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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Robo-pharmacies will transform how Walgreens operates its business
Walgreens continues to open automated pharmacies as it moves towards its goal of having 22 of the facilities in operation across the country by 2025. How will robo-pharmacies change the physical…
Will Columbia Sportswear benefit from a greater wholesale emphasis?
At its first Investor Day in its 84-year history, Columbia Sportswear announced plans to ”double down” on wholesale growth even as numerous other active lifestyle brands emphasize direct-to-consumer initiatives. Does…
Will AI elevate Google as a shopping search tool?
At its annual Search On event, Google unveiled a number of shopping tools employing Shopping Graph, Google‘s AI-enhanced model that now understands more than 35 billion product listings, up from…
Does Sephora need a same-day delivery subscription?
Sephora has launched a subscription program that allows shoppers to get unlimited same-day delivery in as little as two hours for $49 a year. Do you see enough consumer appeal…
Do Nike’s inventory woes foretell a bleak holiday season for apparel?
Nike said sales climbed 10 percent on a currency-neutral basis in the first quarter ended August 30 on strong demand but warned that aggressive markdowns required to clear apparel inventories…
McDonald’s Adult Happy Meal: For the Kid in All of Us
McDonald’s announced for the first time the release of a Happy Meal aimed at adults in a limited-edition collaboration with cult streetwear label, Cactus Plant Flea Market Box. And you…
Will most Americans spend Black Friday shopping on their phones?
Black Friday still draws large crowds to malls, shopping centers and stores, but a large percentage of Americans will spend the day opening apps and shopping from the comfort of…
Are younger generations less creeped out by online personalization?
A new survey finds many targeted ads and personalized emails make consumers feel “creepy,” but more so with Boomers than younger generations. What should marketers take away from evidence that…
Lululemon subscription plan offers fitness where, when and how its customers want it
Lululemon athletica on Wednesday unveiled an expansion of its Studio Mirror subscription plan that combines the company’s wall-mounted remote fitness technology with in-person experiences, early access to events and merchandise…
A bag ban is all part of the brand at Wegmans
No matter which Wegmans a customer is shopping at in the U.S., they will not find single-use plastic bags available at checkout. Does Wegmans’ chainwide ban on single-use plastic bags…
Will Amazon’s $1 billion payroll investment work to keep front lines staffed?
Amazon.com yesterday said it will invest $1 billion over the next year to raise the pay of frontline workers and that it was introducing a new perk that would give…
Are marketers shortchanging product placement’s reach?
Product placement is expected to see robust growth in coming years as audiences, particularly younger ones, ignore traditional advertising. Is product placement positioned to become a more frequent opportunity for…
Walmart enters the metaverse on Roblox
Walmart has moved to the metaverse. The retail giant on Monday launched two immersive experiences on the Roblox gaming platform, with Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play. Is Walmart…
Will Gently become the Kayak of secondhand apparel?
As secondhand retail draws more of a mainstream audience, the number of places online where a shopper can find gently used apparel is proliferating. Now a new startup aims to…
Is Ralph Lauren positioned to accelerate its growth?
At Ralph Lauren Corporation’s Investor Day, CEO Patrice Louvet claimed that a four-year transformation has elevated the brand’s status, product and go-to-market strategy to serve as a foundation for accelerated…
Is the customer really the most important thing in retail?
BrainTrust panelist Ron Margulis says, “Pardon my cynicism, but if I had a dollar every time I heard some variant of the phrase ‘the customer must be at the center…
Amazon is not letting Walmart and Target get a head start on Christmas
Amazon.com has joined the growing ranks of retail stores and sites running major sales promotions before Halloween in an effort to capture a greater share of the dollars that Americans…
What are the most important roles for IT to play in day-to-day marketing?
A new survey of more than 200 information technology and marketing decision-makers from the U.S. and Canada finds agreement that the IT team will become more intimately involved in day-to-day…
Can Instacart marry in-store and online grocery shopping experiences?
Instacart has unveiled Connected Stores, a bundle of six Instagram-linked technologies aiming to combine the convenience, speed and personalization of online grocery shopping with the inspiration and discovery that happens…
Is ‘productivity paranoia’ from remote working solvable?
In its report, Microsoft revealed that 85 percent of managers “have a hard time knowing for sure that their people are being productive” away from the office. The effect this “productivity…
Rivals take notice as ads account for five percent of Amazon’s retail revenues
A GroupM study estimates advertising accounts for five percent of Amazon.com’s revenues from commerce-related activity and rated that as a “reasonable target” for other retailers working to catch up. Is…
