Author: Al McClain

Steve Burd on Improving Healthcare

Just about everyone agrees that healthcare costs are rising too fast, and Steve Burd, Chairman/President/CEO of Safeway, aims to do something about it. At this week’s FMI Midwinter Conference, he presented an overview of a plan that he says has worked for Safeway and that he believes can work for other companies. Is Safeway’s program a workable template for other retailing industry companies and should the industry as a whole make an intense effort to get government backing for this type of healthcare reform?

The Future Will Be Different

At the recent National Grocers Association’s (NGA) Executive Conference, Andrew Zoli, who is futurist in-residence for Popular Science and American Demographics magazines, outlined a future full of opportunity and complexity. Here is a sample of some of the trends he sees that will affect the retailing industry. What do you see as key opportunities for retailers and manufacturers based on Mr. Zoli’s outlook?

What’s the Buzz on Word-of-Mouth Advertising?

Most marketers these days seem to believe that word-of-mouth advertising is better than traditional media but that it is harder to do and there are pitfalls. At the recent GMA Merchandising, Sales, and Marketing Conference, marketing executives discussed the importance of W-O-M marketing, along with the risks. How important is W-O-M marketing to retailers and brands, and how important should it be?

Sandbox Coaching for the Executive Suite

We talk a lot in this space about running retail and CPG businesses. Much of the advice centers on paying proper attention to customers. Good utilization of technology can help but many just return to the basics – getting employees to do their best and work well as a team. That’s true all up and down the organization, but what about top execs like CEOs and COOs? How do we get them to “play nicely in the sandbox together”? Do you see executive coaching (especially joint/group coaching) as valuable for the retail industry or as just another consulting opportunity?

Automated Ordering: What are the possibilities?

Al McClain recently met with SAF – AG of Switzerland, a company that promises that great things are in store for retailers who adopt automated ordering. Not being an IT guy, he was curious about what the real potential for automated ordering is, and what the stumbling blocks may be. What is the real potential for computer automated ordering? Should retailers get at least a pilot going now, or “wait and see”?

Over-Promising and Under-Delivering

Remember the standard advice “under-promise and over-deliver”? It’s always sounded good to me. But, many marketing campaigns and slogans these days have little to do with the actual experience of a customer. And it’s not because they’re over-delivering. Are marketers overdoing it with idealized marketing campaigns that wind up breeding discontent when they don’t live up to inflated expectations?

David vs. Goliath: Lessons from Independent Restaurants

Remember the old adage that if you were going to be a bully, you’d better be really tough and/or smart, because sooner or later you would run into someone bigger and stronger than you? In retailing, just about everyone has a number of larger competitors, so it’s important to think creatively. Being average, or even a little better than average, isn’t going to cut it. So, if you aren’t the biggest retailer in your category (and maybe even if you are), you should be able to pick up a tip or two from a recent article on BusinessWeek.com discussing how independent restaurateurs can better compete. What Tip do you like best for helping independent operators compete?

Generic Drugs and Private Label Products: Loss of Innovation?

The rise of private label products in the CPG industry, combined with the growth of generic drug alternatives, have many concerned about losing the economic motivation for new product innovation. With respect to generic drugs, a recent article in Forbes reported that several top-sellers have already lost their patents, or are about to. Are the systems that allow generic drugs and private label CPG products fair to the manufacturers who make the original branded products?

Reflection, Who’s Got Time for @$%&^ Reflection?

If you meet with retailing industry execs, or if you are one, you’ve no doubt noticed the “Blackberryization” of the industry. It seems that everyone has one and that many execs are addicted to them. Telltale signs include lack of an observable attention span, the “head down” posture, and sore thumbs. And, it’s been true seemingly forever that execs are overscheduled; with back to back-to-back meetings a common occurrence. Do you think the retailing industry suffers from an inability to sit back, stop, and think?