Marketing

In episode 49 of Total Retail Talks, I interview Jamal Robinson, founder and president of DESIAR. DESIAR is an online retailer of handcrafted wooden sunglasses that was founded in a college dorm room. Robinson talks about the brand's journey as well as his personal goals for growing the business.

It's called Apple, not the Apple Store. The Cupertino, California company has decreed that its chain of retail stores will now only be referred to thusly in what seems to be part of an ongoing attempt to rebrand its stores from shopping destinations to community gathering places. Apple's new flagship store in downtown San Francisco…

The U.S. Olympic team isn't the only entity feeling the sting of the recent Ryan Lochte controversy. Following news that the Olympic swimmer fabricated a story of getting robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro, images of the athlete have quietly disappeared from the Ralph Lauren Olympic apparel page on its site and allegedly from some Macy’s brick-and-mortar stores. Total Retail's…

Recently while I was in the mall, I saw the sign below in a storefront window. Marketers can drive revenue by making strong offers, either online or in this case at retail. I wouldn't consider this example to be a strong offer. Take a look. Can you tell me why? While the offer, “30% Off…

Garnet Hill, a lifestyle brand selling home and apparel products based in New Hampshire, is shaking up the traditional brick-and-mortar shopping experience. After opening a seasonal shop in the Hamptons last summer, Garnet Hill decided to take its product on the road in a mobile boutique this summer. “It’s a showroom, boutique and marketing platform…

After being on the job for less than a year, Barnes & Noble CEO Ronald D. Boire has been ousted by the company's board of directors. The bookstore chain’s board said Boire “was not a good fit for the organization,” and will be replaced by Leonard Riggio, the company's executive chairman, until a permanent leader…

In an age of instant access, customer loyalty is a rare commodity. The idea of consumers purchasing the same brand that their parents or grandparents did seems quaint in comparison to the seemingly infinite options presented to them today. So, how can retail marketers not only gain new customers, but maintain their loyalty? It comes…

Macy’s announced a major strategy shift last week that will affect a significant number of its brick-and-mortar stores. The department store chain will be closing 100 of its 728 locations next year — approximately 14 percent of its stores. These closures signify Macy’s acceptance of the modern retail landscape laid out by e-commerce giant Amazon.com,…

A brand’s ability to optimize customer experiences based on data is a true differentiator in today’s competitive retail landscape.

It's easy to spend marketing dollars on things you feel will drive more business, but what about all the free (or nearly free) methods to accomplish the same or better results? In this day in age, marketers seem to call these growth hacks. These methods may not apply to all retailers and all situations, but…