In an email to the chubstr blog, Bombfell said it would end shipments of J.C.Penney merchandise today and issue refunds for all returned merchandise by April 15. Do you expect J.C. Penney to abandon subscription services altogether after Bombfell or will it seek an alternative?
Brands are viewing consumers’ increased comfort with voice assistants as less of a threat than an opportunity, per a survey of more than 500 U.S. brands from Feedvisor. Is voice ordering more of an opportunity or threat for brands?
One of the biggest names in last-mile delivery is launching a pilot using robots to get products from select partner retailers to the customer’s door. Will FedEx successfully push robot delivery forward in a way that other players haven’t because of the scale if its operations?
While employing people who can interact with customers and accomplish other tasks seems like a positive for Walmart, there is concern that the change will leave older workers and those with disabilities without jobs. Will Walmart do enough to address the controversy of putting disabled and elderly employees out of work?
In a letter that began, “Dear Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon,” 11 privacy advocates recently urged the retail community to stop selling internet-connected devices that don’t meet minimum security requirements. Will breaches of IoT devices likely become more or less of a headache for retailers in the years ahead?
In its earnings announcement this week, Home Depot said that same-stores sales in the fourth quarter rose 3.7 percent, below the 4.5 percent increase expected by analysts, because of weather conditions across the country. Do you think retailers fully understand the impact of weather on sales performance?
Target is looking to differentiate its online marketplace from rivals with Target +, a choice assortment of products from third-party sellers meant to complement the goods it sells online. What do you think of the Target + initiative? Will it help Target to gain online market share?
Earlier in February, Walmart quietly launched a new retail holiday that’s being described by some as a Prime Day for babies. Will Baby Savings Day have a significant effect on Walmart’s share of the baby products category?
Nestlé partnered with Tesco to help launch the dunnhumby Media platform that promises to bring continual, consistent and contextual communications with shoppers within and outside the store. Do the digital tools exist to support personalized communications along the entire customer journey?
Only 15 percent of U.S. retailers have completed supply chain digitization, according to a study from Gravity Supply Chain Solutions. Perceived costs and ROI concerns were seen as primary hurdles. Is end-to-end inventory visibility not the holy grail of omnichannel execution?
