Today on Total Retail

With the internet in our pockets at all times and social media news feeds addicting us to scroll up to 4.8 hours a day, we're exposed to an always-on battle of competing brands fighting for our attention. As consumers are presented with more choices than ever, brand loyalty rapidly diminishes. In fact, according to a…

Let me begin — as you’ve often heard — with a focus group of one. But I believe my grandmother, at least as a marketing data point — not as a unique individual — is extendable. Nanny as she is known in our family, turns 100 this fall. Like many in the centenarian club, she…

Hey CPG marketers, we see you. Your job is harder than it has even been before and with more money on the line. In 2023, CPG brands spent more than one quarter of their overall budget on marketing. CPG marketing has turned into a more complex and layered puzzle. You're trying to grab attention on…

Digital receipts are now a staple of consumer transactions, available through apps on various devices and offering businesses a valuable new data source. Gathering digital records like receipts reveals deep insights into consumer behavior and enables competitive benchmarking. Why Traditional Research Falls Short Retailers and e-tailers regularly leverage internal data to gain insights into their…

Sam's Club, the Walmart-owned membership club, is testing its first all-digital store. Inside the club, which will open in mid-October in the Dallas area, customers will have to use a smartphone app called Scan & Go to ring up their purchases as they walk through the aisles. In the area typically reserved for cash registers,…

In episode 466 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kelly Cook, president of brand, technology and finance at David's Bridal, the nation’s leading bridal and special occasion authority. Listen in as Cook describes her unique position leading the marketing, finance and technology teams (1:05), the shifts in customer behavior she's seeing at David's…

Merchandisers are drowning in data but starved for insight. In their work, they must rapidly make decisions on which products to purchase, which to stop buying, those that need a bit of extra promotion, and those that should be moved back in favor of other goods. The days of making these decisions based on a…

The recent U.S. dockworker strike has been resolved for now, but brands must remain vigilant against unexpected delays that can impact holiday deliveries. One thing that's certain is uncertainty. Factors such as natural disasters, labor disputes, transportation disruptions, customs delays, and global supply chain issues can all impact delivery timelines. The possibilities are endless. This…

E-commerce fraud is undergoing a dramatic transformation as international criminal rings increasingly take on the structure and mindset of the Fortune 500 companies they sometimes attack, according to a new report by Signifyd. The types and targets of online fraud are multiplying, the report notes, as fraudsters look for new revenue streams and novel schemes…

Virginia "Gina" Drosos, who spent seven years as Signet Jewelers' CEO, announced Oct. 1 she is retiring effective Nov. 4. J.K. Symancyk, most recently the CEO of PetSmart, will replace Drosos as CEO. Drosos will also step down from Signet's board of directors, where she served for 12 years. Under Drosos' leadership, the largest jewelry…