Under Pressure
Those of us with memories of 1950’s kitchens may remember pressure cookers: a heavy metal pot with a rubber gasket that we were always told was a bomb and a really good way of killing vegetables. I have not seen […]
Innovation in Home Products…It Ain\’t Just Fitted Sheets
Drum Roll Please, Ladies and Gentlemen. Announcing the three greatest moments of innovation in the history of home furnishings products: 3. Furniture manufacturers, trying to reduce their cost of upholstering with expensive craftsmen and detailed stitching and sewing techniques, invent
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Q&A with Ed Schlossberg, Founder & Principal of ESI Design
Robin Lewis: What in the world was Best Buy thinking when they discontinued their Studio D and Escape small store concepts several years ago? You designed these neighborhood boutiques to customize these stores for specific niche demographics and lifestyles. What’s
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The New Age of Discovery
One commodity retailers never seem to run out of is problems. We’ve seen no shortage of business challenges in recent years, as brick-and-mortar retailers have wrestled with overcapacity, flat same-store sales, Internet incursions, and a tepid economic recovery. But amidst
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Wake Up Consumer Electronics…You’re Ignoring Women
One fact that should continually resonate in the minds of brands and retailers every minute of every day is that women are responsible for roughly 70% of all purchasing in the retail and consumer products industries. And, since about 70%
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My Take on the 2012 World Retail Congress
Over seven years ago I met with Ian McGarrigle, founder and Chairman of the World Retail Congress, when he was launching it. I said something like, “…Ian, I don’t think the world needs another conference.” Today, in my opinion, the
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QA with Eric C. Wiseman, Chairman, President and CEO of VF Corporation
ROBIN LEWIS So, right off the bat, how the heck can one person run a $10 to $12 billion company? ERIC WISEMAN You can\’t! VF has been, and I hope always will be, a team sport. When I look at
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Beyond Discounts and Deals: Achieving a Balanced Pricing and Promotion Strategy
Best Practices by Kurt Salmon Most retailers readily admit that the chronic use of excessive, and often unplanned, promotions can have serious consequences in terms of margin erosion and erratic sales. Still, most willingly suffer those consequences in exchange for
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Target vs. Amazon: Hungry Games
Suppose a picture really isn’t worth a thousand words. What then? “Showrooming” happens, that’s what. Showrooming is the consumer practice of going to a retail store to examine goods to determine more about appearance and functionality than can be ascertained
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Derailing the Showrooming Scare
It’s easy to see why showrooming is keeping many brick-and-mortar retailers up at night. In fact, it looks like the beginning of a bad epidemic-outbreak movie — some retailers even feel powerless to slow its advance and are reduced to
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