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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Can Forever 21 come back from bankruptcy?
It’s official. After months of rumors, Forever 21 has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced plans to close up to 350 stores worldwide. The retailer also announced that…
Will new ‘stores of the future’ produce results for retailers in the here and now?
Although “stores of the future” have become increasingly popular, many of them germinate from internal store proof-of-concept labs. The challenge, however, is that they are not real stores. What is…
Will consumers go for Kroger’s food hall concept?
Kroger, the second-largest grocer in the U.S., has opened its first food hall inside a new store in downtown Cincinnati near its headquarters. Are food halls a natural complement to…
Is Rent the Runway over-promising on deliveries?
Rent the Runway on Friday announced it would not accept new subscriptions or new special-occasion clothing rentals that need to be delivered before Oct. 15 as it works through supply…
“Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s”
McDonald’s last week began enabling job seekers to start an application by using voice commands with Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant. Do you see voice assistants emerging as a major…
Amazon wants to take the lead on regulating facial recognition tech
In unveiling its new hardware devices in Seattle on Wednesday, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos made a surprise appearance and told reporters the company is working on facial recognition legislation that…
Why do IT service outages keep happening at retail?
Earlier this week it was reported that Target’s checkouts, website and mobile app went down as a result of a technical glitch. It was the third such outage for the…
How can retailers scare up more Halloween sales using social media?
The National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween Shopping Trends survey shows that Americans are ready to get creative for this year’s holiday, and many will turn to social media for inspiration…
Can grocery shopping make people less lonely?
Social isolation is a public health problem that has grown to epidemic levels in the U.S. and globally. A recent in-store initiative by a grocery store in The Netherlands seeks…
Will selling online be the start of something big or bad for Marshalls?
Marshalls has done quite well in recent years without selling a single piece of merchandise online. That strategy, however, has changed with the launch this week of the off-price retailer’s…
Amazon tests program to take better care of employees’ health
Amazon.com has introduced Amazon Care, a new medical service for employees in the area around its Seattle headquarters that are enrolled in one of the company’s health insurance plans. Where…
What makes consumers grumble most about returning online orders?
According to a global survey from Narvar, the three top complaints around online returns are having to pay for shipping, lack of communication regarding return status and not knowing when…
Retailers must turn stores into ‘anything engines’
Stores exist in a three-dimensional space, but they are one-dimensional in function. Now, consider Amazon: It not only sells whatever it wants, it does whatever it wants. Amazon is more…
Are smart carts a smarter way to ‘Just Walk Out’?
A new startup is aiming to fix some of the pain points of Just Walk Out checkout technology by thinking smaller. Does technology like Veeve address enough of the concerns…
What will Apple’s reinvented Fifth Avenue flagship mean for the brand?
Apple on Friday reopened its iconic Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City after a two-year renovation phase that many tech bloggers described as a reinvention. How important is it…
Two hot trends, personalization and frictionless retailing, are at odds with each other
After e-commerce and AI, the phrases getting the most airtime at Groceryshop 2019 last week were personalization and frictionless retailing. How can retailers and their trading partners best reduce friction…
Do retailers need better business intelligence tools or a better analytic strategy?
Most retailers still use Excel for data analysis. Many tried business intelligence software that promised to doing something more valuable than what is possible with a spreadsheet — make better…
Will free same-day delivery boost Macy’s online sales?
Macy’s last week announced plans to relaunch same-day delivery in 30 markets for qualifying purchases of $75 or more. In a switch, delivery will be free for a limited time,…
Will pushing back against Christmas creep drive sales eBay’s way?
Taking a stand against “Christmas Creep,” eBay last week promised to refrain from holiday ads, promotions and specials until November. Will eBay gain fans with its promise to hold off…
Amazon steps up on climate change, sort of
While the U.S. government is planning to pull out of the Paris climate agreement late next year, Amazon committed last week to meet the agreed upon goals 10 years early…
Is AI at the center of the retail technology universe?
Based on Ron Margulis’s observations, more than half the booths at this year’s Groceryshop in Las Vegas contained some element of AI, either in their signage or handout materials. Several…
