Economy

Articles on how the economy is impacting retail.

  1. Channel: Mass

Tesco Irish Price Cuts Instigate Price War

“Supermarket price war: retailers to ‘come out fighting’ after Tesco’s pledge to cut more than 700 grocery items. “Move is likely to put pressure on other supermarket chains to follow suit, leading to significant savings for Irish consumers. “Ireland’s leading supermarkets are likely to follow Tesco’s lead in reducing the price of hundreds of products […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

How Big Retail and CPG Brands Are Rethinking Omnichannel Promotional Campaigns to Battle Inflation

U.S. food prices surged by 11 percent last year, marking the largest increase since the 1980s. While the rate of inflation has gradually calmed down since its June 2022 peak, rising prices remain a significant concern for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. Given the possibility of a recession, it may be tempting to […]
3 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

How to Combine AI and Human Creativity to Enhance the Retail Experience

In today’s retail landscape, brands are embracing artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology solutions to keep up with the competition and provide their customers with the best possible shopping experiences. However, it’s equally important to maintain a personal touch and human element to create a truly immersive and engaging experience. The most successful retailers will […]
3 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Wilko on the hunt for retail technology leader as it steps up omnichannel transformation push

Wilko, a British high street chain that sells homewares and household goods, is looking for a senior software engineering leader to head up its digital engineering capability. In a LinkedIn post, Simon Reeve, Head of Engineering and Architecture at Wilko, said: “This is an exciting and challenging role, taking end to end ownership and accountability […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department: Food

Food Retailers with YoY Customer Counts Down, Sales Slipping, and Rent Sky Rocketing Need to Evolve

  Here is some of what the team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has heard from clients, at the National Restaurant Show, or read printed in other recent articles. The simple fact is that rent for food retailers including restaurants, C-Stores, Deli’s etc. are continuing to increase.  In many spots around the country, they […]
5 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

Amazon Said To Plan Ad-Supported Tier For Prime Video

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon “is planning to launch an advertising-supported tier of its Prime Video streaming service as it looks to further build its ad business and generate more revenue from entertainment.” The discussions of such an offering, the Journal writes, “come in the wake of cost-cutting reviews across the company’s businesses, […]
4 min read
0
  1. Department: Beverage

Circana reveals 2022 New Product Pacesetters

CHICAGO – Circana, formerly IRI and The NPD Group, has released its 2022 New Product Pacesetters, the 28th annual report revealing the top new product launches across food and beverage and nonfood sectors. The report illustrates the enduring power of CPG innovation, revealing that consumer spending on new product offerings remained elevated last year despite challenges […]
4 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

World of Sweets taps Algonomy retail technology for deeper understanding of omnichannel customers

Hancocks, a UK-based confectionery wholesaler and part of the World of Sweets Group, is to deploy Algonomy’s Omnichannel Personalisation Platform. By using AI, customer segmentation, and predictive models that Algonomy’s platform affords, Hancocks is set to deliver online content, product recommendations, search results, and browsing experience based on individual customer profiles. The wholesaler serves a […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

CEO Survey:  Economy Remains Solid

A Business Roundtable survey of more than 100 US CEOs concludes that “the breakneck pace of corporate hiring may slow in coming months, but the overall economy remains solid,” Axios reports. According to the story, “The view from the corporate suite is of an economy that can come off its inflationary hot boil — without […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  Business.  Not Personal.

Yesterday we took note of a Boston Globe story about how youth organizers with the Hyde Square Task Force in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, did significant market research and figured out that a grocery cart of items at their local Stop & Shop cost $34 more than the same products at the chain’s store in suburban […]
12 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Scarred by the 2008 Recession and COVID, 48% of Gen Z Frequently Shops at Discount Stores

As the oldest members of Gen Z move into their mid-20s and the youngest enter their teen years, personal finance concerns are high on their list of worries. That sense of unease is to be expected from a cohort shaped by both the 2008-2009 Great Recession and the COVID pandemic, and it’s had a big […]
4 min read
0
5
  1. Channel: Specialty & Other

Report: Bed Bath & Beyond in Talks to Sell Buybuy Baby

Bed Bath & Beyond is in talks to sell its Buybuy Baby chain to retail investment firm Go Global Retail, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Go Global Retail owns children’s clothing brand Janie and Jack and womenswear label ModCloth, which it acquired from Walmart. It primarily invests […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Walmart, Ebay Launch New Accelerator Programs Focused on Ecommerce, Web3

