When Macy’s acquired STORY, many were unsure if Macy’s management would let STORY be STORY, and if the concept would scale within the department store environment. The answer to both those questions is about to be answered. Do you see the STORY launch inside Macy’s as the start of something big for the chain?
In the face of growing criticism that cashless retail tech will leave a big portion of the consumer population in the U.S. behind, Amazon.com has revealed that it plans to allow customers who shop at its Amazon Go stores to pay with cash. Do you think that Amazon Go can appeal to unbanked and underbanked consumers?
Research shows promos have become less effective at driving lift as consumers have become accustomed to buying on discount and expecting ever-bigger deals. Do grocers need to wean themselves off discounts as the main pillar of their promotional strategy?
Walmart wants its associates to deal with its customers. Leave the other stuff to the robots. Do you see Walmart as an innovator when it comes to the use of automation to operate both more efficiently from a business perspective and more effectively from the customer’s?
Foot Locker Inc. and Ascena Retail Group are both launching loyalty programs that enable consumers to earn points across retailer banners. Do you see more pros than cons for retailers in running a unified rewards program that serves multiple banners?
Having just appointed its first CEO, the Madewell clothing brand may be pulling farther ahead of, if not completely away from, its struggling parent company, J.Crew. What should the next moves be for both Madewell and J.Crew?
The list of retailers and consumer brands setting up their own storefronts on Amazon.com continues to grow. Are retailers and brands getting over their reluctance to sell on competitive marketplaces such as Amazon, Target and Walmart and, if so, why?
Rent the Runway, the online clothing rental leader, is adding kids’ apparel to its monthly subscription service. How appealing do you think rentals of designer kids’ apparel will be on monthly subscription basis?
For decades, grocers have objected to what they have perceived as a playing field tilted to the benefit of Walmart. Now it seems Walmart is being undercut on price by Amazon.com. Do retailer complaints about rivals getting better deals from suppliers point to an anti-competitive current in the industry today?
A new Columbia Business School study found that, depending on the competitive landscape a retailer faces, a national pricing strategy may now be more profitable than a strategy that tailors prices locally. What do you see as the relative strengths and weaknesses of adopting uniform pricing vs. localized strategies?
