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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Will the price of avocados make Americans say enough to Trump’s tariffs?
President Trump said he planned to impose a five percent tariff on all Mexican imports to pressure the Mexican government into offering more help stemming illegal immigration. Is the potential…
Experience is overrated, hire talent
Why is it that experience is so often our number one criteria? Because we assume an experienced person will require less training and be able to get up to speed…
What would Amazon do with Boost Mobile?
Amazon.com is exploring an acquisition of Boost Mobile, Sprint’s low-cost, prepaid carrier, as well as any wireless spectrum that may become available as a result of the Sprint and T-Mobile…
What if unwanted online purchases didn’t have to be returned?
If a returned item is going to be thrown out anyway, why not refund the customer and let them keep it? How would you assess the pros and cons of…
Consumers are changing – or not – in ways that retailers may not understand
For all the talk about the changing consumer behavior, it turns out that Millennials aren’t all that much different than past generations. They just don’t have as much disposable income…
Do retailers have an online reputation management problem?
Effectively managing online perception requires a systematic approach that supports brand strategy. How can brands and retailers manage word of mouth and online chatter when the vast majority of conversations…
Abercrombie & Fitch CEO says ‘stores matter’ – particularly the smaller ones
Abercrombie & Fitch is expecting big things from small boxes. The specialty clothing retailer is continuing its transition from larger flagship stores to “smaller, more omnichannel spaces in the best…
How can retailers help employees improve? (Hint: Not by criticizing them)
“Some employees have more potential than others.” “The best employees are well-rounded individuals.” Most HR professionals agree, but in a keynote at the Wharton People Analytics Conference, the speaker flat-out…
Will TheDrop get the drop on streetwear retailing rivals?
As streetwear continues to trend, one e-tailer appears to be emerging as a go-to spot for the brands that athletes, urbanites and “hype beasts” are buying. To what do you…
Amazon to set small suppliers adrift
Amazon may soon seem a less hospitable place for small third-party sellers as it cozies up to larger retailers and shifts its percentage of products sourced from small suppliers to…
Are Apple’s classes getting in the way?
Too much of a good thing can have serious repercussions. That’s a problem that the Apple store is running into as customer desire to take advantage of the retailer’s tech…
What’s the secret to driving emotional connections with customers?
A new study from Deloitte Digital offers more proof that while shared values and rational thinking bring customers to brands, emotions drive loyalty, advocacy and preference. What advice would you…
Can department stores shake themselves out of the doldrums?
Underscoring the many challenges facing the department store sector, Kohl’s, J.C. Penney and Nordstrom all last week reported disappointing first-quarter earnings. What are the toughest hurdles the basic department store…
Target turns to advertising opportunities as its core retail business thrives
Move over Amazon.com and Walmart — Target wants a bigger piece of the retail advertising pie. Will owning advertising businesses become a major competitive advantage for large retailers such as…
How should retailers best on-board seasonal staff?
With summer just around the corner, many retailers are in full-force seasonal hiring mode. Yet beyond finding solid candidates to work your selling floor, shouldn’t it be just as important…
Do the benefits of using facial recognition in retail outweigh the risks?
Facial recognition technology has many practical applications. But while these use cases seem reasonable to most people, not everyone is enamored with facial recognition technology or how it’s being used…
Questions abound about the value of net promoter scores
The NPS is a metric used by management to determine customer satisfaction or lack thereof with a company at a given point in time. But unlike traditional consumer surveys, the…
Can Loop make packaging reusability a reality at scale?
Some big retailers are working with a startup that’s putting a 21st century twist on a classic method of making packaging reusable — a pick-up service akin to the one…
Are retail HQs and stores suffering a communication breakdown?
Sales promotions, product launches and best practices from headquarters aren’t being heard and acted upon consistently by stores. What advice would you have for improving communications between headquarters and individual…
Can a startup undercut Rent the Runway in the clothing rental space?
A new women’s clothing rental startup, Haverdash, is billing its $59 a month subscription plan as the most affordable unlimited rental service on the market. How big an impediment is…
BBQ Guys and Lowe’s discuss best practices for implementing AI tech
Fine-tuning data science solutions to optimize results has been the easy part. Taking advantage of the new insights is the more complicated task, said IT execs at the 2019 Retail…
