Today on Total Retail

The psychological connection between sound and human recall has long been scientifically established, with certain sounds having the power to transport us back to a moment in time, jog a memory, or even a feeling. The tune of an ice cream truck in the distance, for instance, conjures up the warm memories of childhood summers.…

As it faces regulatory scrutiny over its potential merger with Albertsons, grocery chain Kroger has decided to sell off its specialty pharmacy business to CarelonRx, a subsidiary of Elevance Health. In a press release Monday, Kroger said the sale is expected to close in the second half of the year. "As part of our regular…

Retail workers are quitting their jobs at an unprecedented rate, with almost half of all frontline U.S. retail employees contemplating turning in their pink slip in the next few months. Compared to only 38 percent of the U.S. workforce looking to exit their position, retail leaders are exceedingly worried about employee retention and how a…

Expectations for easy, seamless experiences — driven in part by the high bar set by Netflix, Spotify, and TikTok — have spilled over into other facets of consumers’ lives, including shopping. These global brands, and many B2C and B2B commerce brands, employ artificial intelligence to drive their customer experiences. However, AI isn’t a single science.…

Years ago, grocery stores and supermarkets implemented loyalty card systems which involved issuing physical loyalty cards, which customers could present at checkout to earn points or discounts based on their purchase amount. Over time, customers accumulated points that they could redeem for rewards such as discounts on future purchases, free products, or entry into exclusive…

It feels almost quaint to discuss the “digital transformation” of the retail industry. Ten years ago, that mostly meant “have a website” and “digitize inventory.” Now these tools are table stakes, and the true digital transformation is the rapid expansion and harnessing of emerging technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), augmented reality (AR),…

For Tony Spring, who took over as CEO of Macy's Inc. in February, the last month-plus has been a true test of his leadership skills as well as a peek into his future vision for the iconic retail organization. During a keynote presentation earlier this week at Shoptalk in Las Vegas, Spring detailed the transformation…

According to McKinsey, more than half of business-to-consumer customers engage with three to five channels each time they make a purchase or resolve a request. The evolution of technology has transformed these channels into explicit, interconnected conduits directly impacting customer satisfaction. In today’s retail landscape, it's no longer sufficient to merely acknowledge this fact; retailers…

Most of the conversations I have with retailers these days are about strategies to improve the performance of their tried-and-true triggered marketing campaigns — e.g., abandon browse, search and product campaigns. Retailers are aware that having triggers for shoppers who abandoned their cart, abandoned a search or browse is now pretty commonplace, and so the…

With so many retail options available to consumers, it’s more important than ever for brands to offer incentives to retain and grow their share of loyal customers. A tiered loyalty strategy is an effective way for brands to level-up engagement. What's a Tiered Strategy and Why Does it Matter? Customers’ expectations change over time. The…