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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Giant Eagle Shopkick Program Tied to Purchases
Giant Eagle became the first supermarket chain to sign on with Shopkick, the largest location-based shopping app, with a major difference; points are rewarded only upon purchase of specified products…
Walmart Reduces Health Care Coverage
Rising health care costs are taking a toll on Walmart and its workers as the nation’s largest private employer is scaling back health care coverage. How important are health insurance…
MarketingCharts: SocNet Crowdsourcing Has Mixed Results
While brands performing crowdsourcing via social networks have experienced positive results, the practice can also backfire, according to a new report from WaveMetrix. What do you think of the potential…
U.K. Consumers Add Legal Advice to Shopping Lists
In a world where the costs of legal services are perceived as being beyond the means of all but the richest, Britain’s new rules permitting lawyers to practice in retail…
Store of the Living Dead
Zombies, we’ve been told recently, are this year’s vampires. “The Walking Dead” on AMC as well as a whole host of video games are helping to drive the zombie popularity…
Retail Customer Experience: Paypal’s NYC Pop-Up Store Could be a Smart Strategy
PayPal recently confirmed reports that it will open a pop-up store in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood, intended to showcase PayPal’s new in-store payment products so merchants can see them…
Free Shipping, Free Returns, Free Necklaces for Holidays
Retailers, both bricks and clicks, are planning to dig deep this holiday season to make sales, even if it comes at the expense of profits. Free shipping, free returns…what else…
Nordstrom Doesn’t Do Christmas Early or Does It?
One retailer that has held out against an early start has been Nordstrom, which has maintained that stores won’t get dressed up for Christmas until Black Friday. At least that’s…
Consumers Can Take Google’s Wallet to Stores
Google announced on Monday that its Wallet tap and pay system is now being accepted at several stores. With Google Wallet, consumers can walk into stores and simply tap their…
CSD: Putting the Community to Work
VERC Enterprises has reached a new milestone by including challenged/disabled individuals as 20 percent of its employees and is now setting its sights on helping former non-violent prisoners get a…
Penney to Appeal to Shoppers’ Impulsive Natures
J.C. Penney is hoping that shoppers get all “WRAPT” up in its new store-within-a-store concept, announcing earlier this month that it was rolling out its WRAPT holiday gift shops at…
BrainTrust Query: Where Is The Localized Advertising?
RSR just recently completed an analysis of several retailers’ localized advertising capabilities and found two schools of retailers among those evaluated: one set has taken a broad-brush approach to all…
Clothing Hangers Go Interactive to Up-Sell Shoppers
So here’s the deal: you enter a clothing store and begin looking through the racks. You find a sweater you like and lift the hanger off the hook for a…
McD TV Readies for Prime Time Debut
In recent years, RetailWire has reported on in-store television networks and the general response to their value has been lukewarm. Now the Los Angeles Times reports that McDonald’s is launching…
BrainTrust Query: Non-Retail Change Agents
During his OpenWorld presentation in early October, BrainTrust Panelist David Dorf pointed out four men and their associated mega-companies have had a huge effect on the retail industry without being…
Location-based Mobile Coupons Slowly Gaining Adoption
A new survey shows mobile device users are increasingly open to receiving locally-based coupons, but many are still getting comfortable in how they receive them. In what ways should and…
Walmart Closing Down Marketside Test
Walmart is shelving the Marketside concept in favor of its new Express small store format. The company has opened five of the Express units with plans to have another 11…
BrainTrust Query: Facts or Gut Instincts? What Makes for Better Marketing Decision-Making?
Two of the hats in Edward de Bono’s book, Six Thinking Hats, are: Information: (White) – considering purely what information is available, what are the facts? Emotions (Red) – instinctive…
Gap to Shutter 21 Percent of Its Stores
If you can’t beat ’em, close some stores. Gap Inc. announced it plans to shrink its North American store base. The company had announced several years ago that it was…
Brandwashed at Whole Foods
Martin Lindstrom’s new book, Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy, explores in part how supermarkets persuade consumers to spend more than they intend…
FD Buyer: When is ‘The Right Time’ to Expand or Pull Back Private Label in a Category?
One of the toughest things to know is when you need to expand your store brand within a category. It’s just as tough — perhaps even tougher — to know…
