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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
BrainTrust Query: How Loyalty Programs Fit with Retail Outlets
Since the Great Recession, consumers have turned to outlets to shop the brands they love at prices they can afford, leading to the question of how loyalty programs should fit…
FRBuyer: PL Price Gaps Too Wide
Price gaps between private labels and national brands in the food category should naturally be determined at the item level, not by category or department. But it’s clear that in…
Thousands Call on Macy’s to Fire Trump
Donald Trump likes to talk and tweet — a lot. While Mr. Trump has the constitutionally protected right to say pretty much whatever he pleases, the issue from a marketing…
Walmart Can’t Wait for Black Friday to Begin
Ten p.m. must have been too late a start for Walmart last Thanksgiving. This year the retailer has decided that it will swing open its doors at eight o’clock in…
StorefrontBacktalk: Retail IT Lessons in the Path of Sandy
As Superstorm Sandy blew its devastating winds through much of the Eastern U.S., retailers had to deal with it just like everyone else. But few seemed to have anticipated the…
What’s So Different About Gen X’ers?
Though much has been written lately about Millennials and Baby Boomers, the results of a recent study on Gen X CPG/healthcare shopping habits, from SymphonyIRI’s MarketPulse my help fill in…
Braintrust Query: How Can Smart Marketers Win Over Today’s Tech-Empowered Shoppers?
The economy’s crash in 2008 led to massive changes in shopper attitudes, but research shows that the economic recovery has not caused a return to old attitudes and habits. How…
Study Finds Candy Retailers Avoiding Price Competition
Using the candy category as a reference, a university study recently concluded that food specialty stores do not have to compete with supermarket prices to increase sales. Are confectionery stores…
Walgreens Launches Bi-Annual Healthy Living Magazine
Walgreens announced the launch of “Happy And Healthy, Your Guide To Living Well With Walgreens,” a bi-annual magazine focusing on healthy living tips, relevant offers and Balance Rewards loyalty program…
Giant Eagle Eyes a Better Limited-Grocer Mousetrap
Limited-assortment grocers appear to be competing favorably against traditional supermarkets. But Giant Eagle believes its new concept — Good Cents Grocery + More — also competes well against similar limited-assortment…
BrainTrust Query: Enter Perka, Exit Punch Cards
For a generation, local merchants have been limited to using newspaper ads, coupon mailers and punch cards to attract and retain customers with innovations in payments and loyalty being targeted…
Missed Opportunities in the African American Market
Nielsen’s September 2012 analysis of African American consumer buying habits and trends highlights consumer opportunities for businesses. It also points out possible shortcomings on the part of marketers. How important…
Paper is Out as Retailers Opt for E-Receipts
If Apple is doing it then it must be good. The “it” in this case is the use of paperless receipts. Today, a wide variety of retailers are offering e-receipts…
Staples Becoming Amazon’s Locker Room
Forget about becoming Amazon.com’s showroom. Staples will soon become the e-tail giant’s locker room. According to Reuters, Staples has agreed to place Amazon lockers in all its stores across the…
PLBuyer: U.S. Private Label Forecast Revised Higher
A new report from Rabobank International predicts that U.S. private label share will reach at least 25 percent to 30 percent by 2025, and could be as high as 33…
RSR Research: Hiring a Customer-Focused Exec is Slow Going
It’s no surprise that the marketing executive has about as much cachet as the IT executive in your typical retail enterprise. But the world has changed and a lot of…
Selling Coffee in Plain English
What the Los Angeles Times dubbed “coffee confusion” is being deconstructed by British department store chain Debenhams. Following a survey, the store has rewritten its menu in plain English. Would…
PayPal Gets Into Price Matching Act
We’ve seen retailers step up to offer consumers the assurance that they will match legitimate prices from competitors heading into the holiday season. Now comes word that a non-retailer, PayPal,…
Can Sam’s Club Overtake Costco?
There will be skeptics, but Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Sam’s Club, since January, believes the company has a chance to catch up to Costco — or at least make it…
Selling to the Millennial Tribe
Even though your store has that certain look and feel and you have the right merchandise with an excellent open-to-buy program, Millennials have now made your job even harder. How…
Win or Lose in a Retail Minute
It doesn’t take long for a relationship between a consumer and a retailer to go from good to bad or bad to worse. That’s the finding of recent research measuring…
