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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Which 2020 returns options will stick?
Never before have consumers had so many options for returning unwanted holiday gifts. Some may help retailers handle what’s expected to be a record haul of returns this year. Which…
Are retailers set up to scale the value of AI investments?
According to McKinsey, the retail industry has the potential to create $1.7 trillion of value, or 12.39 percent of total sales, from artificial intelligence. How aware do you think retail…
Should retail CEOs be on social media?
A just-released study from Lewis, a San Francisco-based marketing agency, found two in three of Forbes top 300 CEOs had no active social media presence. Do you see more benefits…
What happened this holiday selling season?
In the first major post-holiday report, Mastercard has projected U.S. retail sales grew 3.0 percent in the expanded selling season from Oct. 11 through Dec. 24, short of 2019’s four…
How do you grow sales the week after Christmas?
After-Christmas retail can be fun — even with a pandemic — as long as you stay focused on making money and minimizing returns instead of just giving profits away through…
And the winner of the 2020 RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge is …
Be sure to vote for your overall favorite as we crown a champion for 2020. Which were your favorite spots from the 2020 RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge and why?
Will online delivery go more eco-friendly post-pandemic?
One indication of the surge in e-commerce due to the pandemic has been the sight of delivery boxes overflowing homes and recycling bins. Zero Grocery is joining the ranks of…
Was Walmart responsible for vetting opioid prescriptions?
The Trump administration on Tuesday sued Walmart for helping fuel the nation’s opioid epidemic by ignoring suspicious prescriptions. To what degree are pharmacies responsible for questionable prescriptions?
Is free at-home pick-up of online returns practicable?
Walmart on Monday announced a partnership with FedEx to offer customers complimentary at-home pickup of returns for merchandise bought online. Does picking up returns from households for free hold significant…
Winter cold kills last remaining option for many restaurants
The National Restaurant Association recently said the restaurant industry has likely fallen into a double dip recession. The deteriorating business condition was blamed on the end of the outdoor dining…
Do retailer TikTok campaigns tick the right boxes?
Dunkin’ recently launched a campaign in which it asked fans to come up with “menu hacks” and post them on TikTok, according to Yahoo Finance. Will Dunkin’ find success with…
Facebook and Apple battle over the internet’s future
Facebook last week posted a new web page and took two full-page ads in major newspapers charging that Apple’s iOS 14 privacy changes will harm not only small businesses, but…
Christmas ads show gift-giving in completely different lives
Gift giving is a Christmas tradition that spans the globe, even as holiday rituals vary from country to country and region to region. The two spots we’ve selected for you…
How is Nike excelling at driving loyalty with digital?
Nike on Friday reported its third straight quarter of online growth of approximately 80 percent. But the bigger long-term benefit is expected to come from enhanced digital engagement that has…
Publix decides the time is right for an experiential, two-story concept
Popular regional grocer Publix has been expanding its footprint northward for a number of years. With its new pilot store, management is indicating plans to expand its individual stores vertically,…
Can guilt-gifting and self-gifting save holiday selling?
A bright spot in an expected subdued holiday selling season, according to The NPD Group, will be sales from consumers looking to splurge on themselves after a tough year and/or…
Does David’s Bridal need a loyalty program?
David’s Bridal has become the first major national bridal retailer to establish a loyalty program. Not unsurprisingly, the program appears to be all about the bride. Do you think David’s…
Commercials show the magic behind good deeds and Christmas surprises
If informal polling among family and friends is a true indication, the spots in today’s installment of the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge are among the most memorable for the season. …
Is the pandemic pushing livestream shopping into the mainstream?
A form of online shopping that is popular elsewhere in the world may finally be catching on stateside, aided by pandemic-era stay-at-home habits. Do you see livestreaming being part of…
Is there a secret sauce to Kroger’s online success?
With pandemic-huddled households discovering online grocery shopping, Kroger has broken onto eMarketer’s top-ten U.S. e-commerce retailers list. Is Kroger’s online business benefiting from similar or unique factors compared to other…
Are retailers facing a no-win decision in mandating vaccines for workers?
Surveys continue to show that between 40 and 50 percent of Americans are reluctant to take the coronavirus vaccine, likely including many of retail’s frontline workers. Can retailers that mandate…
