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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
PLBuyer: Should Stores Showcase PL More?
Consumers have a lot of choices when it comes to brands, so what can you do as a retailer to make them see that your private label brand is the…
Receipt Checking No Longer Required at Best Buy
Best Buy has reassigned 2,000 security personal at the front of the store to the sales floor. The move was designed to better help, better welcome or stop annoying shoppers…
Episode III: Toys ‘R’ Us Strikes Back
In a keynote address at the Shop.org summit in Denver this week, Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys “R” Us, passionately debunked the “myths” that the internet is causing…
Piperlime Gets Physical With First Store
For well over a decade, chains have built a knowledge base on how to successfully extend a retail brand to the online world, but what do you do when you’re…
Protecting Integrity If Not Arteries
Rumor had it that Scottish fish shop owner, Lorraine Watson, who began deep frying Mars bars some twenty years ago was applying for Protected Designation of Origin. Mars lawyers demanded…
BrainTrust Query: Oh SoLoMo!
Social. Local. Mobile. The term “SoLoMo,” is mash-up that addresses how shoppers are interacting with brands on all three levels simultaneously. How should retailers and brands position themselves to capitalize…
U.K. Survey: Grocery Promotions Confusing and Gimmicky
According to the findings of a recent U.K. consumer survey, a flood of different promotions is only confusing and frustrating many shoppers. Do you believe shoppers in the U.S. are…
Employee Reviews Gone Wild
While a few business magazines and periodicals provide lists of some of the best companies to work for, job websites such as glassdoor.com are taking such reviews to a more…
Toys ‘R’ Us to Launch $150 Kids Tablet
Taking exclusivity to another level, Toys “R” Us on Monday announced plans to launch its own proprietary tablet designed for children, the Tabeo. To what degree are exclusives an antidote…
Kroger Loses Some Wait
While citing its focus on value and its loyalty program for delivering 35 consecutive quarters of positive identical supermarket sales, Kroger officials also pointed to its success in reducing checkout…
E-Collaboration Among Indies Aims to Fight Big Chains
For independent retailers without the means to conduct e-commerce competitively, being able to offer seamless online shopping and delivery could be deemed Utopian. Does aggregating local independent shops in a…
Is Grocery Delivery/Pick-Up Finally Ready for Prime Time?
Grocery delivery has been a “big idea” for years whose time just never seems to come. With a few new twists and wrinkles, it’s possible that is about to change…
Walmart.com’s Improved Search Engine Powered by ‘Social Genome’
On August 30th, Walmart.com rolled out an enhanced “semantic” search engine, named Polaris, for both its e-commerce and m-commerce channels. Will the resources of @WalmartLabs and its Social Genome give…
Layaway Turf War Breaks Out
On Friday, Kmart joined Toys ‘R’ Us and Walmart in heralding an ever-more competitive layaway program. The company announced it is waiving the fees that shoppers pay to open its…
BrainTrust Query: How Loyal Are Your Loyal Buyers, Really?
Studies show that the brand bought most often by a given shopper is still only bought about two-thirds of the time. Worse, these loyal customers aren’t automatically retained. Do marketers…
StorefrontBacktalk: Federal Appeals Court Green-Lights Tracking Shoppers
Retailers wrestling with how far they can legally go with tracking shoppers’ movements within their stores and in neighborhoods near their stores have been given an unexpected green light from…
Study: Organic Food No Healthier Than Conventional Food
Despite higher prices, organic foods haven’t proven to be any more nutritious than more conventional foods, according to a new study from Stanford University. Are reducing the risks of pesticides…
Retail TouchPoints: Making ‘Socialytics’ an Integral Part of Retail Operations
IDC Retail Insights’ 2012 U.S. Social Media Trends by Vertical study found that retailers are increasingly leveraging social media analytics, or “socialytics,” a term coined by IDC. In what areas…
The Price of Being Outspoken
While retail execs appear to periodically draw the ire of activists for funding certain political or religious causes, few have been as outspoken recently as Jim Sinegal, Costco’s co-founder and…
RSR Research: The Future of Merchandise Planning – Incorporating Customer Segments
BrainTrust panelist Paula Rosenblum was among the first IT execs in the U.S. to successfully implement a merchandise planning system. At that time it was pretty straightforward, but that’s changing…
Study: Mobile Ad Spending Way Too Low
According to a study commissioned by Mobile Marketing Association, the optimal level of spend on mobile advertising for U.S. marketers should be, on average, seven percent, and increase to at…
