Marketing & Ops Executive Commentary

1. A High-Tech Solution To Long-Standing Problem 11/19/2018

   Free parking at retail centers can present an irresistible temptation to people who live and work in surrounding businesses and neighborhoods where parking lots and garages charge an hourly rate. This was the challenge facing Assembly Row, a large mixed-use project just outside Boston, and to combat it they implemented an integrated wireless parking solution that utilizes wireless in-ground parking sensors to manage the free parking.

2. Black Friday Doldrums: Why U.S. Consumers Are Shopping From Home 11/8/2018

   The convenience of couch-shopping continues to disrupt what used to be America’s biggest in-store shopping day of the year, as a growing number of people turn in their physical shopping carts for online icons on Black Friday. Notorious for its aggressive consumer behavior, Black Friday is no longer the brick-and-mortar extravaganza it was even a few years ago, as more shoppers move online.

3. Inside The Mind Of A Serial Retail Entrepreneur 10/22/2018

   Retail Operations Insights recently sat down with serial entrepreneur Stacey Boyd to talk about her latest venture. Olivela is a luxury fashion platform offering unique styles from the world's best designers with 20 percent of proceeds from every sale directly benefiting the education of girls worldwide. Here’s what she had to say about this cool initiative.

4. What Are Consumers Telling Us About Black Friday? 10/19/2018

   Regardless of stating a clear intention to participate in Black Friday, consumers appear to be keeping their options wide open when it comes to exactly which items they will buy — and from whom.

5. The Future Of Cashier-Less Checkout 9/21/2018

   Speed or customer service? Most shoppers face that choice when visiting a typical grocery store and head to checkout. Do they opt for the self-check lane instead of waiting in the full-service checkout line? What do consumers give up or gain with each choice? What do retailers gain or lose?

6. What Can Retailers Learn From This Year’s Amazon Prime Day? 9/13/2018

   In July 2015, Amazon’s iconic Prime Day online summer retail event made its first debut. Fast forward to 2018, and this year Amazon reports its fourth annual Prime Day surpassed all prior sales records in the e-commerce giant’s 24-year history – including every Black Friday and Cyber Monday – with Prime members ordering over 100 million products during the 36-hour sales event. What does this all mean for retailers, and how can they effectively compete? To examine shopper sentiment toward the event and how it’s reshaping purchasing behaviors, Periscope By McKinsey surveyed 3,000 consumers in the U.S., UK, France, Italy and Germany to understand their attitudes and actions during Amazon Prime Day 2018.

7. How Retailers Can Prepare For 2018 BFCM & 4 Relevant Trends 9/7/2018

   As tempting as it may be for any overworked store owner not think the chaotic mess of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s a financial non-starter. There’s just too much money on the table not to make it a real priority and commit to meaningful preparation

8. Consumer Marketing In The Era Of Social Shopping 8/24/2018

   The potential reach of customers on social media coupled with the influence social media can make on customers through recommendations make for a powerful e-commerce community. Social shopping is advantageous for shoppers, but what about for brands and marketers?

9. Small Businesses Are Out Of Time To Get Online 7/16/2018

   As consumers shift to online channels for their purchases, it is heavily affecting large brick and mortar retailers. However, what is the impact on small to medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, and local retailers?

10. How Your Retail Business Can Make Emails More Effective 6/25/2018

    It’s easy to fall into the trap of overlooking your email marketing in favor of other forms of advertising. However, when utilized effectively, email can be an essential part of any retailer’s overall marketing strategy.