Trey Holder

Dear Retail Friends,   If you’re a wholesaler, access to data from suppliers and retail customers is critical in enabling optimal service levels with minimal inventory. But getting that data, and acting upon it, can be challenging.   While there are many hurdles to this kind of collaboration, it can be done. And the benefits are numerous – not just for wholesalers, but their suppliers and retail customers as well.   https://lnkd.in/dbxub36v   #supplychain #supplychainoptimization #wholesaledistribution The future of wholesale supply chain collaboration | RELEX Solutions Unlock insights on boosting wholesale collaboration for supply chain efficiency and profit in this expert interview.

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Key EMARKETER stat: US ecommerce resale volume will hit $80.60 billion this year, a growth of 3.4% YoY, per our December 2023 forecast. Beyond the chart: Ecommerce resale volume is returning to growth after a 6.9% dip YoY in 2022 and a 2.5% one in 2023, per eMarketer forecast. But it still hasn’t returned to its pandemic high of $85.87 billion in 2021. Growth in the number of online fashion buyers has slowed, leading platforms to search for strategies to boost order values by offering luxury goods and courting wealthy shoppers. #ecommerce #resale #retailsales

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🚀 Insights from Walmart CEO Doug McMillon on eCommerce and Omnichannel Retail. Brilliant interview, thanks Stratechery. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation: 🔹 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Initially, the potential of eCommerce was underestimated, but the acquisition of Jet.com was a game-changer. It brought in essential expertise and new perspectives, enabling Walmart to aggressively pursue and integrate digital retail. 🔹 𝐎𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Leveraging its vast network of physical stores, Walmart has created a seamless omnichannel experience. With stores in close proximity to customers, especially for groceries, Walmart has a unique competitive edge. Integrating supply chain and technology across channels has enhanced both customer experience and operational efficiency. 🔹 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The transition to a tech-savvy retailer required adopting agile methodologies and fostering cross-functional collaboration. Significant investments in automation and AI are optimizing Walmart’s supply chains and inventory management, showcasing a forward-thinking approach to retail technology. 🔹 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞: Integrating grocery with eCommerce has been a major advantage for Walmart. The grocery business drives frequent customer visits and supports the broader eCommerce strategy, solidifying Walmart’s market position by offering a comprehensive shopping experience both online and in-store. 🔹 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: Walmart’s marketplace and its advertising platform, Walmart Connect, are crucial areas of focus. These initiatives aim to diversify revenue streams, enhance customer acquisition, and leverage Walmart's scale in both physical and digital retail. Do you follow Walmart's journey? #EmerceConsulting #Ecommerce #RetailInnovation #Omnichannel #Walmart #Leadership #TechnologyInRetail

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This is a good article on retail media, but I would add two things for the C-Suite to consider. Structure follows strategy. I still see many CPG companies that have not wrestled to the ground how retail media fits into the structure of their financial budget structure (trade, brand) and their organizational structure (sales, marketing, centralized/decentralized). I was in a meeting recently with a company that had 5 stakeholders weighing in on retail media strategy and execution between consultants, agencies, and internal resources. This lack of clear structure is sometimes a symptom of the absence of a well thought out retail media strategy to begin with but we are also seeing structure get in the way of executing a well crafted strategy. Internal constraints, entrenched thinking, turf wars, and the preverbial fly ball that drops between well intentioning teammates can get in the way of optimized retail media performance. Not saying these are easy fixes but they are controllables. They are worth attending to in every CPG organization.

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Are retailers moving fast enough as they build out retail media? Are they setting themselves up to be self-sufficient? Get ready for part 2 of our #RetailMedia series on the Middlemen...we talk about how retailers have begun the process of in-housing their technology, and their slow slide toward becoming digital publishers. Why is it happening slowly? Because display ads on retailers never really worked. We also cover Costco's launch of its Off-site retail media offering, and how (this part is a rant) unsophisticated press coverage is stuck treating all retail media capabilities as one monolithic thing, and holding back an understanding of the business. Some shout outs to Mark Williamson of Costco Wholesale and Michael Halverson of Albertsons Media Collective in this episode as well as a lot of talk about the rise, fall and dispersion of talent from Quotient to the rest of the retailers and vendors who are building out retail media. Spotify https://lnkd.in/esFZiWqY Youtube https://lnkd.in/eW_uHuKZ

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Your business's long-term growth depends in large part on the ability to innovate quickly and at scale. Book a free demo of an #AIpowered solution designed to accelerate product development & time to market.

