Merchandising

Retailers are gearing up for 2024, setting their budgets, campaigns and strategies for engaging omnichannel shoppers in the new year. But what happens if a new trend changes the way customers shop in stores or online halfway through the year? Or what if you have the opportunity to engage an audience that wasn’t prioritized in…

Instacart‘s partnership with OpenAI was a significant first step in showing how generative artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the digital shelf and retail media. Amazon.com also has several generative AI-powered initiatives, including AI-generated review highlights and Project Nile, a GenAI search concierge reportedly set to launch in January. If the feature fulfills its potential, it…

In episode 429 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jeremiah McElwee, chief merchandising officer of Thrive Market, a leading online marketplace specializing in a highly curated assortment of organic and non-GMO products. During the wide-ranging episode, McElwee provides an overview of Thrive Market and his role within the organization (0:55), including how merchandising…

Social media marketing is skyrocketing and expected to reach a record high by the end of 2023. Influencers are looking for the best ways to capitalize on this growth and make a living purely off leveraging social media content. Selling merchandise is one of the less-obvious ways that content creators generate income, but when done…

With the 2023 holiday shopping season quickly approaching, retailers find themselves navigating uncertain terrain. Consumers face continued high prices and economic uncertainty, as well as the end of the student loan repayment moratorium which will further reduce disposable income. After depleting pandemic-era savings, shoppers will likely be more discount-driven than ever. In fact, Salesforce’s back-to-school…

The shapewear brand SKIMS announced it is debuting a men's line with apparel such as briefs, boxers, tanks and tees on Thursday. The menswear launch campaign will feature 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, who plays for the San Francisco 49ers; Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, who plays for the Brazil national soccer…

In episode 422 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Alyssa Vescio, senior vice president of merchandising at Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. Vescio discusses her role at Whole Foods as well as what she enjoys most about the job (1:28), including how her team's…

Consumer desire for convenience, speed and the resultant increase in online shopping has dramatically altered the retail landscape. With greatly diminished foot traffic in stores and retail spending now strapped by inflationary pressure on consumer pocketbooks, we've seen record numbers of retail bankruptcies, restructurings, and associated store closures in 2023. When a retail operator goes…

The retail landscape is in a difficult place at the moment. Between economic stressors like high inflation rates, talent shortages and industry changes such as rapidly evolving customer expectations and surging demands, many retailers are scrambling to find a foothold in these uncertain times. They need to make every resource count. Merchandising teams are critical…

Today’s fashion merchandisers probably grew up watching Rachel Green climb the ranks of Bloomingdales and Ralph Lauren in the culture-defining show, "Friends." In the last few years, the character’s iconic pleated trousers and crop tops have made an undeniable comeback, which got us thinking — what would Rachel’s job look like if the show were on…