Strategy

Articles on retail strategy and thought leadership.

  1. Shopper & Customer

The Grocerant Guru®: Jollibee, Chickenjoy, and the Global Family Meal Migration

  In today’s foodservice economy, consumer behavior is undergoing a structural shift. Traffic is no longer dictated solely by proximity or price—it is increasingly driven by flavor discovery, cultural relevance, and occasion-based meal bundling. At the center of that migration is Jollibee, a brand that has translated Filipino flavor profiles into a scalable, high-frequency, takeout-driven […]
5 min read
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  1. Department & Category

Bojangles Repositions for Relevance: Mini-Meals, Snackable Dayparts, and the Rise of Interactive Eating

  At a time when traditional meal occasions continue to fragment, Bojangles is leaning into one of the most durable macro shifts in foodservice: the rise of snacking as a primary consumption behavior across all generations. With the launch of Bo’s Chicken Rippers, the brand is not simply introducing a limited-time offer—it is recalibrating its […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Secret Shopper: Inside POP MART Charing Cross as London’s biggest store opens to fans and collectors

Secret Shopper visits POP MART’s new West End flagship to explore the store design, customer experience, blind boxes and why the brand is booming in the UK. There’s no easy way to say this without sounding dramatic… but wow. The brand new POP MART Charing Cross store isn’t just a store, it’s an experience. We […]
7 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

From Pikachu to Fajitas: What Pokémon Teaches Food Brands About Staying Relevant

  In a world where consumer attention is fragmented across screens, platforms, and experiences, relevance is the ultimate currency. Few brands have mastered long-term relevance like Pokémon. What began as a simple handheld video game has evolved into a multi-generational, multi-platform ecosystem that continues to engage billions of consumers globally. For foodservice professionals—and increasingly, for […]
5 min read
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  1. Department: Food

Your Views:   Backlashes

We had a story the other day about how Target plans to adjust its approach to grocery by focusing more on specialized products, and moving away from the something-for-everyone strategy. I was, to say the least, dubious. In wrote, ion part: The thing is, it isn’t easier to be an effective specialty food retailer.  It’s […]
13 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Is A Retail Cloud POS System Right For Your Business?

If you’re running a retail store in 2026, chances are you’ve already heard the case for moving to the cloud. But when it comes to your point of sale setup, the decision carries real operational and financial weight. Choosing the right retail cloud POS system isn’t just a technology upgrade – it’s a commitment that […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Improv as Process

Miles Davis didn’t stop playing when someone hit a wrong note. He used it. In jazz, there are no mistakes—only material. A missed chord, an unexpected rest, a drummer who comes in half a beat late. In the hands of a great player, all of it becomes part of the song. Business isn’t that different. […]
2 min read
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  1. Retail Ecosystem

How to Approach Large Retail Buyers

Most emerging brands believe a myth that holds them back for years: “I can’t get into major retail stores because I don’t know the right people.” While having a Rolodex full of contacts helps, it is not the only way to get your product on shelves. Retail buyers are not gatekeepers hiding behind an iron […]
5 min read
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  1. Operations & Supply Chain

Why Distributors Are Essential for a Successful Retail Product Launch

Launching a new product into retail is one of the most exciting milestones for any product-based business—but it’s also one of the most challenging. Getting on store shelves requires more than a great product and strong branding. It requires logistics, relationships, and distribution power that most early-stage brands simply don’t have on their own. That’s […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Baltazar Hasselsteen Ozone discusses data and AI transformation push as she she heads out of Pandora

Baltazar Hasselsteen Ozone has announced her departure from Pandora where she spent just over seven years, holding a number of roles during that time, most recently VP AI & Innovation. In a LinkedIn post, she said: “Proud of what we built. Excited about what’s next. Seven years ago, we kicked off the data and AI […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Gamified Dining Wins: How Kura Sushi Turns Play into Profits with Participatory Food Marketing

  The restaurant industry is moving beyond transactions and into interactive, participatory food experiences, and Kura Sushi USA is demonstrating how that shift can drive measurable financial performance. This is not simply about sushi. It is about behavioral economics, menu engineering, and consumer engagement strategies that increase frequency, check average, and throughput simultaneously.   The […]
5 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Winning in Social Commerce with Gildan’s Jason O’Toole & Katie Tripodi

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Jason O’Toole, Head of Connected Commerce & Media, and Katie Tripodi, Director of US Digital Merchandising and eCommerce Expansion at Gildan, a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel. The Company’s product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, and intimates sold to a broad range of customers, including […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

From Points to Precision: Why AI-Powered Loyalty Is Rewiring the Grocerant Economy in 2026

