Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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The rapid rise of buy now, pay later
Despite regulatory uncertainties, BNPL won’t disappear anytime soon, writes Kendrick Sands, head of consumer finance research at Euromonitor International.
Kendrick Sands • Oct. 5, 2022 -
Courtesy of Gopuff
A day of reckoning arrives for ultrafast delivery services
The industry has failed to sustain the momentum it appeared to have on its side just a few months prior, writes Bob Hoyler, senior consultant at Euromonitor International.
Bob Hoyler • May 3, 2022 -
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Convenience is in the eye of the beholder
Consumers are willing to be inconvenienced, as long as it's on their terms, writes Katie Thomas, who leads the Kearney Consumer Institute.
Katie Thomas • Feb. 8, 2022 -
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Returns are the new growth strategy
To benefit from returns, retailers need to enhance the customer experience, optimize costs and preserve revenue, write Alvarez & Marsal's Michael Simoncic and Alfredo Lozano.
Michael Simoncic and Alfredo Lozano • Dec. 23, 2021 -
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Shortage signs versus facing: How retailers should deal with stockouts
There are benefits and risks to each strategy, writes Gad Allon, faculty director of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gad Allon • Dec. 9, 2021 -
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3 rules for holiday 2021 success: Be first, be mobile, be flexible
Given supply chain issues, retailers should promote what they know is in stock, writes Vincent DeSantis, director of Retail Facebook Business Group.
Vincent DeSantis • Oct. 27, 2021 -
Courtesy of Target
Why raising minimum wage is no longer enough to draw in retail workers
Workers are not responding to these cues as they traditionally have. Why? Most retailers are using an outdated hiring playbook, write Alvarez and Marsal's David Ritter and Conor Gaffney.
David Ritter and Conor Gaffney • Sept. 23, 2021 -
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
How well-performing retailers navigated the pandemic, and best practices for the years ahead
Retailers that survived the pandemic should adopt these practices of the winners, who had a few critical things in common, writes Bill Kearney, managing director of White Oak Commercial Finance.
Bill Kearney • Aug. 18, 2021 -
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
The demise of the department store? Not so fast
Department stores still have a strong value proposition, if only they can reimagine their experience, write Alvarez and Marsal's Mohit Mohal and Jonathan Sharp.
Mohit Mohal and Jonathan Sharp • Aug. 11, 2021 -
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The future of retail belongs to those who make the best decisions
The key is adding data into the mix — from all places and in as real time as possible — so retailers can make better, more informed decisions, writes Deloitte's Christina Bieniek.
Christina Bieniek • June 3, 2021 -
Courtesy of Walgreens
The rise of curbside pickup: Best practices for retailers
Retailers of all types would do well to develop their curbside pickup capabilities further, writes Euromonitor International's Bob Hoyler.
Bob Hoyler • May 13, 2021 -
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Retailers: It's time to move beyond outdated business models
Pay attention to these five areas as you plan for the future, writes Kaufman Rossin's N.K. "Trip" Tripathy.
N.K. "Trip" Tripathy • April 20, 2021 -
The shift to the suburbs predates COVID-19. Did retailers miss the signs?
As suburban populations grew over the past decade, retailers consistently ignored the trend in favor of cities, writes Euromonitor International's Bob Hoyler.
Bob Hoyler • April 15, 2021 -
Retail in a post-COVID world: We need to go back to the way we were
While it's easy to blame the pandemic for its toll on retail, it merely accelerated changes that were already happening, writes Carl Marks Advisors' Howard Meitiner.
Howard Meitiner • April 8, 2021 -
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The health, social and economic pandemic triad brings a watershed moment to retail in 2021
Retailers cannot focus on getting shoppers back into stores until health and social concerns are solved, writes SSA & Company's Matt Katz.
Matt Katz • March 4, 2021 -
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Top 7 trends in retail digital transformation and innovation for 2021
From contactless services to cost optimization strategies, retailers are building adaptable business models in response to COVID-19, writes Gartner's Kelsie Marian.
Kelsie Marian • Feb. 24, 2021 -
Pre-pandemic profitability could be 5 years out
Radical strategies are needed around consumer engagement to get back to pre-pandemic profitability, write Kearney's Michael Brown, Suketu Gandhi, Cara Cole and Natalie Shield.
Michael Brown, Suketu Gandhi, Cara Cole and Natalie Shield • Feb. 12, 2021 -
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
The evolution of the shopping mall: What consumers want
E-commerce sales growth and in-store traffic declines are creating challenges for traditional malls, write Cushman & Wakefield's Barrie Scardina and WD Partners' Lee Peterson.
Barrie Scardina and Lee Peterson • Jan. 21, 2021 -
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How COVID-19 prompted new thinking for omnichannel
Accelerated investments in 2020 redefined omnichannel, writes Amanda Bourlier, head of retail at Euromonitor International.
Amanda Bourlier • Dec. 18, 2020 -
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Predictions to help navigate the 2020 holiday shopping season
Future holiday shopping seasons will likely have more in common with 2020 than with 2019, writes Euromonitor International's Amanda Bourlier.
Amanda Bourlier • Nov. 23, 2020 -
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Top customer service considerations for retailers in a post-COVID world
The customer experience is one of the most critical touchpoints a retailer has with its customers, writes 7-Eleven's Jerry Campbell.
Jerry Campbell • July 30, 2020 -
5 ways beauty brands can grow faster online
Beauty sales were already moving online, but the pandemic has accelerated that trend, writes Sandy Skrovan, industry research director at Profitero.
Sandy Skrovan • July 22, 2020 -
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
What will bring consumers back to brick-and-mortar stores?
Post-pandemic, the retailers that reopen without making major changes to how they do business could lose out, writes Consumers in Motion's Daniel Hodges.
Daniel Hodges • May 28, 2020 -
Cara Salpini for Retail Dive
Survival of the fittest for DTC brands
Before the current crisis hit, we were already seeing flaws in the DTC model, writes Alex Song, CEO of Innovation Department.
Alex Song • May 14, 2020 -
"Empty Paper Goods Shelves at Walgreens at Union Station Shopping Mall at 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington DC on Thursday morning,19 March 2020" by Elvert Barnes Photography is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
COVID-19: The ultimate stress test for retailers
The novel coronavirus is the latest reminder that companies need to plan and prepare for the unexpected, writes Gartner's Kelsie Marian.
Kelsie Marian • April 9, 2020
