RAM COMMUNICATIONS

The most striking point I took away from the session with McMillon this week was his statement that the feeling shoppers have after they’ve left the store, website or app is what determines how quickly they’ll be back. He added that Walmart is now focusing on that moment, which seems like a big departure from the retailer’s traditional demand creation approach.

The key here is shopper analytics. Imagine what a turnoff it would be for a vegan to receive a recipe for chateaubriand or for a carnivore to receive a recipe with tofu and quinoa. Using loyalty card data or even market basket data for recipe information will help engage the shopper. Take that a step further with meal suggestions for special occasions and demographic sectors, and retailers will have a real winner.

This really shouldn’t be a question of whether sexual harassment exists more or less in retail as compared to other industries. The question should be whether it exists at all. The answer is yes – it exists in retail and everywhere. Starting from that fact, retailers and everyone else need to understand that social norms do not accept groping, lurid comments, exposing yourself, etc. in the workplace and everywhere else. As fo...

This is simply one more step toward a fire sale to Amazon, which can turn the locations into combo showrooms/Go stores/fulfillment centers. I expect this will happen before the end of the decade.