Note: This is part one of an ongoing series on emerging retail economies. Just off the North Coast of South America, tucked in between Venezuela, Brazil, and Surinam, lies Guyana, a former English colony. Although its capital, Georgetown, has a decidedly laid-back Caribbean vibe – it won’t take a first-time visitor more than a few minutes in the country to realize that this is a nation of contrast and symbiosis. Its people are a melting pot of East Indian, Afro-Guyanese, Amerindian and European, and its music, cuisine, and culture reflect …
Ten Major Consumer Trends Will Dominate the Retailosphere
As sure as the leaves begin to change from their verdant summer hue into a medley of autumn gold, orange, and brown -- and as sure as the hum of jet-skis is replaced by that of the early morning growling of yellow Bluebird school buses, Fall will soon be upon us, and that means that school will soon be back in session. And for keen observers of retail, this means brushing up on the latest consumer engagement trends and themes that have been emerging in recent years, many of which promise to figure prominently in the months ahead. Of …
Ten Major Consumer Trends Will Dominate the RetailosphereRead More
They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Retail Parking Lot
This might come as a surprise to New Yorkers who are constantly on the prowl for a choice parking spot – an aspect of Big Apple life that, at times, can even turn bloody and violent – but the truth of the matter is that for vast swathes of the country, there is simply too much parking. Vacant Space Although some of us might cringe at the idea of trying to find a parking spot at the supermarket the day before Thanksgiving, at Best Buy on Black Friday, or at the mall on Christmas Eve Day, these instances are the exception rather than the rule. …
They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Retail Parking LotRead More
Target’s Big Fail
In today’s world, where corporate responsibility, culture wars, and social progress are more or less bound to become intertwined strands of any major national discussion, Minnesota-based Target Corporation’s recent decision to move to the back or completely withdraw selected Gay Pride/LGBTQ+ merchandise from its stores marks a new low in Fortune 500 cowardice. Specifically, what has earned Target my rancor is the company’s puzzling response to conservative pressure over its decision to prominently display LGBTQ+-related clothing and merchandise …
Securing America’s Killing Fields
It’s gotten to the point that reports about mass shootings are almost a weekly occurrence on the nightly newscasts. Seemingly, no public or even semi-public venue is off-limits nowadays when it comes to this uniquely American form of mass violence. In fact, according to a recent Axios-Ipsos poll, gun violence is now Americans’ top public health concern, bigger than the opioid epidemic and cancer. And it’s easy to see why. Over the past couple of years, episodes of mass shootings resulting in four or more victims murdered by firearms, not …
The 11 Most Frequent Forms of Retail Employee Fraud in 2023
Let’s be honest – when it comes to retail fraud, the online world grabs all the attention – and probably justifiably so. In 2022, losses stemming from internet shopping scams and duplicity approached $400 million, according to statistics from the Better Business Bureau. The web’s anonymity coupled with the transmission of sensitive personal information and credit card data – albeit usually encrypted – and aided by a complex logistics and delivery system has all proven to be a boon for those born with a certain technological swagger and a …
The 11 Most Frequent Forms of Retail Employee Fraud in 2023Read More
TikTok Retail Marketing at Risk
Digital marketers in the retail industry have been thrown into a state of flux in recent days with news emerging that regulators in Congress and the Biden Administration are edging closer to a ban or forced sale of the popular social media platform TikTok. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said last weekend that lawmakers "will be moving forward" with legislation to address the heightened national security concerns surrounding the app after the social media giant’s CEO faced hours grilling before a congressional panel last week. The move …
ChatGPT: More Friend than Foe for Retail Marketers
It’s not an easy time to be a marketer or PR professional, particularly in the retail sector. Despite years of denial in which communicators wantonly dismissed the reality that increasingly sophisticated AI seemed to be slowly yet determinedly encroaching on their core skill sets – namely copywriting, wordsmithing and poeticizing the virtues of their brands and the products they sell – OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT last November provided the most convincing glimpse yet as to how these new, revolutionary generative natural language technologies …