Consumers are fed up with escalating inflation, prompting some companies to restrain their price hikes to offset cost pressures. Will consumer resistance to higher prices likely be the primary factor driving down inflation?
Walmart last week unveiled a new program, Walmart Business, to serve the needs of small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) and nonprofit organizations. What is your assessment of the opportunities that Walmart faces with its B2B initiative?
Dollar Tree yesterday said that its executive chairman, Richard Dreiling, has been named CEO of the company. He replaces Mike Witnyski who has led the company since last year after serving in leadership positions with Dollar Tree going back to 2010. What impact do you expect Rick Dreiling to have on Dollar Tree and Family Dollar?
Amazon.com today introduced RXPass, a new subscription plan that enables Prime members to buy prescription medicines for more than 80 common health conditions delivered to their homes for $5 a month in total. Will RxPass be an attractive perk for Amazon Prime members and those considering subscription?
A 7-Eleven in Austin, TX, is blasting opera music nonstop outside the store as a deterrent against loiters and panhandlers. The owner said he has faced issues since a homeless encampment developed next to the location. What do you think of the use of loud, classical music to deter loitering outside stores?
A new survey finds retailers increasingly fixated on cost efficiencies around last-mile deliveries amid rising inflation and fuel costs. Where do you see the biggest opportunities to drive down costs in last-mile delivery?
Australian supermarket Woolworths has succeeded in using analytics to inform and redesign a number of processes core to its business in a short amount of time, as outlined in a session at the NRF 2023 Big Show. Do you agree with the claim that most retailers’ core processes need to be fundamentally reimagined using data?
In the biggest update since organic standards were first established in 1990, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new guidelines designed to close loopholes and increase confidence in the often pricier product bearing the agency’s organic seal. Will stricter certification guidelines significantly improve the price integrity around organic products?
Nordstrom last week became the latest retailer in the apparel space to lower its outlook as it found that deeper discounts were required to clear slow-moving holiday merchandise. Is Nordstrom’s shortfall likely more reflective of the broader challenges facing the apparel category or its own management strategies and processes?
Lowe’s may be giving new meaning to the term lifetime customer value. The home improvement retailer is looking to appeal to consumers as young as five-years-old with a new pilot offering in-store birthday parties for kids. Do you expect Lowe’s “Build a Birthday” party pilot to be a success and widely scaled across the chain’s stores?
