PROFILE
Cathy Hotka
Principal, Cathy Hotka & AssociatesCathy Hotka has personal relationships with most of North America’s most influential retail technology leaders. Cathy Hotka & Associates is a different kind of retail IT marketing firm, leveraging close relationships with CIOs to assist technology companies, and working with retail CIOs to create thought leadership materials. The company was founded in 2002 and enjoys working relationships with many Tier 1 retailers and vendors.
Prior to creating the firm, Hotka created the CIO Council for the National Retail Federation, and staffed the American Petroleum Institute’s IT Council. She has worked on Capitol Hill and the White House, and has been recognized by Computerworld, CIO, Executive Technology, and the Wharton School of Business.
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- Posted on: 03/30/2020
Crocs, Walmart, Unilever and others have stepped up during the coronavirus outbreak
These acts of kindness are much-needed, but are also a strong indication to consumers that these companies are good corporate citizens. Consumers will remember this now and into the future -- now let's all head to Sweetgreen! - Posted on: 03/27/2020
The coronavirus outbreak has shifted the online competitive landscape
I'm with Paula. The retailers getting the most attention these days are pure-plays, or retailers doing good for the community. Ultimately, though, I'm afraid that the U.S. government's Lord-of-the-Flies approach toward hospitals will dampen consumer confidence and prolong the recession we're probably in. - Posted on: 03/26/2020
Joann Stores and Neiman Marcus sew hope for healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus
Bravo! - Posted on: 03/26/2020
Should retail associates be treated like frontline health responders?
This is literally a matter of life and death. If people are to buy food, medicine, and other vital supplies, there have to be frontline employees to sell it to them. We need to protect them in any way we can. And let's face it -- if a customer can't treat a store associate with dignity and respect, they should be detained by loss prevention and inconvenienced, at the very least. - Posted on: 03/24/2020
The coronavirus will accelerate retail’s ‘collapse of the middle’
The great recession of 2007 changed the retail landscape, and this pandemic will further change things. Customers who are sheltering in place don't need a new pair of $800 shoes or a pricey new handbag. This would be a good time to buy stock in discount stores. - Posted on: 03/23/2020
Costco is refusing returns on hoarded items
Good for Costco! Customers shouldn't be allowed to empty the store, cheating others out of accessing these products, then return them when the crisis subsides. We're all in this together; let's act like it. - Posted on: 03/20/2020
How can indie restaurants survive the coronavirus?
Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio expects that 75 percent of restaurants will close as a result of COVID-19. It's unlikely that the government will choose to rustle up the money to save independents. It's very sad, but I fear we're looking at a decade's worth of damage to the economy. I hope I'm wrong. - Posted on: 03/18/2020
Michigan AG accuses Menard’s of price gouging
Perception is reality... - Posted on: 03/16/2020
Which retailers are less vulnerable to the coronavirus and whatever comes next?
Look for a sharp uptick in home delivery of almost everything -- prepared food, groceries, and goods of all kinds. Right now we're at the "concerned" stage, but when emergency rooms start filling up and people are waiting in lines in parking lots to be tested, expect new businesses to spring up overnight to supply American households through delivery. - Posted on: 03/13/2020
Publix gets more personal with its new, free club membership
I'm not sure that Club Publix is needed, given the fact that shopping there is already delightful. I'd love to see an examination of its onboarding and training process; employees seem genuinely committed to delivering the best service in the industry. - Posted on: 03/11/2020
Are online sales metrics irrelevant for brick and click retailers?
I'm with Mr. Belitsky of Dick's. Retailers should watch sales carefully, but attempting to give credit to one channel or another is increasingly arbitrary, particularly as stores take over a lot of order fulfillment. - Posted on: 03/10/2020
What’s blocking gender pay equity?
We've been hearing this for decades. To borrow a phrase from Nike, JUST DO IT. - Posted on: 03/09/2020
Can retailers ensure stores are coronavirus-safe?
Southwest Airlines has sent a similar email. All retailers can do is step up cleaning efforts and reassure customers that they understand the situation. This will be with us for a while. - Posted on: 03/06/2020
Instacart just leaves deliveries at the door as customers hole up against the coronavirus
Oh, come on. People just seem to love hysteria. Four months after the World Trade Center attacks an Iowa newspaper ran a huge headline that said "9/11: The Day That Forever Changed Iowa." We'll probably see this kind of overreaction for months. - Posted on: 03/05/2020
Will Rent the Runway get hit by the coronavirus?
What Bob said.
