There are a multitude of leaders around the world, by title only. There is a scarcity of great leaders. The same applies in the retail ecosystem. The United States has been the de facto leader of the "free world" since the end of WWII. However, we are arguably witnessing its demise in real time (some would say over the last three years). In title only, we have a leader, but in my opinion, he is the opposite of "great," and in many ways endangering the country. However, this article is not about politics and the performance of our current …
Management
Coronavirus Has Pushed A Rapidly Growing List of Retailers to the Edge
With consumers' heightened awareness of the danger of being in confined places with strangers, it is highly unlikely they will flock to stores and malls even once they reopen. Anxiety and a healthy paranoia are likely to linger - possibly for a long time. Ever since March 14, America has been effectively closed for business. That was when the Trump administration declared a state of emergency and called on Americans to practice social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As a result, retail establishments classified as …
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Don’t Let a Crisis Go to Waste
Like so many of our readers, I too am operating and running The Robin Report remotely, as are my team members. We are fortunate in that respect. Also, being cooped up with no meetings, lunches or events to go to, I have more time to think, which for me, is a dangerous thing. However, one of the things I think is that the bad news (actually horrific) coming out of this mess is obsessively upfront and in our faces every minute of every day. But as with all historic crises, wars and such, there is some good news. Essentially, we …
Preparing for Recovery
As the clouds of COVID-19 darken, they are eclipsing our ability to see a clear future. The initial shock of the economic, employment and retail collapse has been intellectually and somewhat emotionally absorbed, but rather than the impact dissipating, it has morphed into palpable anxiety that is seeping into our organizations. We want to have the answers for the future, but this is a time to get comfortable with the now, and our inability to predict outcomes for the foreseeable future. As we are functioning in a situation without historical …
The Crisis Playbook for Retailers is Remarkably Stale
As America's retailers struggle to connect with their customers during the most critical crisis in their business lifetimes, the strategies they are using are old, pandering, disingenuous and, in the end, largely ineffective. For an industry that is supposed to be all about what's new and what's next, the American retailing sector is putting up a rather dismal front during the coronavirus crisis. To be fair, every business is suffering and trying to figure out how to stay afloat before either the customers or the government bailouts show …
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Starbucks Wuhan Success Story
The United States has hit the pause button on the economy literally. On March 16 President Trump asked Americans to call a halt to their lives as usual for the next 15 days. Then on March 23, he hinted the shutdown could end on Easter, April 12. But increasingly it looks like it will extend even longer, because the rate of infection has yet to level off, let alone decline. As a result, many of the nation's governors decided more "social distancing" was required, not less. Non-Essential by the Numbers Five of the nation's 11 most populous …
Retail Love in The Time of Coronavirus
Coronavirus coverage is everywhere. One cannot turn on the TV, scroll through social media, or shout at his or her neighbor from more than six feet away without hearing or seeing something about it. But, as important as the coverage is, it shouldn't be all consuming. Amid all the craziness, all the kids interrupting work-from-home conference calls and all the figuring out where to store the toilet paper, now is also the time for happy thoughts. It is important to remember that the retail industry was on an important upward trajectory just …
How to Successfully Enable “Work from Home” in Retail and Consumer Businesses
As we all continue to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, daily life has changed dramatically for many workers dedicated to retail and consumer-facing businesses. Brands everywhere are having to make difficult decisions on how they will support compliance with local regulations and closures, continue to serve the business, and strategize on how to emerge stronger after this is over. For many, this means that large populations of employees - including those who work in headquarters and store support centers, store associates, and distribution …
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