  The loyalty landscape in foodservice and convenience retail is undergoing a structural reset—and the data is no longer subtle. According to the 2026 Paytronix Loyalty Report, operators that once relied on static, points-based systems are now pivoting toward AI-driven personalization fueled by first-party data. The result? A measurable lift in visit frequency, ticket size, […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Jason & Scot Show Episode EP337 – Agentic Commerce at Citi’s Global Consumer & Retail Conference

A weekly podcast with the latest e-commerce news and events. Episode 337 is a panel discusion on the Future of Agentic Commerce from Citi’s Global Consumer & Retail Conference. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Podcast RSS SoundCloud TuneIn iHeartRadio Google Play Music Overcast Pocket Casts Facebook ????? Chapters 0:30 Welcome to the Jason and […]
3 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

The Net Pricing Revolution in the Drug Channel: What’s Deflating the Gross-to-Net Bubble (rerun)

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while we prepare for today’s live video webinar: PBM Industry Update 2026: Trends, Challenges, and What’s Ahead. Click here to see the original post from January 2026. As I highlighted last week, we are entering the Net Pricing Drug Channel (NPDC) era—a market environment in which net prices, […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Drive-Thru Under Pressure: Why Fast Food’s Core Profit Engine Is Stalling

  The drive-thru remains the dominant revenue engine for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), generating 60%–75% of total sales at many brands. Yet today, operators are confronting a convergence of pressures: elevated labor costs, persistent food inflation, declining traffic, and slower service times according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® this is […]
5 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

JD.com’s Joybuy online marketplace taps Competera pricing platform for European push

Competera is working with Joybuy, JD.com’s online retail business, to manage its footprint across Europe. The partnership moves Joybuy away from manual market monitoring by implementing a centralised system that tracks competitive shifts in real-time. Teams at Joybuy now receive processed market insights every morning. This schedule allows category managers to identify price gaps and adjust their […]
2 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

OffBeat:  The Big Not-So-Easy

If you are not already watching “Shrinking,” on Apple TV, you should be. “Shrinking,” which just finished its third season and has been renewed for a fourth, is a gently comedic look at the lives and relationships of three therapists – played by Jason Segal, Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford – in the Southern California […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

ElevenLabs is dominating voice AI — can anyone catch up?

By Jenny Liu, Director of Product @Yipitdata New Signals data on voice AI platforms shows ElevenLabs is defining the category, driving nearly all entry, usage, and spend across 900+ mid-market companies. This week our analysis showed that ElevenLabs has essentially turned voice AI into a one-vendor category. Across 900 companies in our mid-market panel, ElevenLabs […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Fire, Flavor, and Frequency: Why Tucson’s Tito & Pep Is Goldmine in Disguise

  A Modern Desert Dining Experience From the vantage point of the Grocerant Guru®, what’s happening inside Tito & Pep isn’t just “fine dining”—it’s a case study in how experience-driven foodservice is outpacing traditional retail food models. Set in Midtown Tucson, the restaurant delivers a chic mid-century modern aesthetic paired with an intimate yet energetic […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Mass

Target Adjusts Its Grocery Strategy

The Street reports that Target “plans to make a major shift in its grocery section” – it wants to be a specialty grocer. “Target’s Chief Merchandise Officer Cara Sylvester explained the chain’s grocery strategy during its fourth-quarter earnings call,” the story says. “‘We’re focused on what’s next, strengthening Target’s unique identity when it comes to […]
2 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Grocery Stores Race for Relevance with Time-Starved Consumers

  Today’s consumer is not just value-driven—they are time-starved, convenience-focused, and increasingly replacing restaurant visits with retail meal solutions. This behavioral shift is forcing grocery retailers to rethink their role, moving from traditional food sellers to meal solution providers competing directly for “Share of Stomach.” Stop & Shop: Repositioning Dinner Around Convenience Stop & Shop […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Reoccurring Customer Visits Drive Incremental Revenue Faster

  The growth algorithm across all sectors of food retail—restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery service delis—has converged on one immutable truth according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®:  frequency of visits is the most reliable driver of incremental revenue and long-term profitability. What was once a convenience-store insight is now […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Stitch Fix CEO Matt Baer, Nike’s Identify Crisis, Grocery’s Looming Collapse of the Middle, and Pets.Com: The Sequel

This week on The Remarkable Retail Podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc break down the forces reshaping retail before sitting down live at Shoptalk in Las Vegas with Matt Baer, CEO of Stitch Fix. The episode opens with a wide-ranging look at the macro pressures bearing down on the industry—geopolitical conflict, rising tariffs, and supply […]
2 min read
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  1. Department: Food

The Real Cost Of Shipment Damage: How One Crushed Box Can Impact Your Business

If a crushed box arrives on a customer’s doorstep, your first instinct will likely be to calculate the cost of sending a replacement. But this number is just one fraction of the entire ordeal. Shipment damage sets off a chain reaction of costs that reverberate through operations, customer relationships, and your overall brand reputation. The […]
3 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
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