RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
BrainTrust Query: Is Customer Lifetime Value a Waste of Time?
Retailers can measure performance based on customer lifetime value (CLV) which can be useful in certain situations, but in many organizations CLV becomes so complex that it is rarely successful…
Wal-Mart Tests Ship-to-FedEx Option
Wal-Mart Stores has achieved some success by giving consumers the option to order products online and then pick them up at one of its stores. But what happens when the…
CPGmatters: Collaboration Needed to Enhance Checkout Merchandising
According to a study by Dechert-Hampe & Co., 14.9 percent of shoppers buy an incremental item at the checkout, and 40 percent of all checkout purchases include multiple items such…
H-E-B Moving Closer to Big D
The leading grocer in its home market of San Antonio, H.E. Butt Grocery has done very well in the Houston market, as well. Now, the company is looking to North…
Wal-Mart Sees Big Growth Through Small Stores
Wal-Mart is reportedly scouting locations between 20,000 and 50,000 square-feet in markets across the country. Speculation has Wal-Mart opening more of its Neighborhood Market grocery formats along with its smaller…
Nike Latest to Be Bitten by Bedbugs
Niketown on East 57th Street in Manhattan became the latest New York City store to be infested with bedbugs. Store windows on Friday were covered with brown paper with the…
99¢ Only Starts Milk War in Dallas
Eight 99¢ Only stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are selling a gallon of milk for 90 cents for an indefinite time, reportedly in response to Aldi cutting its price…
Canadian Tire Centralizes Business Units
Canadian Tire has laid off some of its top management in a move to shift from its longtime structure of five “separate but interrelated businesses” toward a “one company” approach…
One For All, All For One Leads to More Profit
Toby Blackwell’s determination to ensure that the family’s name remains “above the door” has led the 81-year-old book retailer to devise plans for giving the business to his employees. What…
REI to Try Its Hand in the Big City
Parts of Manhattan may seem like a canyon surrounded by tall mountains, but there is little about maneuvering around the city that makes you think of the need for outdoor…
Is Gen Y Lost to Department Stores?
Department stores are not getting their fair share of Gen X and Y consumers and are taking steps to change that. Can department stores be relevant to Gen Y consumers…
OneStopPlus a OneStopShop for Plus Sizers
Success in retail comes down to understanding your consumer. That has been central to the mission of OneStopPlus.com, a division of Redcats US, which bills itself as the the world’s first…
Did Fashion Strike Out on Its Night Out?
A RetailWire poll in September of last year found that eighty percent thought the first ever Fashion’s Night was worth the effort. This year, the event was even bigger and…
Ambassadors on a Mission for Lululemon
While Lululemon Athletica eschews big-time celebrity endorsees, part of the yoga-themed retailer’s success is traced to its efforts to turn fitness instructors within each community into brand advocates. How much…
Retail Sales Surprise
The predictions were flying in the lead-up to yesterday’s announcement by the Commerce Department of August’s retail numbers. The gloom and doom express was going at full speed. Has all…
E-Commerce Sites Exploring Selling Ad Space
While Amazon.com is apparently testing running display advertisements on its website, Backcountry.com, a leading e-tailer of outdoor products, has formally launched a program offering advertising space available on its websites…
CSD: Shell Leaps Into Loyalty
In July, Shell Oil Products U.S. launched its Grocery Rewards program in alliance with Ahold and The Kroger Co. The oil giant feels the new program could be a “game…
Zappos and the Art of Profit Making
“Can life really be that great at work?” At Zappos the answer is apparently “yes.” Now, if you want the fun and rewards that come with the Zappos culture, you…
Marketing to Ridiculed Groups
Yuppies, metrosexuals, urban gangstas and hipsters regularly deny they are members of the often-mocked groups. They also deny being consumers of products associated with those groups — even though they…
Shopping Lists Spell End of Impulse Buying
Impulse shopping? Not so much. That’s the conclusion of new research by NPD Group, which finds that the overwhelming majority of consumers are going off to food stores with shopping…
Tailgate Grillers Go Gourmet
According to a survey by grill maker Weber, 22 percent of tailgaters consider themselves to be “gourmet” food grillers while 28 percent consider themselves “between a gourmet and a basics”…
