66 percent of young consumers like brands with a social cause yet only 12 percent had “top of mind” associations between brands they were familiar with and a social cause. What’s causing the apparent disconnect between brands and their support of social causes in the minds of younger consumers?

No one expected that Walmart would stand pat after Amazon.com announced last month that it was cutting its standard two-day delivery time for Prime members to a single day. Do you find Marc Lore makes a compelling business case for Walmart’s move into next day delivery of online orders?

U.K. grocer Sainsbury’s has observed Amazon.com’s success with a third-party marketplace and plans to launch one of its own aimed at grocery shoppers. Will grocers including Sainsbury’s and Albertsons be helped or hurt over time as a result of operating online marketplaces?

Petco announced that it is partnering with Target-owned Shipt to expand its same-day delivery options.A Petco spokesperson told RetailWire that the Shipt partnership is in addition to an existing delivery deal with Instacart’s PetcoNow same-day offering. Is the same-day delivery opportunity big enough to warrant that Petco partner with both Shipt and Instacart?

In Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ annual letter to shareholders, nothing gained as much attention as his call for retail rivals to offer a higher minimum wage than the $15 an hour that Amazon began paying its entry-level workers last year. What do you think Jeff Bezos was looking to gain by challenging retail rivals to offer a higher minimum wage than Amazon?

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?

Given the critical role people play in the success of any retail enterprise, it’s surprising that people initiatives don’t get more credit or coverage. The tide, however, may be turning. Do you think that investments in people are translating into better business results?

Target is experimenting with a new section at the front of the store to speed up shopping for grab-and-go snackers. Do you see more pros or cons to Target’s grab-and-go Snack Bar design?

Target was expected to be one of the winners of the 2018 holiday season, and the retailer not only lived up to expectations, it surpassed them. Where do you think Target has made its biggest gains in the past couple of years?

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?

A free rewards program pilot launched in the Dallas-Fort Worth market last April by Target appears to have been successful as the chain announced this week that it is expanding its rollout. Where do you see the greatest potential for Target to benefit from its Circle rewards program?

In a two-month investigation conducted by Minneapolis TV station KARE, it was uncovered that Target changes its prices on certain items depending on whether you are inside or outside of the store. Do you think Target’s practice of varying online vs. in-store pricing will erode customer trust?

Buy online, pick up in-store appeared to have reached a tipping point this past holiday season with more consumers taking advantage of the options. Do you see optimizing inventory, labor or some other aspect as the main challenge to BOPIS execution?

Supported by a new ad campaign, Barnes & Noble is using its associate expertise as a prime selling point for the holidays. Will the message of in-store experts resonate with the new consumer that trusts data-driven recommendations?

On Monday, Target became the latest retailer to plug its wide range of in-store, online and hybrid options for last-minute holiday shoppers. Which last-minute holiday options resonate most with holiday procrastinators?

A lot can change in 12 months, but for one analyst a conjecture made around the start of the year still stands as we get ready to ring in 2019 — Amazon.com should acquire Target. Is Loup Ventures’ Gene Munster on-point about Target’s potential value to Amazon?

Target is the place for shoppers to be on the weekends leading up to Christmas, so the chain is bringing back its weekend deals promotion for the second holiday season in a row. What can retailers learn from Target’s weekend deals strategy?

Target and Walmart play to their unified commerce advantage in spots produced for the Christmas selling season. Which retailer does a better job of connecting with its core customers while reaching out to new shoppers?

Instacart has announced the rollout of a new click and collect service that it plans to take nationwide in 2019. Do you read anything into the rollout of Instacart Pickup vis-à-vis home delivery of groceries?

Americans do not like having to pay shipping charges, particularly at Christmastime. Now Walmart, Target and Amazon.com are now trying to outdo each other in this respect. Will Amazon’s free shipping with no minimum purchase offer mitigate any disadvantage it may have had in its competition with Target and Walmart for the holidays?

Target and Walmart are so me-too. This week, the two retail giants made separate announcements that mobile checkout technology is now available in each chain’s stores across the country. Will the option of using mobile checkout prove popular with shoppers at Target and Walmart?

Many have come to bemoan the Christmas creep phenomena as retailers put out ornaments and fake trees on store floors in October, but the truth is that a lot of consumers start shopping for the holidays even earlier — say July. How important are online sales made in July to the overall share of retailers’ holiday sales?

With the holiday season coming up fast, Target announced that it will offer free two-day shipping on hundreds of thousands of items bought online with no minimum purchase required between Nov. 1 and Dec. 22. What do you see as Target’s advantages and areas of weakness heading into the holiday selling season?

Walmart announced that it will expand free two-day delivery to millions of items sold by third-party sellers on its marketplace. Will the addition of free two-day shipping from third-party sellers and easier returns on items bought from its online marketplace help Walmart increase its holiday sales?

In what appears to be a pilot, Gap Inc. has rolled out a new promotion that provides its Visa Signature cardholders with bonus points for shopping at Amazon or Target. Do you see more pros and cons in such as an offer?

