Strategy

Articles on retail strategy and thought leadership.

  1. Technology & Innovation
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including checkout free store milestones, startups focused on building in Web3, and the ongoing digitalisation of the fashion industry. Poundland Poundland has launched a suite of digital accessibility tools to support job applicants and workers with […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
Picture this: You ordered a shirt that you really liked from your favorite retailer. Then, when it finally arrives, it doesn’t fit correctly, and you must now navigate the returns process. This may include jumping through hoops to meet the retailer’s return policy requirements: Do you have to return in-store? Is returning the shirt free […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
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 […]
  1. Shopper & Customer
Today, people are shopping online more than ever before. The reality is that many people just prefer the convenience of shopping from their mobile devices. To meet this demand, e-commerce has become widely accessible to entrepreneurs around the world thanks to Shopify. In fact, e-commerce sales are expected to grow 10.4 percent in 2023 alone, […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
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 […]
  1. Department: Food
  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 […]
  1. Partnerships & Alt Profit
AstroPay, a FinTech and online payment solution specialist, has announced the extension of its principal partnership with English Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, also known as Wolves. Having inked a sponsorship deal in 2021, AstroPay has worked with Wolves to provide fans with a range of experiences, rewards and prizes. As part of […]
  1. Media & Marketing
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, […]
  1. Channel: Mass
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 […]
  1. Department: Beverage
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 […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
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 […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
Technological advancement continues to disrupt retail strategies, altering customers’ behavior and, consequently, retail businesses. New technologies influence customers as they switch between channels for research and shopping. Companies must focus on managing the numerous customer touchpoints available simultaneously. Omnichannel has become an appealing medium for retailers to interact with customers and sell their products and […]
  1. Agencies & Vendors
The Toronto Sun reports that “Loblaw Companies Ltd. says it’s shutting down its third-party marketplace.” Spokesperson Catherine Thomas tells the Sun that “the company has learned a lot about what customers are shopping for online, but that given the rapid change in e-commerce over the past three years, Loblaw has decided to focus on its […]
  1. Trends & External Forces
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 […]
  1. Data & Insights
The retail industry’s commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) is unmatched, surpassing all industries except finance. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), a staggering $300 billion investment in AI is anticipated by 2026. This influx of resources promises to augment the relationship between humans and machines, delivering immense advantages to brands and consumers. There’s a […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
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 […]
  1. Channel: Grocery
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: […]
  1. Technology & Innovation
Apple last night unveiled a mixed reality headset called Vision Pro – its first entirely new product in eight years. The device blends a video feed from the outside world with a virtual world displayed on screens inside the headset. “Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” says Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. […]
  1. Operations & Supply Chain
The evolution of e-commerce and consumer behavior has naturally transformed various processes. Since the early days of online sales, payment methods, logistics, user experience, and many other elements have undergone significant changes. These changes are driven by trends that are based on consumer behavior, identifying specific needs to address. Among these evolving processes, logistics has […]
  1. Media & Marketing
“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 […]
  1. Media & Marketing
Omnichannel marketing typically involves using a combination of digital and physical channels, such as websites, social media, email, SMS, mobile apps, in-store experiences, and customer service interactions. By leveraging data and technology, brands can track customer behavior across channels, and then use this information to create more personalized and relevant experiences. Omnichannel marketing can help […]
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital
As the world evolves, so do the buying habits of consumers. Understanding the unique shopping tendencies of different generations is crucial for businesses in today’s fast-paced, digital environment. However, one cannot look at generational buying as a single purchase funnel. Retailers need to consider a spectrum of content and commerce to adapt their strategies accordingly. […]
  1. Corporate Purpose
In episode 404 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Donna Dozier Gordon, head of inclusion and diversity for region Americas at H&M, a global fashion brand offering the latest styles and inspiration for all. During the wide-ranging interview, Dozier Gordon discusses her role at H&M (1:40), the retailer’s expansion of its extended size assortment […]
  1. Channel: Dollar/Value
Fascinating piece in the New York Times about some resistance Dollar General is facing in one rural community to its plans to build a new store there. An excerpt: “Anne Hartley’s brick house in Ebony, Va., overlooks windswept fields, a Methodist church, a general store and the intersection of two country roads, a pastoral setting […]
  1. Associates & Employees
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 […]
  1. Media & Marketing
  In a new partnership Wendy’s wants to re-fresh its messaging, re-focus on summer, and renew its goal to garner a larger share of this target market Gen Z and Millennials to drive new electricity according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. In case you had not head, Wendy’s has […]
  1. Retail Ecosystem
This week on Prof G Markets, Scott examines why NVIDIA has left other chip makers such as Intel in the dust. He also explains why he’s thinking of taking up a pairs trading strategy to hedge against today’s market dynamics. And finally Scott and Ed take a listener question about where analyst estimates come from. […]
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital
Evri says that it has reduced its operational carbon emissions by nearly a third in the parcel delivery firm’s financial year to February 2023, as part of a wider investment in its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.  This 31% reduction includes efficiency improvements, augmented use of renewable energy and other carbon emission elimination strategies, […]
  1. Media & Marketing
The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Lisa Baird, the newly appointed CEO of NextUp, formerly known as Network of Executive Women. Follow Lisa Baird on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-baird-4b91991/Follow NextUp on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextupisnow/Follow NextUp online at: http://www.nextupisnow.org Lisa answers these questions:1) Lisa, your career has some elite brands in your background but you […]

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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
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 […]
  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
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 […]
  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)
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 […]
  1. Channel: Grocery
  2. Trends & External Forces
  3. Stores & Formats
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. […]
  1. Retailer Media
  2. ESG
  3. Media & Marketing
  4. Retailer Media
  5. Shopper & Customer
  6. Operations & Supply Chain
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 […]

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