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Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, on Thursday reported growth in sales and profit in the first quarter, with a boost from higher-income shoppers. Walmart said its comparable-store sales in the United States rose 3.8 percent from the quarter a year earlier. Its U.S. e-commerce business jumped 22 percent. Walmart has performed better than retailers dependent on apparel sales, in part because it also sells essential goods like groceries. Consumers, especially those with lower incomes, are looking for places to save after a stretch of high inflation. Transactions were up 3.8 percent, while the average ticket price showed that with each visit people were spending about the same as they did this time last year. Walmart’s quarterly profit, of $5.1 billion, was triple the result a year earlier. Walmart’s stock was up more than 6 percent in morning trading, as investors reacted to the results and the company’s upgraded forecast for growth this year. The retailer said consumers from “upper-income households” helped it gain market share, reiterating a trend it has noted since Americans started navigating high inflation a couple of years ago. In an interview, John David Rainey, Walmart’s chief financial officer, pointed to the company’s focus on making shopping more convenient through features like curbside pickup and deliveries, as well as diversifying its product offerings, particularly online. “You think about things like AirPods, MacBook Air — these are items that certainly appeal to a high-income demographic,” Mr. Rainey said. “The more that we move into that space and offer a broad assortment like that, I think the more we’re going to retain this cohort.” Over the past three years, households earning over $100,000 have provided the biggest gains in Walmart’s market share, according to Neil Saunders of GlobalData, an analytics and consulting firm.

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It was great to chat with CBS News about the latest twists and turns with self-checkout, which is undergoing something of a scaling back by retailers. It's not being abandoned entirely across every retailer, but more restrictions are being placed around how it can be used and in some stores it is being removed or cut back. The reason retailers give is changing customer needs. That might be part of it, but shrink is also a major concern. https://lnkd.in/ejqaiD3S #retail #retailnews #theft #selfcheckout

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AI is exploding across the retail industry and yet most retailers are ill-prepared for taking full advantage of AI’s benefits. While the largest retailers - companies like Walmart, Kroger, and a few others - are transforming their massive businesses into digital operating and business models, traditional retailers continue to be hamstrung by poor quality data and application silos. Developing data discipline, data diversification, and speeding up the gathering, understanding, and use of data are essential to survival in a time of exponential technology growth. Moving to a unified data foundation speeds development and deployment of new AI capabilities. In today’s world, speed doesn’t kill, being slow does. So are you on the path to becoming a Bionic Retailer? Bionic Retail is available here: https://lnkd.in/gNDY8baC #retail #retailstrategy #retailtech #retailinnovation #FMCGretail #supermarkets #CPGretail #grocery #groceryinnovation #grocerytech #grocerystrategy #AI #retailAI Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) #bionicretail #CEO #CMO #CIO #COO https://bionicretail.com/

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Retail is powered by data. The future of retail is digital. Retail success is dependent on positive customer engagement (digital and physical). If you believe the above statements, why - if you are a retailer - would you deliberately hand over to a third-party your customer engagement, a growing revenue stream, and a source of ever more important first-party data? Yet that’s just what retailers and wholesalers have done by signing on to Instacart’s retail media network. If I’m a retailer or wholesaler, I get it. Instacart is the ‘Easy Button’. A one-stop shop for outsourcing online shopping, digital shopper engagement, and retail media. Choosing a third-party like Instacart removes major headaches and resource commitments for retailers. So I don’t blame retailers and wholesalers for partnering with third-parties like Instacart. But at what cost? As Instacart and other third-party marketplaces grow their influence, traditional retailers will increasingly be delegated to simply putting products on the shelf. CPG marketing funds are rapidly evolving towards digital solutions. How long do you think it will be before traditional trade promotion dollars will be dependent on digital capabilities like sophisticated targeting, digital engagement in the store, and digital offer delivery managed across a growing number of channels? All things Instacart is able to provide. So I get it. Grocery retail is incredibly tactical, the need to obsessively control operating expenses to eke out a profit. Thinking strategically and longer-term is a luxury that many retailers and wholesalers do not have. And I have to give Instacart credit. They saw a market opportunity and went after it, pivoting along the way to provide a growing array of tech solutions to retailers in addition to creating and growing their retail media network. Yet as we accelerate up and out technology’s exponential growth curve, that historical tactical focus, putting out the brush fires to survive another day, becomes increasingly dangerous. And understanding that we now live in a world that has never before existed, a world of exponential change, is now imperative for survival. That’s why I wrote Bionic Retail, my latest book. To help the retail industry understand that it is now in a new world and many of the old rules no longer apply. Succeeding in the exponential world requires new thinking and deliberately letting go of many past practices, processes, and beliefs that increasingly constrain retail and innovation. Maybe the ‘Easy Button’ isn’t going to be so easy after all. The Shelby Report ROFDA Instacart #grocery #groceryretail #grocerystrategy #grocerytech #groceryinnovation #retail #retailtech #retailstrategy #retailinnovation #CPG #CPGinnovation #retailmedianetworks #RMN #supermarket Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) https://lnkd.in/gH93nm3A

