Carol Spieckerman’s Retail Insights
The Best of Best Buy & Walmart: Barrage Beats Triage
Introducing electric vehicles, expanding into vinyl records, exploding private label, unveiling used game exchange kiosks, launching an online open idea exchange, forming an exclusive alliance with TiVo, incubating an experiential in-store environmental upgrade . . . all major initiatives that Best Buy has announced since the beginning of the year. Oh and look for this month’s launch of “Twelpforce,” which will have Best Buy associates scanning Twitter to find folks seeking electronics illumination. (click on blog title to comment)
Is Best Buy biting off too much at one time? Tossing it out and seeing what sticks? How can they take all of this on? Well, how can they not? If you ask us, Best Buy serves as a case study in post re-set relevance at a time when some other retailers and brands continue to pick, choose, dabble, and dunk pinkie toes like it was 2000.
Private Label Refreshes Continue: Target's Back on the up & up
The private label re-launch, reinvent and reinvigoration process marches on (see previous post on Walmart's Great Value). Took a few snaps of Target's "up & up" brand which the retailer is framing as a re-launch;however, I think it's more accurate to call it a replacement (for the Target brand, previously represented by a red bullseye).
Options Aren't Answers: 4 Reasons to Ditch “Can Do” With Retailers
Over the last decade, retail vendors have expanded their product and brand portfolios, points of distribution, door counts, price point options, and sourcing selection . . . Retailers drove much of this because, as they got savvier, they began expecting even more from vendors . . . And, as retailers ruthlessly wrung out efficiencies and vendors rose to the challenge, the baseline kept getting higher for everyone. The explosion of private label, licensing and brand brokering activity brings even more options and expectations for vendor flexibility.
Report From Licensing International: Align and Shine, People!
A mantra that we share with our clients is “those who play, stay” and “perception is reality.” If you’re digging in your heels or whining, “Who’s got the TIME?” then you’re missing the point. Retailers are finding the time and they want to work with brands that are early-stage participants; not late-to-the-party lurkers
AGFS: The Condition Retail's Condition is in
There are “signs” that “we may have hit bottom” or then again, “we may not have seen the worst yet” though “any recovery” may be “slow in coming” or might take a period of “up to 3-5 years” or “well into 2010 at the earliest.” In the meantime, know that the shopper is very much in charge and she won’t likely return to previous habits no matter how well she’s doing . . . The habits she will adopt when the sun shines are . . . well they just won’t be the same, okay?
Shiny. Happy. Walmart. : )
Just in time for shareholders' week, and at approximately the one year anniversary mark of when Walmart's logo and tagline changes started hitting the news, cranes plopped a new sign in front of HQ here in Bentonville.
Walmart.com: delivering impact "when she's making choices"
“On target and on brand” . . . the Holy Grail of retail these days and the title of this week's presentation from Walmart’s Senior Marketing Director, PK Van Deloo, and his co-presenter, Sherry Smith, Triad Digital Media’s VP and General Manager. The pair spoke as part of the Bentonville Chamber’s speaking series for Walmart vendors.
Euroblog #2: Excess
While in Paris, we HAD to catch Roberto Cavalli's new flagship digs on Rue Saint Honore at Cambon. After all, he dared to open it at a time when others are retreating, surrendering and generally hunkering down . . . and indeed the final version is purported to be less lavish than originally intended . . . Ooh la la!