Returns

Articles on the new nemesis of ecom – returns.

  1. Merchandising
“A lot of business cases, they depend on internal efficiency gains. But if you don’t measure this … then it will never lead to project success or success on the digital shelf … Have a measuring mindset.”            — Ilse Goverts-van Kesteren, Lead Business Consultant, Wunderman Thompson When Wunderman Thompson asked […]
  1. Stores & Formats
Dick’s Sporting Goods posted strong results in fiscal 2023, which ended Feb. 3, 2024, with $13 billion in net sales, 5% higher than the previous year, and a 2.4% increase in comp store sales. For the coming fiscal year, the retailer is planning $800 million in CapEx expenditures to fund a major brick-and-mortar expansion that […]
  1. Corporate Strategy
It was a tough week to be at the top in retail with a number of companies announcing CEO switch-ups following disappointing performances, including Petco, Under Armour, Fossil Group and, as Retail TouchPoints previously reported, Allbirds. Former Best Buy COO to Lead Petco While CEO Search Gets Underway Ron Coughlin — who led Petco through […]
  1. Shopper & Customer
Consumers want convenience, personalization and value — it’s what pushed the U.S. retail market to a record $5.13 trillion in 2023. As inflation subsides, what shoppers want and how they spend will keep playing a big role in how the market evolves. Retailers need to keep pace with a more connected, savvy and discerning customer […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
Shop Premium Outlets (SPO) — the online marketplace from mall operator Simon Property Group and Rue Gilt Groupe — has launched a retail media network powered by Mirakl Ads, a new retail media offering from marketplace solution Mirakl (on which SPO is built). SPO features on-sale and outlet merchandise from more than 300 curated sellers […]
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital
“A big trap that a lot of brands fall into is, they may have some growth goals … but they’re overly focused on bottom-of-funnel metrics like ROAS [return on investment]. And that is just going to kill any innovation that you might have.” — Kiri Masters, Head of Retail Marketplace Strategy, Acadia Measuring Amazon Deliver Service […]
  1. Shopper & Customer
Creating a positive customer experience lies at the heart of every brand’s purpose in the journey to nurturing and retaining customers. But how does the post-click experience factor into this important dynamic? In an ever-evolving and crowded marketplace — and with social commerce increasingly dictating how customers are introduced to brands and shop with them […]
  1. Trends & External Forces
Comments from Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen. "Kroger achieved strong 2023 results, in line with our long-term growth model and built upon three consecutive years of historic growth.
  1. Corporate Finance
CINCINNATI—Kroger reported flat sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended February 3, but profits beat expectations. The retailer reported a $736 million profit on sales of $37.1 billion for the three-month period. Kroger noted that identical sales (excluding fuel decreased 0.8% in the quarter, while underlying identical sales without fuel increased 0.1%. The […]
  1. Media & Marketing
Target is adding a paid option to its loyalty program, offering free same-day delivery from the retailer’s Shipt subsidiary and its 100+ retail partners. The Target Circle 360 program’s annual $99 fee will be only $49 (for the first year) for customers who sign up from April 7, when the program kicks off, through May […]
  1. Stores & Formats
The Washington Post writes that “two of the biggest names in big-box retail have boosted their bets on a growing trend for brick-and-mortar sales: smaller stores. “Best Buy and Macy’s this week announced plans to add small-format stores in a strategy that could help the companies cut costs while answering customers’ demand for convenience. They […]
  1. Shopper & Customer
Augmented reality (AR) unlocks a variety of opportunities for the retail sector. It helps to elevate the in-store buying experience, bring online shopping to a completely new level, and enhance guests’ experiences at fashion shows. Let’s see how AR is used by well-known brands and what benefits it brings to consumers’ shopping journeys. How AR […]
  1. Operations & Supply Chain
As the retail landscape continues to evolve, the significance of a well-structured return policy becomes increasingly evident. A recent report from the National Retail Federation showed the rate of returns increased 14.5 percent last year, a total of $743 billion in merchandise. Online retailers specifically experienced a notable uptick in returns in 2023, with an […]
  1. Data & Insights
For retailers, consumers are, and always have been, the beating heart of business success. In today’s world of ample choice for customers, this vitality is at an all-time high. Consumer buying power is higher than ever as is the importance of building loyalty and trust among them. Retailers know it’s crucial to anticipate customer needs […]
  1. Operations & Supply Chain
Mondelēz International is bringing back its Big Win-Win campaign again this year offering both retailers and their shoppers the chance to win cash prizes. The Cadbury Big Win-Win on-and off-pack promotion will run from the end of February to mid-June, inviting consumers to nominate their… This story continues at Cadbury Big Win-Win promotion returns Or […]
