Let’s play buzzword bingo. Between big data, optimization, predictive analytics, visual analytics and unstructured data processing, there’s a lot going on in the business intelligence world that has a direct impact on retailers. Buzzwords don’t win the hearts and minds of consumers however; those can only be had through the right products, the right prices,...
It’s been a long time coming, but retailers are finally recognizing that the in-store shopping experience suffers compared to the online shopping experience, and if the exhibits and sessions at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Big Show last month were any indicator, 2015 appears to be the year retailers actually plan to do something about...
With 2015 upon us, I wanted to identify two retail trends that I think you need to be paying close attention to this year: 1. Maturing of fulfillment innovations: In 2014, retailers shifted their focus from trying to understand the new behaviors of omnichannel shoppers to actually trying to deliver on the single brand promises...
Black Friday is dead. While the death might seem to have been breathtaking and quick — a drastic 11 percent drop in sales over Thanksgiving weekend — it was actually a long time coming, and the scars from the experience promise to shape retail’s future for a long time to come. In 2012, RSR declared...
Normally we at RSR go out on Black Friday and share our perspective on what activity on that special day may mean for the retail season overall. But increasingly, the "season" has already begun by the time we get to the Friday after Thanksgiving, whether because some retailers open on Thursday now instead, or because online shoppers are savvy enough to pick up gift deals well before Black Friday gets here. So instead of offering my take on how the season looks based on how Black Friday does, here's some predictions for the big retail weekend itself.