A study finds online prices are on average 13 percent less expensive on Amazon.com than other leading U.S. retailers across 15 categories, narrowing from 14 percent lower in 2021 and 16 percent in 2020. Is price still the primary reason consumers choose to shop on Amazon?
According to Harvard business administration professor Raffaella Sadun, the collapses of FTX and Theranos and the recent turmoil at Twitter prove “boring management matters” as well as the importance of context-specific skills and the ability to influence employees. Do you see more potential benefits than risks in having a charismatic retail CEO?
With inventories elevated in many categories and the economy slowing amid inflationary pressures, larger retailers are using reclaimed leverage to cancel orders, fight price increases and seek out concessions from suppliers. Do you see indications that retailers regained leverage against their supplier base amid excess inventories and inflationary pressures?
Public interests groups are taking aim at digital couponing, saying that the practice is discriminatory insofar as the less tech-savvy consequently pay more. Do you think it is accurate to say that digital coupons discriminate against some demographics?
Americans may have started their Christmas shopping in July or October or some other point before this week, but research indicates that a record number of the nation’s citizens still plan to go hunting for gifts between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. Are you surprised that so many people are expected to go shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend given all the early sales run by retailers this year?
Founded by Romney Evans, True Fit’s co-founder, a new shopping platform, Shoptrue, launched in beta last week with a goal of blending “human inspiration” and data science to build a “one stop personal shop, curated for you and by you.” What do you think of Shoptrue’s personalized recommendation platform that combines AI-driven algorithms with shopper and tastemaker input?
In her first quarterly analyst call as Foot Locker’s CEO, Mary Dillon said she sees many parallels between sneakers and the beauty category when it comes to supporting growth, but also sees a bigger opportunity for Foot Locker to drive consumer demand. Do you see more benefits than drawbacks from Foot Locker adopting more of a “consumer-led” than “product-led” approach?
Episode three of the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge includes one of the most highly anticipated spots of the holiday season, and one that fits the spirit of the season, even if it is not all about December 25. What is your critique of the holiday spots from John Lewis and Publix?
The digital kitchenware site Our Place is one of the latest online-only brands to move into brick and mortar retailing. What can a brand like Our Place do to succeed and differentiate itself in a physical retail space?
A university study concludes targeting serial returners is the smarter path to reducing return costs because targeting regular shoppers with stricter return policies will likely backfire. Does it make more sense to crack down on serial returners than tighten restrictions on general consumers?
