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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
BrainTrust Query: Seven Tips for Retailers to Avoid Holiday Burn Out
With all the demands of the holiday season, it’s easy for retail staff to throw up their hands and become Grinches. But that comfortable old “grinchy” feeling will cost a…
Sarah Palin Takes on Nutritional Advocacy Programs
Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has lately been ridiculing government-led healthy-eating initiatives as just another example of government’s reckless intrusion into Americans’ lives. What’s the likelihood that government-led anti-obesity…
Retail TouchPoints: J.C. Penney Extends E-Commerce Functionality with New Facebook Application
J.C. Penney announced last week that customers will be able to purchase items directly from its Facebook fan page, without having to click through to jcpenney.com. What’s the likelihood that…
Is Michael Vick Endorsement-Ready?
Over the years, we’ve had numerous discussions on celebrity endorsements and advertising on RetailWire, and most readers have felt that it’s not worth the risk. But here comes Michael Vick,…
Alice Takes Brands on Different Path
Fifty-six percent of respondents to a RetailWire poll in June 2009 said Alice.com, a website that enabled manufacturers to sell grocery non-foods staples directly to consumers, was somewhat or very…
Swapping Replacing Shopping
Americans are spending more than $21 billion a year on toys and games, with many of these items ending up stashed in storage once they’re outgrown. Recession-scarred families are looking…
Reaching the Holiday Procrastinators
With about one-third of holiday sales estimated to come in the final ten days before Christmas, retailers are pulling out all the stops to attract last-minute shoppers, mostly in the…
CPGmatters: Sampling Events Feature More Established Brands
Consumers view in-store sampling as a savings strategy that could help eliminate the risk of product trials and lessen food wastage at home. What do you think of the sampling…
Negotiating the Boundary Between Marketing and ‘Misleading Claims’
Manufacturers and retailers might best think twice about some of the health claims they make for food products as a result of the recent Federal Trade Commission settlement with the…
Home Depot Builds an Online Community
The social aspects of Home Depot’s customer service philosophy were tangible. An ambitious weekend DIY adventure became somehow within the reach of the average homeowner. When its “How-To Community” site…
Meet the Enemy: Price Comparison Apps
According to an article in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, the use of smartphones inside retail stores to comparison shop prices in cyberspace is growing and “threatening to upend the business…
BrainTrust Query: How to Create Brand-Led Shopping
When someone starts shopping, that is, when the desire to buy something awakens, it could happen in one of three ways: needs-led, shopping-led, or brand-led. How do marketers create brand-led…
BrainTrust Query: How Do You Like Your Internet – Insecure or Secure?
Online retailers have learned a lot about shoppers as they click around their online stores. And detailed monitoring of online activity is enabling more accurate targeted promotions than ever before…
Walmart Tones Down Holiday Toy War
Just as Santa Claus always came to town, Walmart’s deep discounts on toys regularly arrived to drive holiday traffic and drive out competitors. But apparently not this year. What do…
RSR Study: Retail IT Behind the Consumer Tech Curve
A new study from RSR Research finds that retail IT is not involved in retailers’ efforts to keep up with the latest in social or mobile innovations — and to…
A Chock Full O’ Nuts Diner Reopens in NYC
Nearly 30 years after the closing its last café in New York City, a Chock full o’ Nuts diner has reopened on 23rd Street. What do you think of Chock…
Best Buy Becomes Big Sell
Shares of Best Buy fell nearly 15 percent on Tuesday after the retailer reported an unexpected decline in third-quarter profit. How may Best Buy have to readjust its approach to…
Big Jump in Health Clinics at H-E-B
RediClinic, which currently operates 21 clinics inside H-E-B locations in Texas, announced plans to open another 20 inside the grocery chain’s stores. Does RediClinic’s expansion suggest the code has been…
Target Gets Personal with Associates
Big box retailers looking to open stores in urban neighborhoods often have considerations to take into account, one being employee welfare. Are there lessons for other chains from Target’s experience…
PL Buyer: Food Options for the Under-30 Hispanic
Reaching under-30 Hispanic-Americans shares one caveat with selling private label goods to Hispanics over 30 — lump them all into one demographic melting pot at your own risk. What are…
NJ Legislators Tackle Rebates
New Jersey may soon follow Connecticut and Rhode Island as a state that requires retailers to provide instant rebates to consumers rather than making them fill out paperwork to get…
