With new high tech options for consumers launching seemingly every day, it seems counterintuitive that an old time product, Mason jars, would make a dramatic comeback. Yet, according to a piece in The New York Times, sales of Ball brand jars have doubled since 2001. What other old-time categories are ripe for resurgence and how can retailers and brands capitalize on “back to the future” trends?
There is a nasty David and Goliath type fight going on in the pet food category, which brings up the question of whether retailers should take sides when brands squabble or not. Should legal and PR battles between brands affect how retailers treat them? Should shelf space allocation be based solely on tangibles such as sales, profit and turnover?
In recent years, major brands have had to weigh the cost of having call centers in the U.S. with the cost savings that can be achieved by having those centers halfway across the world. Now, according to a story in the Detroit Free Press, companies are beginning to bring those jobs and call centers back to the U.S. Will moving call centers back to the U.S. markedly improve customer service?
We talk a lot about the great things retailers can do to make the omni-channel customer experience optimal and seamless. It was no different at last week’s CRMC event (Customer Relationship Management Conference). Is the focus on the latest and greatest personalization and analytics technologies diverting retailers attention away from getting the basics right?
With the U.S. middle class shrinking, and retailers needing an influx of shoppers who actually have discretionary money to spend, it may be time for mainstream retailers to do more to attract the wealthy as customers. Should mainstream retailers make a bigger effort to attract and cater to the affluent to help offset loss of income from the shrinking middle-class?
At the recent eTail West conference, Dave Ratner gave a terrific presentation on how small retailers can win against big chains — real world examples from somebody who worked his way up from the bottom. Do independents and small chains have an inherent advantage when it comes to personalizing customer service? How can retailers scale this upbeat attitude?
The once hip retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, has struggled for more than a decade as it tries to find its footing with teens who research the latest trends on the internet, often buy there too, and are willing to settle for less than top quality. Is Abercrombie & Fitch finally on the right track with its plans?
Wandering the floors of this past NRF BIG Show, it seemed that the retail industry has made a lot of progress analyzing the behavior of shoppers, yet we’ve sometimes remarked that all we’re really trying to do is to get back to the days when shopkeepers knew the customers, what they wanted, and how to engage them. Could retailers gain something by taking a step back and simply measuring whether the shopping experience made the customer happy or unhappy?
The fourth annual research study of digital shopping behavior by Cisco Consulting Services, released at NRF’s Big Show, focused on digital mass market shoppers who represent 80 percent of the population and “Uber-Digitals” who represent 18 percent of the population. What can brick and mortar stores do to encourage heavy digital shoppers to spend more time and money in their stores?
While others may insist that “Customers come first!,” Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores has made it a policy. The company wanted to reduce the volume of complaints while making the stores and store-level associates the “heroes” in the process. Can the “Say Yes!” program be a true differentiator in the marketplace for Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores?
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