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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Will store associates become the ultimate personalization tool at retail?
A recurring topic at the recent Future Stores Miami event was how retailers will utilize store associates to become the most important means to personalize the shopping experiences of customers…
Would Lumber Liquidators floor customers with a new name?
What’s in a name? For a retailer like Lumber Liquidators, the answer is: baggage. That is why analysts are encouraging the chain to dump its familiar moniker in pursuit of…
Does Peapod’s retreat from the Midwest spell trouble for e-grocery?
Peapod plans to shutter its Midwest division, apparently due to newer competition and a lack of traditional brick-and-mortar locations in the region to support BOPIS. Does Peapod’s closure of its…
Walmart’s Christmas wasn’t humbug, but it was less merry than expected
Walmart came up short for the Christmas selling season. The world’s largest retailer posted sales and earnings that were below Wall Street’s expectations. What do you make of Walmart’s good,…
Can Body Shop build a better workforce with an open hiring policy?
The Body Shop will become the first retailer to adopt an “open hiring” practice that doesn’t include interviews, background checks or drug tests. Do you see more potential benefits or…
Is it time for retailers to move beyond fulfillment and on to experience?
For so long, omnichannel really was about distribution and fulfillment. Buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS), ship from store, endless aisle, curbside pickup — to name a few. But what does…
How will Jetblack lessons inform Walmart’s conversational commerce efforts?
Walmart has announced that it will discontinue its Jetblack personal shopping text service on Feb. 21. The subscription program combined human and artificial intelligence to offer product recommendations to upscale…
Startup turns to the gig economy to bring expert sales advice online
Curated, an e-commerce start-up, matches knowledgeable sales associates with online buyers by making use of an on-demand labor platform. What do you think of Curated’s strategy of matching knowledgeable sales…
Will technology even the last-mile playing field with Amazon?
Deliverr uses “machine learning and optimization technology” to bring two-day delivery to sellers on marketplaces. The service is pitched as a way to compete with Amazon Prime delivery. Do you…
Grocers are given failing marks on food recall transparency
A new report says that 22 of the top 26 grocery chains in the U.S. deserve an “F” for policies and practices that fail to adequately inform consumers about food…
Holy badgers! Target did what with a University of Minnesota onesie?
How could a “Minnesota Badgers” onesie find its way to four stars in Minneapolis from a retail chain with its headquarters in The Gopher State? Target issued a statement to…
Will the FTC redefine anticompetitive behavior after its big tech acquisition inquiry?
Big tech is on notice. Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission ordered five large technology companies — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft — to provide details on past acquisitions of…
Will Pop Up Grocer bring discovery to grocery retailing?
Pop Up Grocer, self-described as a “traveling pop-up grocery store,” opened its first West Coast location in Venice Beach. The New York-based company started last year with two pop-ups in…
New Vans store designed as an homage to LA’s skate history
Vans’ new Los Angeles store is meant to pay respect to a city that’s possessed to skate. The location, billed as a community-driven retail and event space, has two floors…
Brandless halts operations. What went wrong?
Brandless was launched in 2017 with a simple idea — provide everyday items with better quality ingredients in generic packaging at a single $3 price point. Now Brandless has announced…
Will Staples’ new concept Connect with small business owners?
Staples is trying out a new concept in hopes of creating a store experience that cannot be replicated online. Does a concept like Staples Connect position the chain for a…
New York Stock Exchange owner eyed acquiring eBay
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), spent much of last week justifying why a potential acquisition of eBay would make sense, before abandoning the…
Why isn’t voice commerce taking off?
eMarketer last week lowered its outlook for smart speaker buyers (consumers making a purchase via a smart speaker) and smart speaker users (consumers using smart speakers for any purpose). What…
Why are so many organic grocers landing in bankruptcy court?
Reckless expansion and heightened competition for natural and organic foods were factors behind the recent bankruptcies of Fairway, Earth Fare and Lucky’s Market, but each chain faced unique challenges. What…
H-E-B gives $100 bills to all its employees for top grocer ranking
H-E-B last week handed out $100 bills to all employees after being named top grocery retailer in the U.S. in dunnhumby’s third annual “Retailer Preference Index” (RPI). What do you…
What does it take to earn the trust of consumers?
With trust emerging as a key lever in brand loyalty, a new report looks at the factors consumers consider when deciding to trust a brand. Where do you see the…
