Pricing

4 Things Retailers Should Know for 2016
February 22, 2016 at 9:37 am

One thing retailers can count on in January is innovation. Each year, retailers across the globe gather for Retail’s BIG Show hosted by the National Retail Federation (NRF). This year’s event covered the usual topics, such as payment technologies and improving the customer experience, but also demonstrated that there’s a big shift affecting the retail…

Burberry Faces U.S. Lawsuit Over Deceptive Price Tags
February 12, 2016 at 10:01 am

British luxury fashion brand Burberry is to face a class-action lawsuit in the United States, claiming it used misleading price tags at its outlets stores to fool shoppers into believing they were getting big bargains. The company, which specifically manufactures some of the products for its outlet stores, is accused of intentionally presenting false price information on…

Coach is Slowly Doing the Impossible: Restoring its Upscale Aura
January 29, 2016 at 10:21 am

Coach seems to be achieving the nearly unattainable in retail: giving a brand that was cheapened by years of discounts its luster back. The handbag maker reported on Tuesday that net sales rose 7 percent to $1.27 billion in its second fiscal quarter ended Dec. 26, buoyed by growth in China and its men’s lines. More importantly,…

Rent the Runway Creates Own Clothing Brand, Invents Imaginary Retail Prices
December 17, 2015 at 10:51 am

You may have heard of Rent the Runway, a service that lets shoppers rent outfits (generally dresses and accessories) for special occasions. Instead of buying a $400 dress and wearing it once, you rent it for $65 and then send it back. Only they’ve made an interesting change recently, offering house brands alongside those runway…

How BI and Analytics Can Make the Holidays the Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Retailers
December 16, 2015 at 9:51 am

The holiday season has arrived and people are lining up outside of stores for the best deals. And they’re increasingly shopping online, with the National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasting that online sales will increase between 6 percent and 8 percent this year. Meanwhile, retailers are gearing up for the busiest time of the year. Sales…

Wal-Mart Moves Cyber Monday Up a Day
November 23, 2015 at 11:21 am

This year there will be no rest for the holiday shopping weary. As part of the growing trend to start holiday sales earlier, Wal-Mart has announced that it will begin its Cyber Monday sales the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend. The first round of deals will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Sun., Nov. 29 and…

Amazon's Black Friday Deals Will Roll Out Every 5 Minutes
November 19, 2015 at 11:58 am

Rolling out Black Friday deals every 10 minutes apparently wasn't enough for Amazon.com. Starting Friday and running through the day after Thanksgiving, the online retailer will one-up itself by adding new holiday deals as often as every five minutes. That compares to last season, when it launched a new promotion every 10 minutes.

3 Steps to a Better Price Optimization Strategy
November 19, 2015 at 9:38 am

According to a 2015 Bain & Company Insights report, “price optimization models are mathematical programs that calculate how demand varies at different price levels, then combine that data with information on costs and inventory levels to recommend prices that will improve profits.” However, the journey towards price optimization doesn’t begin with a mathematical program, it…

Maximizing the Amazon Opportunity This Holiday Season
November 13, 2015 at 10:00 am

Fundamental data such as sales and category share is the lifeblood of today’s best-performing brands in the brick-and-mortar world. Their long-term strategies and everyday execution — for example, knowing which categories and retailers they should be under- or overinvesting in — are measured and closely managed by these critical indicators. However, despite the exponential growth…

Wal-Mart Makes Changes to Black Friday Strategy
November 12, 2015 at 11:44 am

Wal-Mart plans to offer most of its Black Friday discounts to online shoppers hours before they become available in stores, as the company attempts to hold off challenges by Amazon.com and other e-commerce rivals. The world’s biggest retailer, which said it still expects to draw record crowds even with the online push, will make the…