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 Intelligence
6 Tips to Capture Every Site Visitor
May 21, 2013One of the universal truths I see is a lack of understanding by many marketers, from newbie to experienced, of...
The Art of Delivering Style
3 Simple Ideas to Improve Inventory Management
May 14, 2013Despite the important role inventory management plays in the marketplace, some brands are still relying on last generation inventory management...
Designed to Convert
How Persuasive Are Your Product Pages?
May 2, 2013Your homepage — as much as you love it — is basically a glorified street sign. Consumers don't read it...
Return on Inventory
5 Tips to Help Your Business Manage System Process Changes
Apr 24, 2013In today's dynamic retail environment, however, the ability to embrace rapid process change is more important than ever. Merchandise and...
Shipping Insights
8 Ways to Use Parcel Carriers’ ‘Cost to Serve’ Pricing to Your Advantage
Apr 16, 2013Just about every day, a shipper asks me what FedEx or UPS incentive they should be achieving for their specific...
B-to-B Insights
The Illogical Song: What Makes Sense vs. What Works
Apr 8, 2013It's official: J.C. Penney scrapped its every-day-low-price strategy for the rollercoaster world of markups and markdowns. Merchants, marketers and graphic artists...
Email Applied
Preparing Your Email Marketing Strategy for the Holidays, Part 3
Oct 31, 2012In the final installment of this three-part series (make sure to check out parts one and two), I examine why it...
Retail Rambles
SkyMall Helps You Prepare for the End of the World
Apr 2, 2012Perhaps I've been watching too much of "The Walking Dead" or maybe too many episodes of "Doomsday Preppers," but my paranoia about the...
ThinkAbout: Inspirational Verve for Your Product Line!
Can You Up the Ante on Your Products’ Amusement Factor?
Oct 17, 2011Can you up the ante on any of your products’ amusement factors? Is there some ho-hum aspect of your product...
Reflections on NRF 2013
Now that a full week has gone by since the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City, I've finally caught up and found the time to put together a post on what I took away from the show. Here are my thoughts (in no particular order):
Read More >>
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
Sections:
|
Back to Basics at Shop.org
All of us that are either in or cover the retail industry for a living have undoubtedly heard the sentiment, "You must adapt your business to meet the needs of today's changing consumers." While I agree with this statement for the most part — consumers today have access to more information on your products and more avenues to buy those products than ever before — the last two words I take issue with: changing consumers. Are we really?
Read More >>
Companies Mentioned:
|
|
Sections:
|
International Expansion, Showrooming, Online Marketplaces Trending at IRCE
Having spent last week at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago, I came away with three key takeaways: One, if you're an online retailer not selling internationally, particularly in Australia, what are you waiting for? You're missing out on a potential growth opportunity for your brand. Two, brick-and mortar retailers must develop a strategy to deal with "showrooming," — i.e., consumers using stores as showrooms to check out products, then buying those products online at a...
Read More >>
Companies Mentioned:
|
|
Sections:
|
|
|
Really ‘Fair and Square’? How J.C. Penney Alienated a Valuable Customer
Shoppers want to think they're getting a good deal. By taking advantage of sales and using coupons, they get that feeling. J.C. Penney claims it's offering "every day" low prices, which isn't true. It may fool the nonshopper, but not the shopper.
Read More >>
Companies Mentioned:
|
Sections:
|
What I Learned at NRF 2012
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:
Read More >>
Companies Mentioned:
|
Sections:
|