  1. Data & Insights
For some time now, many retailers have been exploring the use of artificial intelligence to enhance various aspects of their business, from inventory placement to merchandising assortments. However, the conversation gained renewed momentum in 2023 with the emergence of ChatGPT and generative AI. This increased interest in the potential of AI to transform retail operations […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
“When I get customer interaction I want it to count. Technology can help with that.” So said Naomi Simcock, Operations Director at John Lewis, in a Q&A conference session with consultant, Andrew Busby, at Smart Retail Tech Expo on 27th February at ExCel in London. “I’ve got a huge supply chain and other fixed costs, […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
One of the most promising changes in the retail market has been the regrowth of consumer confidence. At the end of 2023, both financial well-being and future financial confidence hit the highest levels in two years. This has been facilitated by the easing rate of inflation and while, consumer attitudes are not back to where […]
  1. Data & Insights
The months after the holiday season can be chaotic due to a flurry of returns, accompanied with the pressure to meet new sales goals and start the year off strong. This year, retailers anticipate an approximate $25 billion in fraudulent return claims, representing approximately 16.5 percent of the total returns during this period. For retailers […]
  1. Data & Insights
The shipping and delivery phase of an e-commerce order is filled with opportunities or ‘touchpoints’ that you can capitalize on to convert one-time shoppers into repeat customers and spread positive word of mouth to influence their close ones, all while hoping that you don’t encounter any challenge that can infuriate your customers and get your […]
  1. Channel: Mass
Marc Lore, who ran Walmart’s US e-commerce business from 2016-2021 after he sold it his Jet e-commerce startup for $3.3 billion, has opened a new food hall inside the retailer’s Quakertown, Pennsylvania, store. Inc. reports that Lore’s new food startup, Wonder, dropped its high-tech delivery model last year, opting instead to open what it calls […]
  1. Operations & Supply Chain
Demand planning uses available data and analytics into past market behavior in and around a business to predict the future. Without these insights, business owners could make inventory misreads, marketing mistakes, shipping blunders, and hiring miscues, all eating into profit margins. By assessing your current business performance and past order histories, you can anticipate the […]
  1. Shopper & Customer
Beyond, Inc., owner of online retail brands Bed Bath & Beyond (BB&B) and Overstock, will bring back a standalone Overstock.com site in approximately five weeks rather than the September 2024 target date announced earlier. Beyond rechristened its Overstock site with the Bed Bath & Beyond name in June 2023 after it acquired the bankrupt retailer’s […]
  1. Operations & Supply Chain
It’s the way of the world that giant corporations have the resources to crush their competition, especially when they attain a dominant position in the marketplace. The goliaths of Amazon.com and eBay did this to SMBs when they started offering FREE returns of online purchases. To be fair, the big companies probably didn’t foresee the […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
An Amazon Just Walk Out technology powered store has opened at Lesley University in the US. Lesley University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its students can now experience a frictionless shopping experience on campus, with the likes of snacks and drinks available to buy. In a LinkedIn post, Brisbane Vaillancourt, Regional Vice President […]
  1. Operations & Supply Chain
Today, Mark Greaney – author of The Gray Man series of novels – returns to MNB for a conversation about his newest book, “The Chaos Agent.” I’m a big fan of Greaney’s work, and I found “The Chaos Agent” to be one of his best, a page turner that focuses on nefarious uses for AI […]
Note: Requires ChatGPT Plus
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  Don’t want to cook, don’t want to do dishes, well according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® your kids don’t want you hear you complain about cooking dinner either. Chuck E. Cheese has a new program for that has a great chance to make the entire family happy according […]
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Target reported Q4 and 2023 financial results at its annual investor day on March 5, 2024. Quarterly comp performance improved sequentially from Q2 to Q4, but 2023 ended with comps down -3.7%. Profitability outperformed expectations as the company realized $2B of operating income growth in 2023 and reported notable gross margin improvements. The stock was […]
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Comments from Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen. "Kroger achieved strong 2023 results, in line with our long-term growth model and built upon three consecutive years of historic growth.

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