Marketing

In episode 415 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Chris Ebel, former assistant vice president, marketing and CRM at Pep Boys, the leading automotive aftermarket chain in the U.S. Listen in as Ebel discusses his role at the organization (0:40), why it's critical for retailers to track shoppers' paths to purchase (1:10), and how…

In episode 414 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Valerie Grant, lifecycle marketing manager at Kroger, an American grocer operating a variety of banner names. Grant discusses her role leading engagement and retention membership marketing (0:45), how Kroger differentiates its approach between brand and lifecycle marketing (1:45), and the importance of agile, sustainable marketing…

Mass reach advertising isn’t cutting it anymore. Radio voiceovers and commercial breaks in between TV segments might be the easiest way to reach large audiences, but it's no longer the most effective. Today, the way advertisers reach customers is constantly evolving with the emergence of new channels and innovations. In this fragmented digital landscape, it's…

How did a 92-year-old company dedicated to women's clothing successfully launch a tween brand in 2022? In an exclusive interview with Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) and Total Retail last week, Laura Sieger, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of maurices, shared a behind-the-scenes look at the launch and expansion of Evsie, maurices' tween…

In episode 413 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Cathy Miller, executive vice president of sales and marketing at West Music Company, a family-owned, Iowa-based music instrument and education retailer. Listen in as Miller discusses the business and her role (0:40), as well as how the company tells the story of its over…

The rise of commerce (or retail) media and the collapse of the attention economy go hand in hand. Case in point: The 2010s were good to direct-to-consumer (D2C) commerce. Most retailers experienced low customer acquisition costs (CAC) afforded through low-cost social media ads (mostly via Meta products like Facebook and Instagram). At the time, these…

When BCG researched commerce media, it sized an industry expected to reach $10 billion in ad spend by 2025. Major retailers like Amazon.com have normalized retail media networks (RMNs) and are already maximizing their income potential, but smaller RMNs are also growing fast. Why do RMNs continue to gain traction and grow in value? It’s…

Amazon.com did it again. Prime Day, which took place for 48 hours on July 11 and 12, generated record sales and a 6 percent year-over-year increase, wooing customers with steep discounts. With inflation hitting customers this year, a lot of retailers are looking to Prime Day to help guide their own discounting approach for the holiday…

Rather than make readers wait for the punchline, I want to lead with the fact that the 2023 back-to-school shopping experience will be omnichannel. According to data from Nielsen IQ, 41 percent of consumers are planning on an omnichannel shopping experience for back-to-school, while 35 percent will be buying in physical stores, and 25 percent…

Retail media networks (RMNs) are expanding rapidly, and retailers of all sizes are joining the race, offering ad placements on an ever-widening variety of channels. The opportunity here is enormous, as these ads are shown to people who are already looking to make purchases — which isn't necessarily the case when compared to ads on…