RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Walgreens does its own pivot toward healthcare
Walgreens last week announced plans to focus on primary care, post-acute care and home care as part of a new Walgreens Health growth strategy. What do you think of Walgreens’…
Just how casual will wardrobes become?
A new survey found that one-third of employees would prefer an informal dress code to an extra $5,000 in salary. Do you see the pandemic becoming a milestone event accelerating…
Are brands about to take over the produce department?
A new survey finds that more than half of consumers consider it to be important to shop specific brands in the produce department versus non-branded products, led by two-thirds of…
Meal kit maker seeks to scale ‘pay what you want’ pricing strategy
Meal kits appear to be experiencing a resurgence at the present moment and one startup in Georgia is meeting demand while offering those who would not normally be able to…
Wawa goes big on self checkout tech
Wawa has added self-scan checkout kiosks in 61 of its locations after a successful pilot, and the kiosks are slated to appear in more stores soon. Do you see self-checkout…
What lessons should retailers take from the Theranos fraud debacle?
Testimony in the criminal trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes paints a picture of major retailers willing to take a vendor’s word without engaging in the type of due diligence…
Will visual search bring eyeballs to Google Shopping?
Google is updating the look and format of product search pages so that feature images better resemble a digital store rather than a long list of links and text. Is…
Stores? Kroger don’t need no stinking stores
Kroger may not have found the treasure of the Sierra Madre, but the grocery giant appears to have struck grocery retailing gold with its use of automated warehouses, spoke hubs…
Will ‘hyperautomation’ determine retailing success from this point forward?
The success of functions including sales, operations, procurement and shipping depends on retailers’ ability to apply analytics at scale towards developing better insights and responses to consumer demands. What do…
Will Best Buy’s latest acquisition be a healthy addition for the chain?
Best Buy has signed an agreement to acquire Current Health, a remote patient monitoring and telehealth technology company based in the UK. What is your assessment of Best Buy’s healthcare…
Should advertisers delete Facebook?
An Ad Age-Harris poll taken last week found 55 percent of U.S. consumers agreeing brands and organizations should stop advertising on Facebook. Should the allegations of harm to teens cause…
Rather than compete, Walmart inks exclusive deal with Netflix
Walmart has gone from aspiring to compete with Netflix in the digital video subscription market to making a deal to sell merchandise linked to its erstwhile rival’s original programming on…
Should retailers set time guarantees for curbside delivery?
Office Depot has raised its own bar for curbside delivery with the launch of a “20 Minute Pickup Promise.” Is the wait the biggest pain point around in-store or curbside…
How should retailers communicate supply chain snafus?
Consumers are well aware of ongoing supply chain disruptions and expect delays but want answers, according to a study from Oracle. Should retailers be doing more to explain out-of-stocks to…
Lunds & Byerlys gives associates Thanksgiving and Black Friday off
Lunds & Byerlys, a 28-store grocer in the Twin Cities metro area, is giving workers paid-days off on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday in recognition of their efforts during the…
Is the internet the great price equalizer or anything but?
A new university study finds that, while the general belief is that online comparison shopping helps you find the lowest prices, it may not be so if you’re browsing from…
Should retailers be looking to leverage free return shipping?
A new report finds some retailers leveraging free online returns in a variety of ways, including to incentivize faster returns, turn online exchanges into store credit and to support their…
Your next c-store online order may be delivered by a robot
A number of grocery stores and tech vendors have piloted delivery robots over the last few years. Now one company is looking at the convenience store space as the sweet…
Will Wrangler make an authentic connection with Millennials and Gen Z?
Wrangler faces the same challenge as other iconic American brands: how to stay connected to its heritage while reaching out and connecting to consumers who either don’t know its history…
Gap expands tech investments with deal for AI retail analytics startup
Gap Inc. has acquired a tech start-up that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to improve the customer experience and drive sales through predictive analytics and demand sensing. Where…
Will retailers win now and lose later with long-term shipping contracts?
Supply chain disruptions have plagued the U.S. retail landscape in recent months, raising concerns that Christmas shoppers will be met with stock outs rather than gifts when the holiday season…