Target is introducing a new line of toiletries and household cleaning products with the goal of attracting budget-conscious shoppers to its stores and target.com. Will the new line be successful in keeping a greater percentage of its budget-conscious shoppers from going to rivalsl?

Heading into the Christmas selling season, Target is feeling good about its prospects as the retailer has regained its “cheap chic” mojo while giving consumers a variety of reasons to believe it is “America’s easiest place to shop.” Which recent changes made at Target have helped the most in leveling the playing field with the likes of Amazon and Walmart?

It now appears that another generation of Toys “R” Us kids may be on the horizon as the lenders who were managing Toys “R” Us during its final moments have shifted gears in hopes of reorganizing the brand’s remaining assets into a new company. Can Toys “R” Us make a comeback? 

Before the age of Amazon, “big box” stores were the category killers that created the destination locations to draw the masses. Today, the big retailers are focusing on shrinking stores. The downsizing trend begs the question: How small is too small?

Scores of retailers have written letters to the U.S. Trade Representative warning that the newest round of tariffs threatens the U.S. economy’s growth and will cause consumers to pay exponentially more on a variety of goods. What’s the next step or plan B strategy for retailers now that major tariffs have arrived?

With Walmart, Target and Whole Foods all offering free grocery pick-up, should Kroger and other traditional supermarkets stop charging as well? How likely are market forces to demand that grocers offer free in-store pickup over the next couple of years?

Low unemployment is pushing retailers to up their offers in hopes of convincing potential temps that working the Christmas season is worth their while. Will the incentives offered by J.C. Penney, Macy’s, Target and others successfully attract the quality of seasonal talent the chains need to manage the holiday season?

There is concrete evidence that at least one chain is a direct beneficiary of two chains that died under the weight of $5 billion in leveraged buyout debt. Do you agree with Target’s strategy of going after the toy and baby categories despite concerns about margins, particularly in toys?

Data breaches and other past missteps are not part of the conversation around Target today after the retailer posted its best quarterly comparable sales growth in 13 years. What is your take on Target’s strong second quarter results and its prospects for the rest of 2018 and 2019?

A new study says that a lot of shoppers today don’t like to linger, and that’s something retailers might want to take note of. What have you seen retailers doing to successfully facilitate smaller, faster trips?

C9 Champion has cemented itself as Target’s go-to activewear staple since being launched in 2004. Yet by July 2020, C9 will be off Target’s selling floors. Do you see more pros or cons in Target phasing out an established activewear brand such as C9?

Zara has grown its business into an international powerhouse by quickly responding to the ever-changing preferences of consumers. Now, it is turning to fulfilling online orders from its stores. Will using stores as distribution centers for online orders become the norm in retailing?

Walmart, like many other retailers, is still trying to work out how to meet the home delivery needs of its customers without losing money in the process. How can retailers such as Walmart make grocery home delivery profitable?

Rising tides do lift all boats, or it appears at least some of them when the metaphor is extended to retail. While Amazon.com announced that it had set a new 36-hour sales record, many rival retailers were also feeling pretty good about Prime Day as well. What do you expect Amazon to learn from this year’s version of Prime Day?

Target has quietly launched an invite-only “Studio Connect” app to enable designers to gather feedback from Target’s customers. Is the “Studio Connect” app a win-win for Target’s designers and participating customers?

Target is introducing a 15 percent discount for teachers as part of its back-to-school selling efforts. Is targeting teachers during the back-to-school selling season more of a sales or goodwill opportunity?

In an update to its Target Run campaign, Target is shifting focus to its newer Drive Up and same-day delivery with Shipt offerings. Is making Target “America’s easiest place to shop” a message that will resonate with consumers?

Walmart is testing a “3D Virtual Shopping Tour” feature on its website that allows shoppers to see what furniture looks like in a staged home. What do you think of the appeal of Walmart’s 3D Virtual Shopping Tour?

Costco plans to raise its starting wage by $1 an hour and bump up the hourly rate it pays other workers between 25 and 50 cents an hour. Do you think the retail industry, in general, needs to reevaluate its labor practices in light of the job market?

Between Macy’s acquisition of the experiential retailer, STORY, and Westfield’s hiring of Tony-winning Broadway producer Scott Sanders, it seems that the future of a store may not be a store at all. What are other authentic ways brands can leverage the Made-for-Instagram Museum trend?

West Coast regional grocer Raley’s is introducing an element of education into its new organic store concept, named Market 5-ONE-FIVE, promising to feature in-store experts such as chefs, “foodies,” urban farmers and a dietitian. What role do educational experiences have to play in modern retailing?

Yesterday, Target announced that REDcard holders would now have their Restock boxes delivered the next day for free. Does Target Restock along with the other steps the chain has taken make the retailer more competitive with Amazon, Walmart and other rivals?

Macy’s will now allow customers to join its Star Rewards loyalty program without having to sign up for a store credit card. What do you think of Macy’s new Bronze tier as a loyalty proposition for non-cardholders?

One of the keys to Target’s good Q4 financials was its ability to handle distribution for nearly 70 percent of its online orders through its stores. Do you approve of Target management’s emphasis on using stores as hubs to serve customers on-site and to fulfill online orders?