Walmart’s incubation arm, Store Nº8, and Ebay have both launched new accelerator programs aimed at supporting startups developing technologies designed to help shape the future of digital commerce. Store Nº8 Accelerator Aims to ‘Unlock’ Decentralized Commerce Store Nº8 has teamed up with Web3 investor and accelerator Outlier Ventures to launch the Store Nº8 dCommerce Base […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Grocery

Stop & Shop Accused Of “Ripping Off” Low Income Neighborhoods

The Boston Globe this morning reports that “the teenage sleuths of Hyde Square are at it again. “Six years after prompting TD Garden to donate $1.65 million for a skating rink after discovering the complex failed to hold fund-raisers for local recreation programs as required by state law, they have another behemoth in their sights: […]
3 min read
0
  1. Department: Food

Inflation, Recession, & The Bifurcated Consumer

The Los Angeles Times has an excellent story about how Southern Californians are strategizing to save money at the grocery store. First, some context for their decision-making: “The U.S. is not in a recession, but the psychological weight of that possibility — combined with the effects of still-high inflation — have consumers bracing for the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

NRF foresees soft landing for economy

WASHINGTON – Consumer spending provides reason for optimism about the economy, according to the National Retail Federation’s chief economist, who expects a soft landing from the period of high inflation that has prevailed for the past few years. “Today’s economy is a lot like looking into a kaleidoscope, with the view changing and the data […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Specialty & Other

UPDATED: Multiple Potential Purchasers Express Interest in BuyBuy Baby, Reports Say

Bed Bath & Beyond has reportedly received interest in BuyBuy Baby from at least two bidders, according to CNBC. DTC baby registry website Babylist is looking at the retailer’s trademark and domain, while an unnamed bidder is looking at BuyBuy Baby as a going concern and has expressed interest in keeping 75% of stores open. […]
2 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Walmart incubator arm Store No8 and Outlier Ventures target startups focused on building in Web3

Store No8, Walmart’s incubation arm, and Outlier Ventures, a Web3 investor, have announced the launch of the Store No8 dCommerce Base Camp accelerator programme. Applications open today, and the 12-week initiative will begin in mid-August. The aim is to help a select cohort of startups focused on building in Web3 to deliver solutions that improve […]
2 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

With Consumers Awash in Subscriptions, Brands Set Sights on Paid Membership

The subscription economy has been the subject of dire headlines recently, with terms like “subscription fatigue,” “the great unsubscribe” and even “subscription apocalypse” being bandied about. Some stats support the gloomy outlook: according to Kearney, 40% of consumers feel they have too many subscriptions, and subscription ecommerce is predicted to have its slowest growth year […]
7 min read
0
  1. Associates & Employees

NRF sounds alarm over labor impasse

WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation is reiterating its call for the Biden administration to get involved in stalled labor negotiations after reports of shutdowns over the weekend at two California ports. Shutdowns at the Port of Oakland and the Port of Long Beach come as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Could Amazon Make Mobile Phone Service A Prime Benefit?

Bloomberg reported over the weekend that Amazon “has been talking with wireless carriers about offering low-cost or possibly free nationwide mobile phone service to Prime subscribers, according to people familiar with the situation. “The company is negotiating with Verizon Communications Inc., T-Mobile US Inc. and Dish Network Corp. to get the lowest possible wholesale prices. […]
2 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

How effective are ads on social media?

“Social media is not a broadcast platform, it’s a place where communities form and thrive, and brands can build genuine human connections with customers,” said Tamara Littleton from The Social Element. Tamara’s right, social is a big way brands can connect with consumers today. But it can be tricky to stand out when so many […]
7 min read
0
  1. Retail Ecosystem

U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Report: 2022 Revenue & 2023-2025 Growth Projections

The seventh annual IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue report, prepared for IAB by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), quantifies annual podcast advertising revenues generated over the past year, analyzes revenue share by ad category and content genre, and forecasts future revenues through 2025. Following a year of unprecedented growth for the overall digital advertising industry in 2021, […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

The Hollow Value Of A Five-Star Rating

The Wall Street Journal this morning has a piece about the “confusion over what constitutes 5-star behavior for certain services, combined with the guilt of potentially hurting someone’s livelihood, has people defaulting to perfect scores. Ratings padding is particularly rampant for services involving personal interactions.  “Just like the children in the fictional Lake Wobegon, everyone […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

The Elusive Recession, & Not-So-Elusive Recessionary Mindset

The Wall Street Journal this morning writes that “more than a year after the Federal Reserve began rapidly raising interest rates to tame inflation, the hallmarks of a widely expected recession remain elusive. “Employers are hiring aggressively, consumers are spending freely, the stock market is rebounding and the housing market appears to be stabilizing—the most […]
3 min read
0
  1. Associates & Employees

