From the Principal’s Office Doing something a little different this issue. We are listing some products and trends that look interesting and poking fun at some other things. Bob Amster – Principal, RTG What are we seeing? Serious notes There are sufficient bankruptcy and threatening-to-fold events to give us pause. To wit, Pac Sun filed […]
Author Archives: Robert Amster
Study: E-commerce is eroding retail profitability
It sure is. And we commented on the RetailWire Article as to how and what needs to be done to stop the bleeding. Read the answer.
Are free-shipping expectations crushing smaller retailers? Commentary on RetailWire
Spirited discussion on a clearly difficult topic. Read our perspective.
The latest NBA power move is selling ads on jerseys – our story
It is done all over Europe with soccer teams. It is not attractive and it appears ‘cheap.’ We really don;t like it.
Is it time for Victoria’s Secret to say goodbye to its print catalog? No, here’s why…
Done measuredly and optimally, it is still a good idea to print and mail catalogs. Read more…
Justifying IT infrastructure investments
How should we treat and justify investments in infrastructure? Read our post in the RetailWire discussion today.
Five things retailers must do to make IoT not about ‘things’ – From RetailWire
There are items which, if IoT enabled, will make it easier for consumers at large to adopt the entire concept. I believe that it is not so much up to the retailers to entice consumers to purchase IoT products as it is for the product designers to come up with useful, practical applications of IoT […]
A new business wants to reshape product returns – is this a viable model?
A start-up called Happy Returns takes the work out of the e-retailer’s hands by accepting customer returns in their multiple locations. This concept is very attractive for the consumer. But then the consumer isn’t paying for any of the myriad processes that ensue when she shows up with one or more returns. If one were […]
Retailers turn to text to connect with customers – a RetailWire discussion
As with anything else in the universe, the effectiveness of texting is relative. Any form of communication that is not excessive, and is useful to the consumer more often than not, is an acceptable form of communication. Read more…
The role of the store associate in digital transformation – Read our post
New complexities arise with the digital transformation. It is not so simple as buy it here here, ship it from there, etc. Store associates have to be trained in functions they didn’t perform before, and a a cost to the retailer. Read our thoughts.