Marketing & Ops Executive Commentary
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Retailers Cut Transformative Deals
6/8/2018
Consumer markets just experienced a record-breaking year for deal making in terms of total deal value and volume. While that activity paints a positive economic outlook for the retail industry, what is more telling — and even inspiring — is some of retail’s deals surrounding analytics, tech, and artificial intelligence (AI).
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How To Leverage Data To Create Personal Retail Experiences
5/1/2018
Whether traditional brick and mortar or online, retailers need insights to create the best possible customer experience. Leveraging data is key — here’s what to consider.
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The Virtual Marketplace Is Changing The Age-Old Rules Of Commerce
4/23/2018
There is something almost quaint about the word “marketplace.” It conjures up images of people hawking spices and fruit from busy stalls as pedestrians stroll past in a leisurely manner. Those days are almost entirely gone. Today’s consumers typically aren’t at a bazaar. Nor are they headed to a row of small shops on Main Street or driving out to the large suburban mall to window shop. Instead, an ever-increasing amount of the time, they are online.
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Store Brands Need Standardized Product Identification To Compete Online
4/17/2018
One of the many significant changes taking place in retail is store brand — or private label — product sales are showing impressive growth compared with traditional and national brands. Many retailers are not currently set up to optimize online sales of their store brands and are missing an opportunity to take advantage of the power of private label sales via digital channels. By implementing GS1 Standards and accurately assigning GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) — commonly known as U.P.C.s — to their store brand products, they can deliver a consistent, omni-channel shopping experience, grow their sales, and improve customer satisfaction.
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How To Build A Brand For Millennials And Post-Millennials
3/27/2018
Once, if you had a strong brand, great product, and well-organized distribution, you were a winning retailer. Why? Because replicating your product would take anyone else 10 years to do. Today, with tools brought to the table by the internet, practically any brand or product can be replicated in seconds. So what can be done to stand out from the crowd?
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Why Agile Merchandising Is A Win-Win For Retailers
3/12/2018
Partnering with brand reps to provide fun, profitable in-store promotions, displays, and buying experiences is one part art and one part science. But it always starts with a passion for meeting the needs of today’s wired-up and infinitely distracted consumer, especially as the retail sector continues to undergo massive transformation powered by changing consumer tastes, cost pressures, and the growth of online channels. Not to mention the resurgence of niche retailers and other direct channels that strive to offer greater convenience and unique value added services or packaging. Meanwhile, more funding continues to flow into upstart brands and new retail concepts driven by Amazon and other innovators, creating both a lot of noise and opportunity. To stand-out and succeed, retail merchandisers need to move fast, use their data, and think like a disruptor.
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Is Retail Out Of The Woods?
3/8/2018
In 2017, the U.S. retail industry experienced unprecedented turbulence and many in the industry see more challenges to come in 2018. The impact of Amazon and other online retailers has disrupted how retailers do business and reach consumers. Store closings have reached record levels. Numerous large, well-known retail companies have filed for bankruptcy, restructured, and in many cases closed down their businesses. The continuing evolution of shoppers creates new demands on retailers that impact all aspects of the business, from stores to backstage operations to information technology and supply chain capabilities — including home delivery. The disruption continues to drive concern with investors, creditors, industry analysts, and — most of all — companies themselves.
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Retail’s Reckoning: The Great Fragmentation
3/8/2018
Americans are now living in the fragmented states of America, and the implications for retailers and brands are life altering. Retailers will need to do even more to make themselves compelling and convenient to an increasingly diverse set of niches.
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Bridging The Gap Between Data And The UI
2/21/2018
Online consumerism has dramatically increased over the last few years. As major brick-and-mortar stores close due to online retail growth, the need to provide more personalized online experiences is even more imperative. Shoppers have become increasingly tech savvy and reliant upon their digital devices, and they seek efficiency, independence and personalization when determining from which site they make their final purchases. While users are not interested in dealing with in-store sales associates, a good portion of “shoppers like a personal touch that reflects their history with a brand … and want product recommendations based on past purchases.”
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How Retailers Used Messaging To Gain An Advantage During The Holiday Shopping Season
1/12/2018
Retailers used messaging to effectively reach and re-engage their audience during the holiday season, but this is by no means a seasonal-only play. With people spending exponentially more time on mobile than at the mall, retailers hoping to get ahead in 2018 must consider messaging as an integral part of their mobile marketing strategy.