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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Victoria’s Secret’s rebranding effort adds an inclusive rewards program
Victoria’s Secret & Co. last week said it was launching “The VS & PINK Collective,” a pilot of its first loyalty program that gives Victoria’s Secret and Pink customers an…
Are grocers missing the mark with urban consumers?
Food shopping options for downtowners can be downright dismal. Patricia Waldron is a center city dweller and feels fortunate to have a great Ralph’s in her neighborhood, but before the…
Should retailers open stores in malls or look outside for better results?
Bath & Body Works, among several chains reorienting their footprint away from malls, added 95 off-mall North American stores in 2022 and plans to open approximately 90 more in 2023…
Where should retailers start with ‘generative’ AI?
Amazon is believed to be behind the “generative” AI race between Microsoft and Google, which hosted media events in early February highlighting their generative AI technology. What advice would you have…
Amazon is trying to grow its clout in the same-day delivery market
A new report says Amazon intends to become a significant force in same-day deliveries. How close it is to achieving that goal may surprise a few. Will same-day deliveries in…
Do c-stores need to get serious about customer reviews?
Convenience stores may not need to worry much about what customers have to say about them — if they have anything to say about them at all, but new research…
Should brands and retailers be concerned about the ‘de-influencing’ trend?
“De-influencing,” trending on TikTok since January, amounts to a backlash against overconsumption caused by social media influencers. Whether it’s bad for the influencer community is up for debate. Do you…
Overstock.com’s dropship model is margin-solid ‘come hell or high water’
Overstock.com had a challenging 2022, but it could have been worse. The online furniture and home goods retailer reported a 30 percent year-over-year revenue decrease and a net loss of…
Will Target become the king of next-day deliveries?
Target plans to invest $100 million by the end of 2026 to open six new sortation centers as it seeks to increase the number of next-day orders it fulfills while…
Dick’s Sporting Goods heads for the big outdoors with Moosejaw deal
Dick’s Sporting Goods is acquiring Moosejaw from Walmart. The sporting goods giant made the deal to advance its ambitions in the multibillion-dollar outdoor retail market. How do you expect Dick’s to…
Should Pharrell Williams be the one to guide Louis Vuitton’s men’s business?
In a win for hype over design experience, Louis Vuitton last week placed 13-time Grammy-award winner Pharrell Williams in charge of its menswear line. Is the appointment of Pharrell Williams…
Would online grocery benefit from low inventory alerts?
A university study finds telling online shoppers that grocery supplies are low can help retain them over the long term. How would you rate the pros and cons of letting…
Retail has a customer trust problem
According to a new Gallup poll, U.S. consumers do not trust retailers as much as they used to — and they do not have much trust for anyone else, either…
Are AI-generated ads worth the risks?
A university study determined that only half of artificial intelligence-generated ads are open about the fact they were created by bots, potentially tricking consumers into false beliefs or causing confusion…
Is inflation giving grocers a bad rap?
Shoppers believe grocers are making 14 times more profit than they actually are and also believe food-at-home inflation is about two times higher than reality, according to a new dunnhumby…
Can location-based marketing overcome its creepiness factor?
A new global survey finds 67 percent of U.S. consumers think ads based on location data are “creepy” with only 31 percent comfortable sharing their location in real-time. Will location-based…
Hy-Vee suspends employee discounts after finding fraud and misuse
Hy-Vee has suspended its employee discount program after discovering a significant increase in the number of people using it that did not share the same household or even the same…
Is Neiman Marcus right to focus on the top two percent of its customers?
Neiman Marcus’s CEO recently made a statement about the type of customer that the luxury department store operator wants to attract. Some sales staff believe he is putting out the…
Companies seek higher productivity via hybrid schedules and fewer meetings
Shopify’s New Year commitment to cut down on the number of meetings it holds for more than two people is being touted as a successful productivity hack by the company…
Chick-fil-A is giving NYC delivery workers a ‘brake’
Third party delivery workers may not be employees of Chick-fil-A, but they are critical to the restaurant’s performance as it expands in NYC. The chicken chain has opened a storefront…
What’s holding back merchandising execution?
A lack of planogram compliance and ineffective localization continues to complicate the merchandising process. Further exacerbating these challenges is the proliferation of channels, digitally adept shoppers and rapidly changing preferences,…
