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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Happiness Is … Bringing Your Own Computer Devices to Work
Online business community Entrepreneur Country claims “it’s surprising how something apparently as simple as allowing staff to bring their own computer devices (BYOD) to use at work can boost employee…
CPGmatters: ‘Brand Unity’ Brings Together Pepsi and Kroger for Creative Promotions
What NASCAR fan would not want to design Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s race car? That’s the grand prize in a new digital promotion co-sponsored by Pepsi’s Diet Mountain Dew and Kroger…
BrainTrust Query: Will Amazon’s Showroom Become Amazon Showrooms?
There’s been speculation on whether Amazon will open its own stores. And, as the logic goes, in order to avoid all the physical store overhead — and to take full…
Tag Department Stores RFID Ready
The recent announcement that J.C. Penney is planning to go to mobile checkouts by the end of next year is just the latest sign that radio frequency identification (RFID) technology…
Walmart: Renewable Energy Good for the Bottom Line
Walmart, like many other retailers that have invested in renewable energy technologies to provide electricity to stores, has always maintained that financial concerns have driven its decisions. Is the use…
Facebook’s Small Mobile Challenge
Facebook has a small problem that’s looming large. With social increasingly going mobile, smartphone screens are just too tiny to pack much advertising. How should Facebook explore monetizing its mobile…
Indie Shops Get Creative to Stand Out
Being small pretty much demands being different if you want to stand out, and independent clothing retailers are finding ways to do just that. Are small shops, by their nature,…
Costco 3D: The Rise of the In-Store Network
The announcement that Costco has reached agreement with Premier Retail Networks (PRN) to expand its in-store digital network to include a dedicated 3D content channel is big news, but also…
Grocery Brands Go Artisanal in NYC Yogurt Bars
Two yogurt giants recently opened their first retail stores, both in New York City, featuring fresh rather than frozen yogurt — albeit with different approaches. Do you see Chobani’s…
Amazon Faces Bright (Dark?) Future
A recent blog by Forrester’s Brian Walker discussed several scenarios whereby Amazon could face challenges that could result in a bleak, even fatal future for the company founded by Jeff…
Study: Mobile Shoppers Research, Buy, Evangelize
New research shows that consumers who shop with mobile devices in addition to using other channels not only spend more, but they are less price sensitive than others who do…
Herkert Out as Supervalu Chief, Former Canadian Tire CEO In
When Craig Herkert arrived as CEO of Supervalu in 2009, he pledged to cut costs. Ultimately, however, the former Walmart exec failed. Now in comes another CEO, Supervalu chairman Wayne…
BrainTrust Query: Multitasking On the Retail Sales Floor
It takes a lot for customers to get in a car and visit a brick & mortar store only to be given the cold shoulder because and employee could only…
Affordable Care Act to Boost Retail Clinic Business
For all the complaints concerning the Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamney Care), it is clear that the addition of up to 30 million new people to the rolls of the…
Whole Foods Hits it Off with Millennials
Despite high price concerns often cited in purchasing behavior for the demographic, Whole Foods Market last week said the company is gaining market share against other supermarkets partly because it…
BrainTrust Query: Inspiration Point (of Sale) – Tumblr’s Retail Trajectory
What if someone figured out a way to layer retail onto an existing inspiration hub? Digital agency Coexist Digital is doing just that with its recently-launched Tumblr Commerce platform for…
Outlet Stores to Give Full Price Retailers the Bronx Cheer
A retail estate developer reportedly plans to build the first factory outlet mall in the Bronx, also marking the first such retail complex in New York City. What are the…
FDBuyer: Wanted – Candor & Trust
Consumer insights, logistics efficiencies and pricing are all critical trade relation issues. But what both retailers and manufacturers seem to thirst for the most is candor and trust. How…
Grocery Store Launches ‘Men’s Isle’ to Drive Sales
In recent years, it has been posited that men’s “fear of the feminine” has gotten in the way of some guys shopping for personal care items in grocery stores and…
RadioShack: Relevant or Not
Back in August 2009 RadioShack rightfully came to the conclusion that it needed to do a better job of relating to modern consumers. Nearly three years later, it’s safe to…
Loyalty Lessons for Retailers from the Casino Floor
At last week’s Shopper Insights in Action conference run by IIR USA, Jeffrey Boorjian, VP marketing for Caesars Entertainment, gave a presentation entitled “De-Mystifying the Allure of Casino Floor Merchandising”…
