Merchandising

Do small and new online retailers have a chance to succeed anymore? Industry analysts say that 2017's parade of acquisitions by major retailers — Whole Foods by Amazon.com, Kate Spade by Coach, HSN by QVC, among others — are making it harder for smaller retailers to survive. How can SMB sellers compete with these players’ same-day…

Zappos announced last week the launch of The_ONES, a new retail experience that celebrates classic sneakers. The experience includes a new online hub (FindTheOnes.com), shoppable Instagram page (@The_ONES), and limited-time “pop-ins” in premium boutiques. The first pop-in, called BEYOND, was launched in New York City on Nov. 15 in partnership with Tarek Hassan, the owner…

To really understand the customer journey, you’ve got to take it yourself. That’s why we stepped in consumers’ shoes for our Global Mystery Shopping Study. We walked through eight different shopping scenarios with 50 global brands to learn where they're succeeding and where they’re falling short. As mystery shoppers, our team simulated purchasing products, researched…

Over the past year, countless brands have hopped on the influencer marketing bandwagon, leveraging the loyal followings of influencers and their content creation skills to tactfully promote a brand’s products or services. As their value to marketing teams increases, many influencers are becoming self-aware of just how much their dedicated follower bases and keen understanding…

J.C. Penney announced last week that it has eliminated the position of chief merchant. The move was made to streamline decision making and promote greater agility within its merchandise buying teams. John Tighe, current chief merchant, will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities and will not be replaced. All senior merchandising executives will…

Wal-Mart is throwing 20,000 parties in its stores across the country in an attempt to attract more holiday shoppers. According to a company press release, the parties will take place on Nov. 4, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, and will include 165,000 in-store toy demos, visits from Santa and other activities. The Nov. 4 party will…

In a session this week at the Teradata Partners Conference in Anaheim, Calif., Stephen Brobst, chief technology officer of Teradata, and Heidi Daniels, director, analytics and visualization technologies, Wal-Mart, discussed how the retail chain is using visualization to turn data into action. Brobst kicked off the discussion by stressing the importance of making data visual…

Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC) said yesterday that it's selling its Lord & Taylor flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City for $850 million to WeWork Companies, a provider of shared workspace, community and services for entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups and small businesses. HBC is getting an equity investment of $500 million from Rhone Capital,…

Jet.com launched its private-label business, Uniquely J, as it continues its push to tap urban millennials and its corporate parent Wal-Mart fortifies its fight against Amazon.com. Uniquely J will offer a variety of goods, including toilet paper, coffee and laundry detergent. In keeping with its focus on "metro millennials," Jet has placed emphasis on items that are…

When it comes to communicating Kate Spade's brand's voice, content is king. This was a key takeaway during a presentation by Mary Renner Beech, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Kate Spade & Company, at Luxury Interactive in New York City yesterday. "Clarity of brand voice still wins; we believe this very strongly at…