SGB Media published an article last week called, “What’s Causing the Delays in Back-To-School Buying?” Here’s the link to the article. If you read the article (you should- SGB does a pretty good job), you’ll find a discussion of the factors said to be causing the delays- the usual suspects. I’d like to offer […]
Why is Back to School Shopping Slow? Read More »
I’ve spent some years now listening to everybody bemoan Amazon’s impact on retail. Sometimes, it almost sounds like they believe that if there was no Amazon, everything at retail would be fine. As I’ve written, that’s not the case. Here’s an excellent article from somebody who agrees with me. It repeats some of
Why It’s Not Just Amazon’s Fault Read More »
Running an active outdoor business right now feels like a game of Whack-a-Mole. There’s too much retail- right size yours. Whack! Create product that can be meaningfully differentiated from competitors. Whack! Careful on that distribution. Whack! Manage your inventory and expenses cautiously. Whack! Figure out e-commerce without cannibalizing brick and mortar. Whack! Lower growth economy.
Damn- Turns Out the Customer Is Always Right- More Than Ever Before Read More »
In early 2015, I wrote “The Evolution of Marketing & the Future Retail Model.” It’s held up pretty well. In describing that retail model, I hypothesized about how pop-ups might be used. “Retail presence might be in pop up tents, in vans or trucks, on blankets at beaches, in a lift at a ski resort,
A Follow-up on Pop-ups- Popping Up in Interesting Ways Read More »
Specialty beauty retailer Sephora (2,300 stores worldwide) seems to be a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to brick and mortar retail. As this article describes, they are using technology to give control to the consumer and create a “fun” experience for them. They are reducing the role of the sales person and
“You Just Have to Get Traffic” Read More »
At this point, it’s common knowledge that diminishing mall traffic is leading retailers to close stores and/or renegotiate leases with landlords. There are also some store openings going on as retailers, hopefully, find locations and configurations better suited to the fast changing brick and mortar and e-commerce world. But relationships between retailers and landlords are
Retailers and Landlords. Can’t Live With Each Other, Can’t Live Without Read More »
To my mind, Amazon’s biggest strategic advantage is that they started without brick and mortar retail. The business was built for ecommerce and then, using the systems and data they’ve developed, they could look at brick and mortar making sure to have the right number of stores in the right places configured in the right
What Keeps Jeff Bezos Up at Night- And Why What He’s Doing Should Keep You Up. Read More »
This morning, the Seattle Times featured this article telling us that REI wage hikes for store employee announced last summer will be costing the company $24 to $25 million. The company’s net income for its last complete year was $38.3 million. Meanwhile, my oldest son sent me this article from Investor’s Business Daily, telling us
Retail, Technology, Consolidation, and Unintended Consequences Read More »
People don’t like people who make them uncomfortable. And when I do it, like now, I’m pretty sure it makes it less likely I get calls for consulting. But I’m all about trying to help you to run your businesses better and think you need the bad news as well as the good. Probably you
Projected Retail Closings and Job losses for the Year Read More »
It’s all the Lydians’ fault. The Lydians were a people who lived in what’s now Eastern Turkey in the second millennium BC. Herodotus, writing around 450 BC, tells us this about them: “…the Lydians lived their lives in a way not dissimilar to the Greeks. So far as we know they were the first people
Amazon’s Retail Plans Read More »