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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Groupon States Its Case
In an unusual letter to potential stockholders in its IPO filing, Andrew Mason, Groupon’s chief executive officer, listed five “long-term focused principles” that have guided and will continue to guide…
‘His’ and ‘Her’ Grocery Aisles
With men doing more of the food shopping, male-only supermarket shopping aisles that focus on gender-specific products rather than merchandise by category could encourage men to browse longer, trial new…
Sam’s Has a Grocery Plan
According to a Reuters report, Sam’s used Nielsen Homescan data to determine one of its two major club competitors had captured 20 percent of its members’ grocery purchases. Acting on…
Publix Publicly Accepts Competitors’ Coupons
Publix last week formally introduced a new coupon policy that calls for accepting nearby competitor coupons. The Southern supermarket chain had reportedly been quietly accepting coupons for years but the…
Retail-ize It
The drug war has been waged and the good guys have gotten their butts kicked. That’s the conclusion of a new report issued by the Global Commission on Drug Policy…
Retail TouchPoints: A Debate on the Pros and Cons of Investing in Facebook Commerce
A recent webinar presented by PowerReviews concluded that the success of Facebook as a commerce channel is overshadowed by traditional web sites. The findings come as some industry insiders remain…
Consumers Produce Haul-ful Videos
Teens and young adults across America are going online to show off their latest purchases in “haul videos.” Nearly 300,000 such videos currently reside on YouTube, according to an ABC…
In-N-Out Burger Lands in Texas
In-N-Out Burger, the Southern California institution, opened its first stores in Texas to long lines, media hysteria and a few murmurings over what the fuss was all about. Does In-N-Out…
‘Made in America’ a Competitive Advantage
Research by Boston Consulting Group projects a growing number of American manufacturers moving operations back to the U.S. from China as wages and other factors make it more expensive to…
Debenhams Plans American Expansion Inside Sears
First, this is not a Sears story even though the company is involved. It’s a story about a British department store chain looking for a way to enter the U.S…
High-End Groceries Sold in a Flash
Gilt Groupe, the flash sale operator launched in 2007, has introduced a new site which includes, for the first time, editorial in a magazine-style format. Do you think the “magazine”…
The Sky is Not Falling
The sky is not falling after all. This startling epiphany came to BrainTrust Panelist Warren Thayer after sitting through a series of presentations as speakers held forth, convincingly, on the…
What’s in Google’s Wallet?
Google introduced Google Wallet, a contactless near field communication (NFC) based cell phone payment platform, to much fanfare last week. Is the Google Wallet a good model for contactless payment…
Amazon Venturing Deeper into Publishers’ Territory
When it debuted two years ago this month, Amazon’s Encore “flagship imprint” undoubtedly raised some eyebrows among traditional publishers. Amazon has forever altered book retailing but publishers felt safe from…
BrainTrust Query: What Oprah Can Teach Us About Loyalty
On May 25, after more than 4,500 episodes and some 30,000 guests, The Oprah Winfrey Show came to an end. The fan loyalty Oprah has cultivated over the years is…
Tesco Still Fighting Uphill Battle in U.S.
Tesco’s Fresh & Easy keeps pushing along in the U.S. as the chain recently announced plans to open its first two stores in San Francisco. Are the changes made by…
SCDigest: Will Rising Wages in China Significantly Change Outsourcing Economics?
In a recent interview, William Fung, CEO of trading giant Li & Fung, predicted China’s wages will increase an amazing 80 percent over the next five years, significantly changing the…
BrainTrust Query: How to Build Relevance Into Your Media Plans
Relevance marketing is about finding a person who is in a need state for a given offer and delivering messages (push) or making your brand easily available (pull) at exactly…
Retailer Videos Find Audience on YouTube
Online video is a big deal and becoming bigger based on the latest from YouTube. The website, celebrating six years online this month, reported the number of daily views it…
Winn-Dixie V. Dollar General in Different Type of Grocery Fight
It’s common practice for retailers to structure real estate deals to keep competitors from opening a store in the same shopping center, even letting spaces stay empty after they’ve closed…
CPGmatters: How to Tackle Trade Spending
Today’s reality has brand marketers at all stages of trade promotion sophistication, spanning from the least invested to the most progressive. What are some best practices for vendors in managing…
