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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Do Twitter users want to hear and tweet about product drops?
Twitter recently launched a new feature, Product Drops, that allows online merchants to tease their upcoming product launches. Will “Product Drops” offer Twitter a path to become more of a…
Should analytics drive category planning?
Recent studies indicate artificial intelligence has not yet delivered the promised time and labor savings benefits to the space and assortment optimization process. Are merchants still relying too much on…
Will country star Miranda Lambert raise Walmart’s profit margins?
Walmart earlier this week debuted its latest home collection with Miranda Lambert, the reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year and three-time Grammy winner. What is your assessment…
Instacart has a family plan to build shopping carts
Instacart Express is out and Instacart+ is in. The retail delivery service has renamed its subscription plan and expanded its emphasis from a single person in a household to the…
Are consumers going to take a vacation from buying things?
While inflation is causing customers to trade down and look for deals when they are at home, they are still spending money to go on vacation — keeping people employed…
Should Starbucks end its open bathroom policy?
Starbucks may end its open bathroom policy as the challenges its stores face dealing with the mental health crisis now outweigh the risks of racial bias. Should Starbucks shift from…
Retailers applaud as Ocean Shipping Reform Act sails through Congress
Congress approved legislation that retailers believe will help reign in ocean carriers who have used the coronavirus pandemic as a rationale to jack up rates to transport goods to the…
Has online grocery shopping hit its sales ceiling?
A new report found 54.3 percent of U.S. adults had purchased groceries online in the past 12 months, well above the 36.9 percent doing so in the pre-pandemic 2019 year…
Is Walmart about to launch a new British invasion?
Walmart is looking to bring goods from U.K. exporters to consumers in the U.S. The retailer has begun what it calls “a major push” to bring these sellers to its…
Retailers produce rainbows, rain-fauxs and rain-foes with Pride month efforts
Social holidays have increasingly become a revenue stream for many retailers, capitalized on with branded merchandise. These assortments and corporate stances have not been without controversy. What impact do you…
Should retailers charge for curbside pickup?
Sam’s Club will start charging most members a $4 curbside-pickup fee after June 28. Free curbside pickup was traditionally reserved for Plus members, but the fee was waived “for a…
Food prices are going up, up, up. Inflation is tough, tough, tough.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported that food-at-home prices rose 11.9 percent over the last 12 months, the largest increase since April 1979. What’s the obvious and less…
Is H&M smart to give mirror tech another try?
H&M Group has been testing the use of smart mirrors in fitting rooms and on the sales floor at its COS Beverly Hills store and now plans to extend the…
Will AR try-on sneaker tech put Amazon a step ahead of its rivals?
Amazon Fashion yesterday introduced its Virtual Try-On for Shoes, which uses augmented reality technology to help customers visualize how they will look in footwear from a variety of angles. Do…
Could better technology have averted the supply chain crisis?
According to PwC’s 2022 Digital Trends in Supply Chain Survey, 80 percent of operations and information technology leaders surveyed say technology investments have failed to fully deliver expected results. Which…
New PetSmart program is all about helping vets help pets
PetSmart has launched PetSmart Veterinary Services (PVS) to help veterinarians open their own practices within the walls of the chain’s stores. Will the franchise model help PetSmart scale its veterinary…
Is Franchise Group’s plan for Kohl’s a retail disaster in the making?
Franchise Group’s plan to acquire Kohl’s is similar to previous deals in retail that saw companies such as Mervyn’s, Shopko and Toys”R”Us saddled with debt and selling off assets before…
Should retail leases include clauses covering future shutdowns?
Retailers are trying to negotiate terms like rent abatement or rent deferral in case of a new forced closure, according to a new report. How important is it that retailers…
Walmart shifts truck pilots into gear as a start to meeting its zero emissions goal
Walmart is launching trucking pilot projects to test the use of electric, liquid hydrogen and natural gas-powered vehicles as a partial start to meeting its 2040 corporate zero emissions goal…
Is an urban retail recovery underway?
“It’s slow progress, but retailers’ interest in urban corridors is returning and deal volume is inching up, while shoppers, workers, travelers and diners return to city life,” according to a…
Should retailers prepare to serve customers in ‘post-car’ suburbs?
Tempe, AZ, is putting the finishing touches on a planned car-free community built to let its 1,000 inhabitants live — and shop — without owning cars. Should retailers plan on revamping…
