Merchandising

Fixing sourcing is among the many challenges J.C. Penney's CEO Mike Ullman faces. Few retailers have ever decimated their sourcing department and trampled on trusted relationships established in foreign countries, especially the Far East, like J.C. Penney did under Ron Johnson. Mr. Johnson, the hapless CEO who believed he could change J.C. Penney's mantra by focusing on famous national brands, ignored the unique strength of J.C. Penney private labels. These private brands registered billions of dollars in sales and represented fashion and value to the J.C. Penney customer.

What holiday best represents your brand? How might the successes from that season be a springboard for others? What whimsical ways can you surprise and delight your customers through seasonal product promotions? What's waiting to be "just born" in your product offering?

Etsy's site now has over a million sellers of goods, generating $1.35 billion in sales last year, the company says. Still, although e-commerce is a growing market, more than 90 percent of retail commerce still takes place in-store, and like many retailers that started online, Etsy wants a piece of that action. Instead of opening locations, Etsy wants its sellers to take wholesale orders, so that through them, Etsy can be in thousands of stores at once without ever cutting a rent check. After spending a year in beta, Etsy plans to make its role as a wholesaler official.

Amazon.com, in another move beyond its retail roots, plans to release a smartphone in September, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The long-rumored device would thrust Amazon into the highly competitive smartphone market currently dominated by Samsung and Apple. The company would introduce the new phone in June, and it would begin shipping in the fall, unnamed sources told the Journal. We've asked Amazon for confirmation and will update if we hear back. As reported previously, the same sources said the phone would try to stand out in the crowded market by including 3-D technology.

For years, fashion and luxury goods companies have resisted putting creative and commercial control in one pair of hands. With the appointment of Christopher Bailey as chief executive officer, Burberry aims to prove it can make the formula work. After Bailey takes over the top job from Angela Ahrendts, who is leaving next month to run retail operations at Apple, he'll retain the role of chief creative officer. In that position, he's made Burberry the industry's internet leader while overseeing a reinvigoration of the company's design.

The appointment of Jeff Gennette as president of Macy's is a giant step in the right direction for the department store industry. Macy's has always been a great merchandising organization and Mr. Gennette continues that legacy. It's through merchandise that the customer experiences Macy's mission to offer value, fashion and service. The future growth of retailing in general, and Macy's in particular, depends on how well an organization merchandises its offering across various channels of distribution.

This webinar discusses the trends that are impacting the world of omnichannel eCommerce and how you can deal with them.

The competition for used video games is heating up as the world's largest retailer enters the arena starting next week. Wal-Mart said Tuesday it would allow consumers to come into its stores and trade in used video games for an e-gift card for use on any item sold in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores and online. Later this year, Wal-Mart will resell the pre-owned games in-store and online, after the games have been refurbished by CE Exchange. Wal-Mart currently works with CE Exchange on its smartphone and tablet trade-in programs.

The Bible famously recounts a moment when Jesus Christ turns water into wine during a wedding he, his mother and his apostles attend at Cana, in Galilee. He asks servants to fetch six great stone water jars and to fill them. When they carry the jars to the host's table, he's surprised to taste not water, but wine. Jesus goes onto perform another 36 miracles before his death. Good taste suggests leaving the idea of drinking and Jesus here. But that hasn't stopped Urban Outfitters from dreaming up its latest creation.

In a session yesterday at the NEMOA directXchange conference in Boston, Frank Oliver, product design and development manager at Gardener's Supply Co., an omnichannel retailer of gardening tools, presented his three rings for merchandising survival.