In the first major assessment of holiday selling, Mastercard estimated U.S. retail sales grew 7.6 percent year-over-year from November 1 through December 24. The performance topped Mastercard’s prediction that called for a 7.1 percent increase but fell short of last year’s 8.5 percent gain. What’s your feeling on how the 2022 holiday selling season went for U.S. retail?
McDonald’s last week opened its first partially automated restaurant, with machines handling everything from taking orders to delivering the food. The opening sparked both positive and negative responses on social media. Will the efficiencies gained from an automated restaurant such as McDonald’s pilot offset any aspects lost from removing human interaction?
A new study finds Millennials and Gen-Zers are the demographics that are purchasing digital fashion assets and fashion NFTs (non-fungible tokens) the most. Will interest by Gen-Zers and Millennials in fashion NFTs remain potent or will it fall off like other digital collectibles seem to have?
After a successful three-store pilot program, Walmart drone delivery has launched in a handful of markets, with plans to expand soon to six states. How confident are you that drone delivery will be sustainable and soon scale nationwide?
Designer Brands Inc., the parent of DSW, recently set a goal to double sales of its owned brands in response to direct-to-consumer efforts by national brands. Its acquisition earlier this week of the Topo athletic brand furthers that effort. Do you see more benefits than drawbacks to DSW’s move to increase emphasis on in-house brands?
Amazon has made several commitments related to business practices in Europe as part of settlement over alleged unfair treatment of third-party sellers. Do Amazon’s concessions under the European Union settlement appear fair to Amazon and third-party sellers?
Amazon recently installed Just Walk Out (JWO) at a grocery retailer it does not own for the first time. 2023 will see even more buzz around the technology. Do you see Amazon’s Just Walk Out and similar checkout-free shopping technologies making a significant breakthrough in 2023?
Barnes & Noble looks to have stabilized and now plans to expand its store footprint next year, even amid an unpredictable economic landscape. The book seller will debut 30 new stores in 2023, opening more than it closes annually after numerous years of net contraction. Is this the right time for Barnes & Noble to pursue an expansion of its physical retail footprint?
The year 2022 has been a big one for grocery stores in the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge. This week’s matchup pits SPAR Ireland, the largest convenience store chain in the Republic, against Walmart, the largest in the world. What is your critique of the Christmas spots from SPAR Ireland and Walmart?
As theft from stores continues to be a big problem for Walmart, one report says both employees and customers are pointing to one factor as a particular enabler for shoplifters. How much of a role do you think self-checkout plays in the overall shrink problem?
