Daily trends and hashtags tend to inject buzzwords and phrases into the public zeitgeist at a moment's notice. One day, the scandal of the moment attracts the dreaded “-gate” suffix, and the next day, a novel term like "coronavirus" is all anyone can talk about. Warehouse automation doesn't carry near the number of implications as…
In the midst of recent announcements, what caught my eye was the opening of Amazon.com's first Fresh grocery store in Los Angeles. Retail is undergoing a massive upheaval, and I think it will come out the other side offering a significantly better customer experience. What do I think people are looking for? Availability of what…
The holidays are here and e-commerce marketers are mapping out how to cope with the increased demand and competition this year will bring. To compound the seasonal rush, e-commerce continues to accelerate, and businesses are trying to plan ahead to jump-start their 2021 e-commerce sales. As they do, retailers are looking toward omnichannel strategies for…
Organizations are headed into the most unusual holiday shopping season in recent memory, and instead of focusing on how to obtain and keep customers, they’re bogged down in day-to-day business processes. In fact, top concerns among retailers this season are forecasting, obtaining adequate stock, and keeping staff and customers safe, according to a recent survey…
As we near a holiday season like none before it, retailers must be proactive in addressing the ways in which COVID-19 has changed typical shopping behaviors and expectations. According to a new survey from RetailMeNot, 75 percent of Americans say they’ll prefer to shop online this year, and the same amount will aim to complete…
Budgeting for the new year isn’t always easy to plan for, especially in unprecedented times. In order to gain deeper insights into retail, I turned to industry veterans Rich Pedott and Daniel Binder of Columbus Consulting. One way to streamline the process of keeping budgets in check while accommodating vendors is to use artificial intelligence…
COVID-19 has changed everything. The retail ecosystem has been impacted more than any other industry. Now, the industry is tiptoeing to the most important time of year: the holidays. In-store traffic is down over 50 percent from a year ago, and let’s not forget that this traffic had already decreased every month for over six…
Amazon.com is big. Powerful, too. The vision of Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is remarkable. It's astounding to consider Amazon’s ascension began just 26 years ago in 1994. While I don’t always agree with Amazon’s practices, I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Bezos as an entrepreneur, a visionary, and for the brand…
2020 has been a year marked by a series of uncertainties. Many companies have seemingly been flying blind the past several months, attempting to weather the fallout from our COVID-19 new normal and pivot their operations in response to our anticipated next normal. Many business leaders are understandably somewhat disoriented by the rapid changes we've…
The holiday shopping season is upon us and many retailers have shifted their focus to building up inventory and staffing in preparation for a longer-than-usual online shopping season. While retailers go through this process every year, preparing for holiday shoppers this year comes with an added layer of uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and…
