Walmart’s strategy for owning the last mile has come into clearer focus with news that the retailer has acquired the robotics automation specialist Alert Innovation. What will Walmart’s acquisition of Alert Innovation mean for its last mile fulfillment?
Rite Aid has a shrink problem in New York City and it’s forcing the drugstore retailer to consider taking aggressive measures to keep goods from being walked out the door by thieves. Does it make sense for Rite Aid and others operating in high crime areas to put all product behind showcases?
Macy’s competitors have been forced to pack-and-hold large amounts of excess inventory, but the department store giant claims that it was able to avoid that scenario in many cases by paying close attention to its co-branded credit card data. Are some retail forecasting systems missing data important to projecting future consumer activity?
Suzy Davidkhanian, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, believes that, while the pandemic spurred many consumers to adopt retail app technology as in-store pickup and other omnichannel practices exploded, “many features are gimmicky or glitchy and cause more friction than convenience.” In what ways are retail apps providing the most value, how are they falling short, and what’s their next evolution?
A new recommerce venture offers all of the benefits of buying second hand plus a means to help fund social service programs in local communities, such as job training and youth mentorship. Do you see retailers trying to raise the visibility of their secondhand offerings in light of rising prices?
Food prices are rising, no doubt, but apparently American consumers think they are paying way more than price tracking statistics show is the reality. Does the grocery industry have a price perception problem?
Deliveroo Hop, which relies on “dark store” mini warehouses to fulfill orders, has launched a new concept in Central London where non-app users can enter the location, order from a digital kiosk in a reception area and pay via card. Do you consider the Deliveroo Hop concept to be an improvement on the dark store model?
Walgreens continues to open automated pharmacies as it moves towards its goal of having 22 of the facilities in operation across the country by 2025. How will robo-pharmacies change the physical store layouts and other aspects of the drugstore business?
At its first Investor Day in its 84-year history, Columbia Sportswear announced plans to ”double down” on wholesale growth even as numerous other active lifestyle brands emphasize direct-to-consumer initiatives. Does Columbia Sportswear’s focus on wholesale brick and mortar relationships vs. owned brick and mortar make sense?
At its annual Search On event, Google unveiled a number of shopping tools employing Shopping Graph, Google‘s AI-enhanced model that now understands more than 35 billion product listings, up from 24 billion last year. Do you see artificial intelligence reinventing Google’s role as a shopping search tool?
