Best Buy announced Wednesday that its CEO, Corie Barry, would be replaced by another executive at the consumer electronics retailer, Chief Customer, Product and Fulfillment Officer Jason Bonfig. Bonfig will succeed Barry on Oct. 31, when he will also join the board. Barry will stay on as strategic advisor for six months following Bonfig's appointment.…

Retail has always been about conversation. Long before artificial intelligence, the best store associates knew the real sale happened in the exchange — the “what are you looking for today?” that turned a browser into a buyer. Yet somehow, as the industry raced to digitize everything, that conversational instinct got lost and replaced with menus,…

Retailers are facing mounting pressure from one area that’s become impossible to ignore: labor. Pricing, promotions, and inventory strategies only succeed if there are enough people in place to execute them. For independent retailers, labor is no longer just a cost center. It has become the determining factor in whether plans translate into results. When…

If it feels like customers are harder to win over right now, it’s because they are. Across categories and price points, we are all scrutinizing purchases more carefully, weighing alternatives more thoroughly, and demanding clearer value before we buy. Several forces are converging to create this moment of heightened selectivity. Consumers are more informed than…

Retailers have spent the last decade racing toward speed. Faster checkouts. Faster deliveries. Automated personalization. Shoppers want it, and retailers have been more than happy to oblige. For years, that speed helped build loyalty. Brands could keep up with consumer expectations while rewarding customers with convenience they could count on. But it’s no longer enough:…