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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Is Target ready for what comes next?
Target is ready to get back to its more profitable ways. That was the message yesterday from CEO Brian Cornell on the chain’s second-quarter earnings call with analysts. What do you…
Which data capabilities are still out of reach for marketers?
Fewer than four in 10 marketing leaders are extremely or very confident in their data, analytics and insights systems, according to a new study. The report outlines the data capabilities…
ThredUP enlists ‘Stranger Things’ star to help turn the fast fashion world upside down
Fast fashion has long been criticized for its negative environmental impact. Now online resale retailer thredUP is launching a campaign with a celebrity influencer espousing the ills of fast fashion,…
Should sports betting be served up in grocery aisles?
Kroger, Giant Eagle and Acme Fresh Market have applied for licenses to install sports gaming kiosks at Ohio locations as the state gets set to legalize sports betting at the…
Walmart under-promised and over-delivered in the second quarter
Walmart is apparently capable of surprising itself. The retailer reported better than expected sales and earnings for its second quarter just weeks after lowering its forecast. What is your takeaway from…
Should The Body Shop be mobilizing voters?
Timed to International Youth Day, The Body Shop has launched a youth voter engagement and registration drive across its U.S. stores and website ahead of the November midterm elections. Does…
Will circular commerce drive traffic to stores?
Resale is enormously popular. In fact, secondhand apparel, according to thredUp, is expected to grow 16x faster than the market for new apparel by 2026. Do you agree that resale has…
Have restaurant meals become a better deal than food from grocery stores?
The conventional wisdom has long been that you are financially better off making food at home than splurging on eating out. But the inflationary economy might be flipping that logic…
Nike takes the week off
Nike has closed its corporate and Air MI offices this week to give its employees time off to recharge their batteries. Does giving corporate offices vacation at the same time…
Is inflation the biggest back-to-school story?
Deloitte, KPMG and Mastercard all issued “Gold Star” back-to-school spending forecasts in the range of 7.5 percent to nine percent, attributing spending increases in part to inflation. Do you agree that…
What will store-level job cuts mean for Best Buy’s front line and bottom line?
Best Buy is laying off an unspecified number of associates in stores across the country in what is widely seen as a cost-cutting move after the chain last month lowered…
Five keys to success in an ‘unboxed retail’ and ‘omnichoice’ world
With today’s shoppers interacting with retailers on their phones, through social media, websites and countless other modes, “unboxed retail” has created a dilemma for many retail formats anchored on street…
More consumers are developing the subscription box habit. Retailers should too.
Subscription box service sales have soared since the start of the pandemic, driven by consumers’ desire for convenience, value and variety. What do you see as the keys to operating a…
Can a grocery store teach its customers to love to cook?
A grocer in Utah is opening a store that aspires to focus on meal prep instead of just selling groceries, guiding customers to cook creatively with a limited number of…
Will Kohl’s self-pickup system be a difference maker?
Kohl’s thinks that it has developed a better buy online, pickup in-store system. The retailer Wednesday said it is rolling out self-pickup on eligible orders at all of its more…
Is inflation transforming dollar stores into bigger grocery destinations?
A recent study confirms that many of the most price-sensitive consumers are shopping more frequently at dollar stores as they’ve been unable to make ends meet by switching to cheaper…
Is retail now facing a warehouse crisis?
With supply chain bottlenecks easing, a scarcity of warehouse space is promising to replace shipping container shortages as the biggest headache in the global supply chain. Is procuring adequate warehouse…
Trucker shortage means higher pay for those on the road
It turns out that 2021 was a good year, financially, to be a truck driver in the U.S. Driver wages rose significantly as large trucking companies, retailers and others vied…
Does Walmart+ need a video streaming deal to compete with Amazon Prime?
Walmart is looking to add video streaming as a perk for joining its Walmart+ subscription plan, according to numerous reports. Is a video streaming deal what Walmart+ needs to compete…
Are negative personality traits prevalent on selling floors?
Outside of CEOs, lawyers and celebrities, salespeople score higher than all other professions for three negative personality traits collectively known in psychological theory as the dark triad, according to a recent…
Americans turned to food waste apps as grocery prices rose
In pursuit of new ways to cut grocery costs as inflation continues to threaten household budgets, families have begun turning to apps that let them circumvent paying full price by…