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Some great insights from this rare interview with Doug McMillon, Walmart's CEO. Here are my top 10: 💥 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 ��𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: "At the root of it all, though, it's a people business and it's a merchandising business. Today, it's increasingly a technology business. The supply chain is critical, of course, and real estate still plays a key role." 💥 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: "Don't take your current job for granted, the next job doesn't come if you don't do the one you've got well. The second piece of advice was be a great teammate... And then the third one was volunteer for something extra, volunteer for something hard." 💥 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: "We've always thought that a blend was best, and there are probably times where that blend is 80/20 instead of 70/30, depending on the moment that we're in. But Sam Walton would bring in great people from the outside to help build the retail business." 💥 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬: "The e-commerce store is the interesting one. We've seen it all and done it all. We operate around the world in different formats, different brands. We've got large stores, small stores, all these different formats. So we know that space pretty well, but the e-commerce business was different." 💥 𝐎𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞: "There was a period of time when there was too much debate inside the company about the significance of e-commerce, there were leaders who believed it would never be any bigger than the catalog business, there were leaders that believed it would never be profitable." 💥 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥: "It's always been clear to me that this was an 'and' — there are going to be stores, there will be store curbside pickup, there will be delivery of various forms, there'll be stores and e-commerce." Continue in the comments... 👇 Thank you Karl Haller for sharing this!

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In a recent podcast episode, Lee Peterson, EVP of Thought Leadership at WD Partners, discussed the decline of traditional #shopping experiences and the need for retailers to redefine the purpose of their brick-and-mortar stores. As convenience continues to drive online shopping, retailers must focus on creating unique and engaging in-store experiences to attract customers. Peterson's expertise in in-store design and merchandising offers valuable perspectives on how retailers can adapt and thrive in the evolving retail landscape. It's clear that the key to success lies in understanding customer needs and delivering exceptional service both online and offline! Check the podcast out on Retail Dive - The Backroom: Lee Peterson and the hard truth about retail stores. #RetailTrends #Innovation #CustomerExperience

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BRILLIANT RESEARCH: What matters to Today’s Consumer: 2024 consumer behavior tracker for the consumer and retail industries https://lnkd.in/eRxRngBG This report is the third in our annual research series that examines evolving consumer behaviors. This year, we find that many of the behaviors we noted in our 2023 report have persisted, with consumers continuing to express concern about their personal financial situations amid rising inflation. However, this concern has dropped significantly in the past twelve months as just 43% of consumers worry their personal finances will worsen over the next 6–9 months, compared with 80% who were concerned that they would worsen in the equivalent period last year #retail Capgemini

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Costco is building out an ad network built on its trove of loyalty membership data, using its 74.5 million household members’ shopping habits and past purchases to power targeted advertising on and off its website. The wholesale retailer is still testing such capabilities, and it’s fielding offers from potential ad-tech vendors, but the move signals that the third-largest retailer in the US could become a formidable player in the already deeply fragmented retail media space, which is estimated to reach $166 billion by 2025, and responsible for 20% of all digital media spend this year, according to eMarketer. #retailmedia #costco #wholesaleclubs

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Retail Today / Retail Renaissance: We are almost at the halfway point in 2024. What are the emerging trends? What retailers get it? #retailtrends Retailers that understand consumers are looking for “value”, not just price. BUT “low prices” still drive sales. It’s a “needs vs wants” environment, unless you can capture the aspirational shoppers attention. #lowprices RETAIL OVERVIEW: The retail industry is being driven by the “Big Three”, WALMART, AMAZON, COSTCO but watch TJX! #walmart #amazon #costco #tjx Home Improvement: HD and Lowes still off their Covid peak years. Ace Hardware with a flash of positive sales. #homedepot #lowes #acehardware Off-Price: This sector is on 🔥🔥🔥, getting stronger everyday. Ross, HomeGoods, Ollie’s, Burlington, Nordstrom Rack, etc… #ross #ollies #burlington #nordstromrack Mid-Tier Department Stores: Yes, Macy’s flashed some positive news but this sector is under tremendous pressure. Kohl’s, JCP and Macy’s are under attack from Fast-Fashion and they lost GenZ. #macys #jcpenny #kohls Speciality Retail: The good news, merchandise/product still matters! You can still make it a “wants” experience with the right product. Dick’s, Abercrombie, Hoka, Vuori, etc… There are hundreds of great brands driving sales through exciting products. #specialityretail Opportunity: Customers are focused on “value” but give them a compelling reason to buy, either through merchandise or experience, maybe both! #merchandise #product #retail #retailindustry #brandexperience #TopRetailExpert

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