Brandon Rael

Brandon Rael
5 Things Retailers Must Understand About Product Returns

Retail product returns (i.e., reverse logistics) are a crucial component of the overall relationship between customer and retailer. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans returned $260 billion in merchandise last year, a 66 percent increase from five years ago, and a quarter of that was during the holiday season. The significant increase in…

Has Back to School Evolved Into a Dry Run for Holiday Shopping Season?

Back to School (BTS) represents big business for retailers as consumers spend billions of dollars preparing kids for the upcoming school year. The second largest shopping season, BTS also serves as the transition into the all-important fall/winter product line. While retailers will certainly be judged on their BTS revenue, industry leaders have another, equally important…

Retail Brick-and-Mortar Revitalization in the Digital Age

The digital disruption of retail and commerce is transforming retailers' customer interactions. It's evolving into a far more flexible, seamless omnichannel fulfillment model, which is critical for retailers' continued success, viability and relevance. Online and mobile commerce has grown significantly in size and scale, leading to the misguided perception that brick-and-mortar stores are becoming obsolete. Rather, it's simply become more important for retailers to revitalize the in-store shopping experience in a way that's compelling, interesting and personalized for an increasingly empowered, informed and socially connected consumer.