Customer Acquisition

A common construct for consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers is to divide the buying cycle into stages: before the store, in the store, and after the store. I've seen countless marketing plans built this way, and the objectives were usually pretty straightforward: Before the Store: Drive awareness and purchase interest. In the Store: Close the…

Communication drives conversion. It moves customers from browsers to buyers, delighting them through each step of the purchase journey when done correctly. In a retail operation, these conversations lead to satisfied customers, those that begin to expect a level of excellence that only you can offer. Communication, though, isn’t always accessible. It takes focus and…

The current rollout of vaccines gives hope that the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel is possibly near; however, this won’t slow the explosive growth in e-commerce that 2020’s lockdowns dramatically accelerated. eMarketer projects that U.S. e-commerce sales will reach $843.15 billion — 15 percent of total retail sales in 2021 — up from $794.5…

For the first time in history, NRF Chapter 1 went virtual. The highly anticipated event saw industry leaders reflect on one of retail’s most turbulent years to date. Consumer shopping behaviors changed seemingly overnight: in-store foot traffic shrunk at an alarming rate, e-commerce and mobile shopping trends boomed, and spending habits prioritized needs over wants.…

Was it just a year ago that all the buzz in retail was around “experiential retailing”? When Canada Goose, the clothing company, was creating arctic zones in its stores so customers could feel just how warm a CG parka would keep them? One exceptionally long year and one global pandemic later, the retail landscape has…

The world of commerce is continually changing and evolving as a direct impact of technological advances. In 2020, we learned how much technology can shape our experiences and how important it is to use it correctly to make customer journeys frictionless. Consumer expectations shift quickly, and everything in retail changes rapidly. In fact, I would…

Gen Z is fast becoming a key audience for retailers. Contrary to older generations, Gen Z, who are aged 16 to 24, are digital natives and have grown up with the internet as a large part of their world. They're incredibly tech-savvy, and have a spending power of over $140 billion. This would make them…

Winning over Gen Z is crucial to many retailers’ plans, and the relationship between Walmart and TikTok adds a new level of urgency to the equation. The vision that Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has put forth involves making social commerce easier, such as by facilitating purchases of items that users see in TikTok videos. This goal…

The pandemic has created more chaos for the retail industry than arguably for any other. Despite all of the turbulence, the overall strength of the sector hasn't weakened. The COVID-19 lockdowns sparked a pendulum swing away from physical retail to e-commerce, but in the long term, traditional shopping will remain important. According to the latest…

The Vitamin Shoppe, an omnichannel specialty retailer of nutritional products, announced a new partnership with WW International, a global wellness company powered by the world's leading commercial weight management program, to amplify their shared mission to empower and support people on their health and wellness journeys, according to a press release. The Vitamin Shoppe and…