According to Dr. Larry Barton, a crisis management and workplace violence expert, there were 1.8 million workplace assaults in this country in 2007. Bullying was reported by 67 percent of associates surveyed. The number one weapon used at work is – for 16 years in a row – the fist. Are retailers doing enough to ward off violence in the retail workplace?
How worried are retailers about crime? Retail shrinkage accounted for $34 billion in 2007, according to the preliminary results of the National Retail Security Survey presented at the recent NRF Loss Prevention Conference. But in an indication of industry concern, the press was banned from four workshops at the show. Do you think retailers in general are paying enough attention to shrink?
At a presentation given last week to the Florida Luxury Marketing Council in Coral Gables, Florida, Al McClain found out that a million just ain’t what it used to be. For example, one now has to have $1.3 billion in net worth to make the bottom of the Forbes 400 richest Americans list. But another group–the middle-class millionaires–is responsible for 39 percent of consumer spending in the U.S. and is a new super-demographic that has lots of money to spend. In what ways do you think middle-class millionaires are different from the traditional middle-class?
According to panelists at a recent NRF workshop entitled “Retail Marketing to the Mass Affluent,” these consumers aren’t really so different than the rest of us, as they have high expectations for service, value, and staying on-trend. How are the mass affluent different from mainstream consumers? What marketing and merchandising do consumers with above average spending habits respond to best?
In a wide-ranging keynote address at the recent IIR Shopper Insights conference, Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of The NPD Group, discussed the ever-changing consumer and how best to reach that moving target. What trends from those listed do you see as most important? What should marketers do – specifically – to capitalize on them?
There is new life in some large, long-established categories, according to presentations at a recent editor’s briefing by Procter & Gamble (a RetailWire sponsor) in Cincinnati. What big retail categories do you think have the most room left for innovation? What new products have you seen lately that had the “wow” factor?
A new book, It’s Okay to be the Boss, by Bruce Tulgan, says managers are under so much pressure and so busy, they don’t bother to manage. Employees trust “the system” less than ever and increasingly look to their immediate bosses for help in succeeding, which puts even more pressure on managers. Do you think managers need to follow a standard set of practices on managing people, or are most managers able to successfully develop their own style?
There are obviously lots of reasons why retailers lose sales and a survey discussed by Pat Conroy of Deloitte & Touche offers some insights that might help retailers do a better job in 2007. A key finding of the survey was that 66 percent of store visits this holiday season were not influenced by advertising and marketing…and that previous shopping experiences are more important than advertising messages. What forms of “new media” deliver the most ROI for retailers and can help merchants connect better with consumers who are engaged in “pre-shopping?”
At the recent National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) convention in Las Vegas, Brian Bay of Macey’s (Utah) won the first annual “International Best Bagger Championship,” edging out Joanne Edwards of Longo’s (Ontario, Canada). At first glance, there may not seem to be much significance in an event that appears to be a throwback to a bygone era. What other industry-wide awards would you suggest to demonstrate appreciation for store-level employees?
Sustainability has risen to the top of the heap in business discussions over the past several years, perhaps due to the fact that many industries are realizing that political and consumer pressure are driving them to work towards this concept, like it or not. Meanwhile, companies such as Migros in Switzerland, long ago embraced the concept and are pushing the envelope even further now. What retailers in the U.S. are working in this area and what are they doing?
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