BB&B: No more coupons? Will it work?

Bed, Bath & Beyond is going to institute an fee-based loyalty program. It will eliminate the ubiquitous coupons for which the retailer has become known. Our commentary on this topic was featured in RetailWire. Loyalty programs, coupons, margin erosion are mine fields that retailers must walk regularly. Trying something new can be as successful as […]

Technology that enables the store associate

RetailWire started a discussion on the application of technology to enable the store associate as compared to enabling customer self service.  Store systems can accomplish both.  There is no reason why the emphasis should be on customer self service.  Enabling the store associate to assist customers is a very powerful approach.  We pay lip service […]

Will Amazon teach retailers how to execute omni-channel right?

We commented on a RetailWire discussion on whether Amazon can excel at omni-channel retail and show others how it’s done.  Well, not necessarily.  While Amazon has been very successful at ‘pure-play’ commerce, its foray into brick-and-mortar retailing is not guaranteed to be successful.  As we all have learned, the two business channels are very different, each […]