Retail Predictions: 5 Pre-Pandemic Projections That Are Remarkable in Retrospect
At the start of 2020, analysts, journalists, CEOs, and others were busy making retail predictions for the year to come. On one hand, you’d think that those retail predictions would now be as outdated as all-you-can-eat buffets, large crowds in small spaces, and handshakes. But on the other, everyone seems to be saying that when […]
15 Must-Have Products to Add to Your Grocery Store Assortment, According to TikTok
TikTok is the bite-sized video-sharing app with an outsized reach. Launched here in 2018, the app became a global phenomenon last year among Generation Z users looking for a distraction during the COVID-19 quarantine. Now, with more than 1 billion users worldwide, TikTok has found a foothold with influencers demonstrating, hawking, and reviewing products for […]
How an Increase in Minimum Wage Could Affect Retail Profitability
The story of minimum wage in the United States is one of incremental yet halting progress. The first minimum wage standard was passed as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, in 1938 at a rate of $0.25 per hour—long before the days of big-box retailers. Over the ensuing eight-plus decades, the rate has ticked […]
5 Predictions for Post-Pandemic Life Retailers Are Banking On
Last year, many shoppers found themselves turning to the web when they once would have turned to the mall. Online shopping surged during the pandemic. But now, with a new normal and new shopping trends on the horizon, retailers are getting ready for a “return to retail” as soon as this summer. That means getting […]
5 Reasons Shoppers in the US are Crazy for European Grocers
North America is far from unexplored territory for European grocers. The likes of Food Lion, Giant Food, Stop & Shop and Hannaford are owned by the Dutch Ahold Delhaize company, which bought-in in the mid-70s. Despite their non-domestic corporate roots, these stores help define the quintessential American grocery shopping experience: huge store footprints with a […]
3 Misconceptions About Amazon Pharmacy & What It Says About the Future of Physical Pharmacy Retail
Amazon rattled the pharmacy world when it announced its new Amazon Pharmacy concept in late November. Competitors’ stocks fell from 8 to 22 percent the day the news was shared. The timing could not have been better for Amazon Pharmacy, as CNBC reported: “Americans are increasingly relying on getting their medicines via mail to avoid […]
5 Ways the Best Retailers Increase Customer Lifetime Value
For great retailers, success isn’t earned with a single transaction—one transaction is only a win when it sets the ball rolling for more transactions like it and bigger baskets in the future. By the same token, missing out on a single sale is never just that—it can sap untold thousands of dollars in future business. […]
2nd Annual Grocery Store Loyalty Awards
Customer loyalty is hot right now. Despite the chaos of 2020, a handful of top supermarket chains managed to roll out new or update their existing loyalty programs in innovative and clever ways. The best programs are attracting legions of customers in a highly competitive industry. Sales figures from last year show that these revamped […]
Caring for Communities: How the Top 3 Retail Pharmacies Lead the Charge
When Amazon announced they would expand its pharmacy services, analysts called it a warning shot for the top retail pharmacies. Amazon was expected to bring the same type of disruption to pharmacy that it had to books, DVDs, retail and grocery. Retail pharmacies, however, have an edge on Amazon: they’ve got roots in the communities […]
CB4’s 2nd Annual Convenience Chain Loyalty Awards
CB4’s Convenience Store Loyalty Awards honor excellence in c-store loyalty programs. And what a year to evaluate both convenience and loyalty, as the pandemic prompted shoppers in 2020 to seek out new chains and channels based, above all, on the need for safe and successful one-stop shopping. Converting even a fraction of these opportunistic shoppers […]
