Retail insights at the intersection of now and next. Unfiltered. Unbiased
It’s a celebration on so many levels, and Pete and Erik Nordstrom are the hosts, with heartfelt thanks to their loyal customers. Any other retail brand might sound disingenuous, but these guys really mean it.
Join Shelley and Mark Cohen, TRR contributor and former Director of Columbia University’s Retail Studies Program, as they challenge the industry’s obsession with technology and make an unapologetic case for getting back to basics.
Why do results worth admiring almost never look like wins when the bet is placed? What happened along the way that transformed a perceived loss into a victory? And why does the boldness behind that bet get mistaken, in hindsight by others, for a playbook anyone could have run?
For many retailers, removing fitting rooms would risk customer frustration and dissatisfaction. However, Brandy Melville has never operated like most retailers. Detached and apathetic customer service is intrinsic to the brand. Oddly, its success suggests that shoppers are willing to tolerate inconveniences and blatant disregard as a trade-off to be part of an inner circle. Abusing customers to earn loyalty is a unique approach.
Another grocery chain, another acquisition. Now that Kroger has bought Giant Eagle, is it a smart consolidation, or a company desperately spending money it doesn’t have?
Creating calm: How can retailers produce better retail spaces and experiences with a sound mind?
We like many of the things the new CEO over there at Target, Michael Fiddelke, is doing to try to wake up this sleepy retailer from the self-imposed stupor it’s been in for the past few years. But the company veered backwards this week when it announced a new system of what are essentially a dozen demerits for employees who show up late—or not at all—that leads to getting fired for the worst offenders.
Join Shelley and David Katz, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Randa Apparel and Accessories, as they challenge why reading the headlines is not the same as understanding what those headlines mean and why they matter. David’s gray swan model reveals how key trends are bellwethers for significant shifts.
Vacancy rates in shopping malls could rise to nearly 10 percent over the remainder of the year as Russia’s ill-conceived war continues to hit the home front. The market has given way to a long-term malaise that puts Russian consumers in a bind, although many international geopolitical critics will shed no tears.
Sign up for emails from The Robin Report and get our Daily Report, the latest in retail insights and analysis, delivered to your inbox.
