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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
BrainTrust Query: Creating Success During the Holiday Lull
The next couple of weeks can be approached in two different ways: wait for success or create it. The slower periods offer incredible opportunities; in fact, these slower times should…
Kroger Overcomes Inflation Pressures – For Now
While its overall third-quarter earnings released last week were down only slightly due to an inventory charge, Kroger Co. managed to beat Wall Street’s expectations. Even so, company officials admitted…
BrainTrust Query: Retailers Should Be Fast ‘AND’ Data-Driven
A common refrain from senior leaders is that in today’s chaotic environment, there’s not enough time for structured decision-making; executives often settle for “we can be fast or data-driven …
Penney: Later Opening Cost Black Friday Sales
J.C. Penney is blaming its decision to open later than some competitors on Black Friday as a factor in the chain’s same-store sales decline in November. Do you think stores…
Chains Look for Bigger Cut of Christmas Tree Market
While a relatively small percentage of fresh-cut trees are being ordered online, the number is growing and large chains including Costco, Kmart, Sears and Target, are looking to grab a…
What is the Secret to Victoria’s Success?
Victoria’s Secret has it. What that is, we’re not completely sure, but evidence of the brand’s appeal Tuesday evening was clear as the resident college-age female watched the annual fashion…
BrainTrust Query: Listening to Your Customers in an Always-on, Always-Connected World
In an always-on, always-connected world, it is becoming a nasty little habit for many business people to buy into the notion that we have to be everywhere, communicate in every…
Horse: The Other Red Meat
Horse could potentially be on the menu for humans in this country as a five-year ban on inspecting the meat was lifted with a new spending bill signed on Nov…
Lululemon Shrugs Off Ayn Rand Criticism
Retailers engaged in political matters can run into trouble when they are seen as supporting positions that run contrary to the views held by large numbers of customers. Lululemon Athletica…
Patagonia Goes Anti-Cyber Monday to Drive Sales
The results are in and Cyber Monday was the biggest day in e-tail history, according to comScore. But Patagonia wanted no part of it. The sportswear outdoor apparel manufacturer and…
Is Retail Design Tone Deaf?
Sound levels in busy restaurants and shopping malls can be as high as 70-110 decibels, the equivalent of a busy construction site. And it is a vicious upward spiral of…
Consumers Keep Up Spending Spree on Cyber Monday
Sixty percent of employers may have taken steps to actively prevent workers from placing orders on websites yesterday, but that did little to prevent a record-setting Cyber Monday for online…
Retailers Need to Protect and Serve Black Friday Shoppers
It’s a fact of American retailing. Bad things happen in and around (some) stores on Black Friday. It’s really not a surprise when you consider conditions. Are retailers responsible in…
BrainTrust Query: So You Are a CEO – Now What?
Corporate employees making the transition to being self-employed will often take great pride in referring to themselves as the “CEO” of a business. But the reality of the role is…
Black Friday Weekend Shatters Sales Records
Apparently, all the early hours, freebies and hyped promotions offset any consumer concerns about the economy this past weekend. According to a National Retail Federation survey over the weekend, traffic…
Mobile Moves Black Friday Sales Upward
Consumers went mobile on Black Friday, using devices to research and buy items, according to the IBM Coremetrics Benchmark Report Black Friday 2011. How do you see mobile transforming shopping…
Holiday Spots Pull at Heart Strings to Loosen Purse Strings
It’s not all about Black Friday in the U.K., mainly because few outside the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving, but Christmas ads get going in earnest by mid-November. Current U.K. talk is…
Some Customers Should Be Shown the Door
Occasionally in life you run across people who apparently believe that it is not only their right but responsibility to say whatever comes into their heads — no matter how…
FD Buyer: Your Shopper Isn’t a Zip Code
For decades, the consumer industry has relied upon demographics, consumer segmentation models or focus groups to understand shopper motivation and make decisions at retail. But today, data-driven shopper insights let…
BrainTrust Query: Can’t The IT Department Do My Customer Analysis?
One of the most common solutions suggested for customer analysis is to let the internal IT department do the work. The truth is that the IT department is not cheap,…
Retailers Called Out for Great/Not So Great Service
Two separate announcements call out retailers for customer service. While the NRF announcement focuses solely on retailers given high marks for excellent service, the Consumer Reports announcement identifies retailers with…
