Is the time right to move to the cloud?
Despite the reported benefits of moving company core systems to the cloud, RSR's Paula Rosenblum, in speaking with clients, was "surprised by the resistance to many of these applications ... and the...
View ArticleIs the ad business out of touch?
At the Association of National Advertisers annual "Masters of Marketing" conference, Pepsico exec Brad Jakeman gave a barn-burning speech charging the ad industry with being out of touch with the...
View ArticleWhat’s blocking the endless aisle?
Omni-channel is real, and is table stakes at worst and a profit driver at best. In more official sounding terms, it's a retailer imperative. What are the main hurdles keeping retailers from meeting...
View ArticleThe independent retailer lives on
While technology has changed and evolved, the independent retailer — even without storefronts — still works far more than the 40-hour week (or even 50-hour week) of his larger brethren. How have you...
View ArticleSupply chain management: Lessons not learned
In 2001, a seven-year project concluded that it was possible for the soft goods industry to improve consumer responsiveness while still reducing the time merchandise sits in the supply chain pipeline....
View ArticleWhat customer service lessons can be learned from United Airlines?
Of course, retail isn’t like the airlines. Consumers have many, many options and a lot of them have chosen Amazon.com. They've chosen to talk to no one rather than coming to stores and talking to…? To...
View ArticleIs ultrafast fashion a thing – seriously?
Ultrafast fashion has apparently arrived — online-only retailers ostensibly able to produce merchandise in two to four weeks, compared to five weeks for Zara and H&M. Do you think it is possible to...
View Article‘Jittery’ prices will come back to hurt Amazon
Amazon, famous for its continual price changes and (maybe) dynamic pricing, might well be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. A recent experience really caused my head to snap back. Do...
View Article‘Frictionless’ is the annoying word of the year
The promise of a “frictionless shopping experience” has come up so many times this year that I’ve started to cringe whenever I see or hear it. How well do you think most retailers understand consumers’...
View ArticleJust Walk Out – Just in time or just too soon?
Amazon recently installed Just Walk Out (JWO) at a grocery retailer it does not own for the first time. 2023 will see even more buzz around the technology. Do you see Amazon’s Just Walk Out and similar...
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