Retail Online Integration

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Senior Editor

Retail Rants & Raves

By Joe Keenan

About Joe

Joe Keenan is senior editor of Retail Online Integration and Target Marketing Group's web-only brand, eM+C. In addition to his work on those publications, Joe has contributed articles for fellow Target Marketing Group publications Book Business and Publishing Executive magazines. Previously, he served as senior editor at Reed Technology & Information Services for five years. Retail Rants & Raves covers the wide spectrum of retail marketing, from the very best it has to offer to the very worst.

 

Return on Inventory

Joe Palzkill
4 Multichannel Inventory Planning Best Practices
Apr 17, 2012

It seems every retailer I've spoken with recently is scrambling to gain control of their inventory planning, regardless of channel. It's...



Retail Rambles

Meredith Cunningham
SkyMall Helps You Prepare for the End of the World
Apr 2, 2012

Perhaps I've been watching too much of "The Walking Dead" or maybe too many episodes of "Doomsday Preppers," but my paranoia about the...



Shipping Insights

Rob Martinez
Parcel Rate Increases for 2012
Dec 19, 2011

UPS has announced 6.9 percent air increases, partially offset by a 2 percent fuel surcharge reduction. It's also announced a...



ThinkAbout: Inspirational Verve for Your Product Line!

Andrea Syverson
Can You Up the Ante on Your Products’ Amusement Factor?
Oct 17, 2011

Can you up the ante on any of your products’ amusement factors? Is there some ho-hum aspect of your product...



Return on Intelligence

Jim Gilbert
The New CompUSA Rights a Wrong
Mar 16, 2011

Two weeks ago in my blog, I totally skewered CompUSA and its warranty company (found out it's Assurant Solutions)...



Creating Positive Customer Experiences

JoAnna Brandi
How to Love Your Customers So They’ll ‘Just Love’ Your Business
Feb 14, 2012

Customer loyalty is customer love for doing business with you. In fact, neuroscientists studying consumer behavior have discovered that when...



What I Learned at NRF 2012

 
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The National Retail Federation's Annual Convention & Expo (aka Retail's BIG Show) in New York City wrapped up this past Wednesday. Here are some random conclusions I've drawn after roaming the cavernous Jacob Javits Convention Center for three days covering the event:
  • The BIG Show is an apt name for this event. Everything from the venue itself to the 25,000 people in attendance (a record for the event) to the gathering of press to the lines at the registration desks and food court screamed “BIG.”
  • Retail is growing more global by the day. The number of international delegates at this conference seems to grow each year. In fact, it appeared to me that at least 50 percent of the attendees were from non-U.S. companies.
  • The notion of shopping channels is eroding. Consumers aren't looking at it as shopping in-store or online or via a smartphone. To them, it's just shopping. Retailers therefore must be able to adjust accordingly to meet consumers’ needs whenever and wherever they choose to engage with their brand.
  • Free shipping is now a cost of doing business for retailers selling their products and/or services online.
  • It's easy to see why Bill Clinton was a two-term president and is generally respected as one of the greatest leaders of his generation. His opening keynote address on Monday morning was articulate and met with a rousing ovation. Clinton addressed many of the complex economic challenges retailers — and the entire world for that matter — face and provided some viable solutions, particularly around the issue of sustainability.
  • While mobile, social media and other sexier marketing channels draw the lion's share of headlines, email and search continue to drive the most conversions.
  • The debate over three-screen marketing vs. one-screen marketing rages on. 
  • Pinterest is a social network to keep your eye on.
  • Tablets are segmented separately from mobile phones by a vast majority of retailers.
  • Amazon's Price Check app makes brick-and-mortar retailers uneasy, as Amazon's status as the dominant e-commerce player only seems to be getting stronger.
  • The retail environment is shifting and brands that are unwilling to evolve and change are going to be left behind.
  • Amtrak's decision to make wireless available on all trains was a great move! (I know this has nothing to do with the conference itself, but it sure made my commute to and from NRF far more productive.)

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