CEO Doug McMillon details Walmart’s evolution

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Walmart that Doug McMillon presides over is a different place than it was when he became CEO nine years ago. At the time, some industry observers viewed the company as too vast and deeply rooted in brick-and-mortar retailing to compete effectively in the age of e-commerce. With McMillon’s prodding, Walmart proved […]
4 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Cost of Food Forcing Consumers to Switch Brands

With inflation rising at 4.9% which is less than a year ago, all the while, food prices still rose 7.7% between April 2022 and April 2023 consumers don’t like it and are migrating to other food brands or restaurants and that shift aka trial 61.3 percent of time leads to customer migration according to Steven […]
3 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

The Case For Greater Government Regulation Of Retail Competition

The New York Times had an op-ed piece the other day entitled “The Real Reason Your Groceries Are Getting So Expensive,” in which author Stacy Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, made the argument that enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, “which mandates that suppliers offer the same terms to all retailers,” needs […]
3 min read
0

Trending Topics

Editor’s Choice

  1. Channel: Mass
  2. Channel: Grocery - Natural
  3. Channel: Mass
  4. Channel: Specialty & Other
  5. Department & Category
  6. Department: Consumer Durables
  7. Department: Nonfood
  8. Corporate Strategy
  9. Media & Marketing
  10. Shopper & Customer
  11. Trends & External Forces
  12. Merchandising
  13. Stores & Formats

Target Leapfrogs Walmart For Upscale Grocery Approach

Bloomberg has a story about how “a slew of retailers are beefing up their grocery investments to lure in consumers cutting back on non-essentials like clothing and electronics. But as they lay out plans to improve their food offerings and supply chains, the big question is how does one compete with the mighty Walmart Inc. on […]
Written by
  1. Department: Beverage
  2. CPG: Adult Beverage
  3. CPG: Beverage
  4. CPG: Food
  5. CPG: Food & Bev
  6. CPG: HBC
  7. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital
  8. Channel: Restaurants
  9. Department & Category
  10. Department: Adult Beverage
  11. Department: Beverage
  12. Department: Food
  13. Department: HBC
  14. Department: Nonfood
  15. Corporate Strategy
  16. Corporate Finance
  17. Corporate Purpose
  18. ESG
  19. Media & Marketing
  20. Agencies & Vendors
  21. Data & Insights
  22. Shopper & Customer
  23. Technology & Innovation
  24. Trends & External Forces
  25. Merchandising
  26. Operations & Supply Chain

Circana reveals 2022 New Product Pacesetters

CHICAGO – Circana, formerly IRI and The NPD Group, has released its 2022 New Product Pacesetters, the 28th annual report revealing the top new product launches across food and beverage and nonfood sectors. The report illustrates the enduring power of CPG innovation, revealing that consumer spending on new product offerings remained elevated last year despite challenges […]
Written by
  1. Channel: Mass
  2. Channel: Mass
  3. Acquisitions, Divestitures & Mergers
  4. Media & Marketing
  5. Retailer Media
  6. Shopper & Customer
  7. Trends & External Forces
  8. Owned Brands (Private Label)

Walmart Upgrades Its Digital Ad Network

From Advertising Age: “Walmart Connect, which has made huge gains in recent years through digital advertising, is testing ways to bolster in-store pieces of its retail media network. “For the first time, Walmart Connect is selling ads on its revamped in-store radio network and integrating sampling programs with online offerings. While aspects of Walmart Connect’s […]
Written by
  1. Channel: Grocery
  2. Trends & External Forces
  3. Stores & Formats

H-E-B expands its discount format

Several years after opening its last Joe V’s location, H-E-B is reigniting the banner with two locations set to open in Dallas by 2025. Dive Brief: H-E-B announced Tuesday it is opening two Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B stores in Dallas, marking the first time the grocer’s discount format will appear outside of the Houston area. […]
Written by
  1. Retailer Media
  2. ESG
  3. Media & Marketing
  4. Retailer Media
  5. Shopper & Customer
  6. Operations & Supply Chain

Giant Eagle launches in-house retail media network Leap

The platform leverages the chain’s loyalty program, bringing personalized ads to shoppers in-store, in-app, on social media and elsewhere, said Damian Scott, who heads up the grocer’s retail media and front-end digital operations. Dive Brief: Giant Eagle announced on Wednesday the debut of Leap Media Group, an in-house retail media arm that leverages the regional […]
Written by

Trending