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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Facebook the Sequel: Like, Want, Buy
Apparently drawing inspiration from Pinterest, Facebook is trialing a new “Want” button that would allow its users to add products to a virtual wish list. An accompanying “Buy” link creates…
BrainTrust Query: Should You Measure Customer Equity?
There are many specific measures employed to gauge business success. While these are certainly appropriate to be tracked, they do not give as accurate a picture of future success if…
FRBuyer: Wegmans – Shoppers Love It; Many Vendors Don’t
More than a few in the vendor community — both private label and branded — are not fond of Wegmans. They say that as an account, Wegmans is high-maintenance, too…
RSR Research: Getting Over the Cloud
A fundamental question should be asked when investing in IT solutions. What about your proprietary way of doing business is so important that you can’t modify your internal processes to…
Walmart Offers Free Heart and Spinal Surgery to Workers
It will be a new year come January and with it Walmart workers will have access to free heart and spine surgeries and transplants at six major medical centers around…
Giant Eagle Locks In Prices for the Holidays
Giant Eagle, the largest grocery chain in the Pittsburgh market, has launched its “Low Price Lock” campaign, first reducing and then promising to hold the prices on 300 plus items…
Consensus Advisors: Fields of Endeavor – Laura Ashley, Apple and the NFL
There are some brands that are hard to kill, even if you try. Cases in point include a well-regarded brand which had an odd sort of death wish, and the…
Amazon Primed to Take on Netflix
Amazon.com is serious about this online video stuff. The e-tailing giant has signed a number of deals with Hollywood studios and last month announced a multi-year deal to purchase streaming…
A Toy Shop Pops Up in Macy’s
Macy’s and Toys “R” Us announced yesterday that the two companies had reached a deal for the toy retailer to set up shops inside 24 of the department store’s most…
Amazon to Sell Advertising and Lower Prices
Amazon.com has been accused of profiting from an unfair advantage in the past due to sales tax collection issues and pricing compared with competing brick and mortar stores. Now the…
Walmart Testing Same-Day Delivery
Walmart appears intent on blunting any advantage that Amazon.com might gain from expanding its same-day delivery service by testing a similar option of its own. Will same-day delivery service on…
CPGmatters: New Focus on Seasonal Promotions Boosts Sales for Barilla America
By studying seasonal purchasing patterns with unprecedented focus and granularity, pasta giant Barilla has come up with ways to more effectively promote its pasta products throughout the year. What are…
BrainTrust Query: Retail’s ‘Nonzero’ Game Plan
A natural tension exists between cooperation and competition, particularly as digital media make large-scale content sharing possible, but not always comfortable, for zero-sum businesses. How will retailer-to-retailer partnerships change…
Best Buy Puts Geek Squad Services on eBay
Best Buy’s decision to test its Geek Squad services at 28 Target stores in the Denver area left some people scratching their heads. Now come reports that the Geek Squad…
Layaway Drives Early Sales of Christmas Toys
Retail stores, which have been the occasional scene of adults slugging it out over a given year’s hot toy, may find it more peaceful in the aisles this year as…
BrainTrust Query: Making the Case for Loyalty to Senior Management
For many companies, loyalty marketing is not high on the priority list. When it’s not, building a case for it may become quite a challenge for marketers. The result: low…
Study Finds Wide Benefit to Free Online Returns
A new university study recommends that free returns policies for online retailers may lead to some abuse but ultimately pays off handsomely in customer retention. Do you think retailers should…
Build-A-Bear Workshop Goes High-Tech
In its first overhaul since opening its first store in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop unveiled a new concept store in West County Center in St. Louis that combines hands-on bear-making experiences…
Target Goes All Hollywood to Sell Stuff
You might think that a film written and directed by “Madmen” alums would have a better than average chance of being good, unless you were watching the so-called “shoppable” film…
Showrooming: Big Deal or No Big Deal?
Based on much of the press coverage that showrooming has received, you might consider it just about the biggest competitive issue facing brick and mortar retailers today. You wouldn’t be…
PLBuyer: Nonfood Options Expanding in Grocery Private Label
As grocers look to expand their categories and tiers in nonfood private label products, they will seek their customers’ help to figure out which way to move forward. How does…
