Customer Data

Unwanted inventory and a higher demand for low-cost items forced prominent retailers to adjust their earnings forecast and miss their estimates, causing the cancellation of billions in orders and heavy markdowns. Chalked up by one CFO as a short-term fix to avoid longer-term pain, the strategy nevertheless indicates that many large retailers don't understand their…

Direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) businesses that previously relied heavily on Facebook as an advertising channel are now starting to realize the perils that resulted from privacy policy changes instituted by Apple. These changes have upended the digital advertising strategy for hundreds of thousands of businesses and have forced these companies to find a new path to their…

There are few in retail circles who would argue that the role of the store is the same as it ever was. With the rate of change accelerating like never before, consumers are throwing new challenges at retailers faster than they can implement solutions. It’s no wonder that many retailers seem to be in a…

In episode 366 of Total Retail Talks, Michael Cleavinger, global commercial data science lead at PepsiCo, discusses the organization's data strategy for both customer and product data, and its unique data collection process. He shares examples of how PepsiCo is leveraging data to inform decision making, as well as how his data science team shares information with other departments across the organization.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are just around the corner, and it’s never too early to prepare ahead. This year, in addition to the lingering effects of the pandemic, there’s a looming recession that’s shifting consumer behavior and demand. Product and fulfillment costs are rising, consumption is declining, and inventories are surging. As a…

The digital landscape is evolving at lightning speed. Retailers are overwhelmed due to the multifaceted nature of their work that requires them to manage multiple digital channels, work with different tools, analyze data, and make faster decisions. The increasing number of Martech solutions makes it even more complex — 9,932 in 2022 compared with 7,040…

Summer is winding down, which means online retailers are once again taking steps to ensure their website operations are sufficiently bulked up to handle the approaching traffic onslaught. They're focusing on scalability, elasticity, and increasingly observability — which is emerging as a hot buzzword lately. Observability is growing in importance given today’s sprawling application and…

As back-to-school season kicks into high gear and holiday-driven spending looms in the distance, retailers across the country are using loyalty point programs to build relationships with customers and incentivize them to return for future purchases, driven by the promise of discounts, perks, exclusive benefits and more. However, over the last year, and especially during…

Leatherman, a multitool manufacturer based in Portland, Ore., started its business with a prototype and a Cabela’s order for 500 of its multipurpose tool products. Since that original sale in 1983, Leatherman has expanded its reputation and brand among tinkerers and problem-solvers globally, developing recognition for quality products among a very loyal customer following. While…

Retailers that refuse to embrace and perfect an omnichannel experience will lose customers and revenue. Whether they’re shopping via mobile app, website, social media or in-person, consumers expect a seamless and consistent experience when interacting with a brand. Optimizing the omnichannel customer journey has become a competitive differentiator and a necessity in the retail world…