Opinion

05/17/2013 - 14:00
Stores must level up to match omnichannel hype

Online and mobile marketing have turned the retail supply chain upside-down. Gone are the days of moving volumes of product in efficient, bulk moves to stores across the world. Today, smaller shipments rule the supply chain, delivering — literally — on brand promises to ensure receipt of single, customized packages under same-day or next-day delivery.

05/01/2013 - 13:12
Evolving expectations keep retailers innovating

In the 18 months since I joined the National Retail Federation, I’ve been struck repeatedly by how rapidly our industry continues to evolve. As we all know, retail has always changed and adapted . . .

04/17/2013 - 15:51
The Showrooming Effect: Leveraging the In-Store Experience
04/02/2013 - 07:43
Seven habits of highly sustainable companies

Sustainability is often confused with “going green,” but while environmental improvement is part of the picture, sustainability is bigger than that.

03/21/2013 - 20:25
"Made in America?" Not Any Time Soon

Allow me to be the group historian for a minute. Does anyone remember, in 1984, the "Crafted with Pride in the U.S.A." advertising campaign, spearheaded by the late Roger Milliken, and funded by a consortium of fiber, chemical and textile companies? This was supposed to have instilled enough patriotism in the consumer to buy goods made in America at a furious enough rate to keep manufacturing here on our soil.

03/18/2013 - 09:54
The ultimate age of retail

Retail innovation cycles last approximately 20 years. As we take a look at retail history, this cycle becomes self-evident. From the general store to department stores to discount stores and so forth, each variety has their day in the sun as the leading channel for most purchases. Today, we’re lucky enough to be living within two powerful cycles simultaneously. But the fun will soon come to an end.

02/28/2013 - 08:42
Glass half full

Sixty percent of retailers with at least two years of negative comps turn them positive.

02/11/2013 - 17:09
Mobile commerce takes flight in 2013

With nearly two out of three* consumers using mobile devices to research products and make purchases, the adaptation to this ever changing consumer shopping behavior is more crucial than ever.

02/05/2013 - 21:09
2013: the year retail rebounds?

Absent a major upheaval caused by the inability of our politicians in Washington to reach reasonable compromises on debt reduction and the debt ceiling, 2013 could finally be the year when the economy starts to pick up a more significant amount of momentum.

01/29/2013 - 11:06
Digitizing the retail space

Developments in portable technologies of all kinds have created an increasingly connected world. Aside from the obvious ubiquity of mobile phones (there are nearly six billion of them in use today), everyday objects from pedometers to thermostats are being infused with digital technologies, and networked to one another.