Service or Product Failures?
Customers have diverse values and preferences, so your people who placate disgruntled customers need to be given enormous discretion. Still, some principles almost always apply. How should stores determine the…
White Guys Say They Promote Diversity, Others Say ‘Not Really’
New research from Greatheart Leader Labs has found a disconnect between employees of different gender and skin color regarding their perceptions of the success of diversity initiatives. Have companies explained…
BrainTrust Query: Please Track Me?
Fundamentally, people prefer to be treated personally. But when businesses take that personal approach online, consumers often feel uneasy because they don’t understand the ways in which their data is…
Are Retailers Crossing the Line With Employee Databases?
It’s long been known that much of the theft at retail is an inside job. Employees, whether acting alone or as part of organized retail crime, have cost the industry…
What Can Merchants Do to Become Better Retail Therapists?
Retail therapy is real. More than half of all Americans go shopping to improve their moods, according to a survey conducted by TNS Global for Ebates.com. Do you agree that…
BrainTrust Query: Lack of Loyalty Program Engagement = Opportunity
“While the average U.S. household has enrolled in more than 18 programs, they are active in only 8.4.” While that statistic from the 2011 Colloquy Loyalty Census may be accurate,…
What Now With Geeks Out at Target?
In case you were wondering, the answer to last month’s RetailWire headline, Are Geeks Out of Place in Target’s CE Departments, was, “Yes.” What do you expect Target to do…
Will Walmart Put Rivals in Rearview Mirror With Gas Rollback?
Walmart announced on Monday the return of its Great Gas Rollback program, which allows customers using one of the chain’s gift cards, credit card or MoneyCard to save 15 cents…
RSR Research: Does Channel Pricing Conflict Break Trust With Shoppers?
You’re standing at a store shelf. You want to buy an item, but you’re just not sure. You price check. The top result — this retailer’s online version of the…
Will Nordstrom Win With Savvy Younger Women?
According to a report last week by The Seattle Times, Nordstrom is now looking to attract 20- to 30-something women with remodeled “Savvy” clothing departments featuring lower priced clothing. Should…
Will Sears Succeed By Selling Faster Data Solutions to Others?
Sears Holdings has been promoting its technological advances for some time, and last April announced it had created a wholly owned subsidiary, MetaScale, to offer data management and analytics, which…
BrainTrust Query: How Can Retailers Raise Associates’ Conversion Rates?
Brick and mortars have one significant advantage over e-commerce players in turning browsers into buyers: the customers are actually standing there. A variety of retail sales training techniques can raise…
What Will the Goodreads Acquisition Mean for Amazon?
To many in the publishing world, leading readers to find their new books has become harder as the category has shifted to largely online purchases from the neighborhood bookstore. Last…
BrainTrust Query: From Mind Marketing to Behavior Marketing
What might advertising look like by 2020? In a nutshell, marketing will transform from being a battle for the mind to becoming a battle for behaviors. How should marketers be…
