If even a slightly credible rumor is true, that Amazon is eyeing an acquisition of JC Penney, Jeff Bezos would be making another huge strategic mistake. As I pointed out last March, the fact that Amazon chose to acquire Whole Foods (grocery being one of Bezos' early declarations that Amazon needed to get grocery and apparel "right") was the first, huge strategic mistake. Not only is Whole Foods an upscale grocer, not quite compatible with Amazon's more mainstream brand, the business was not in good shape when they acquired it, and they're still …
Opinion
PostPan Generational Reflections
At 10:00 in the evening as I sit in my West Village garden, the city is remarkably quiet. There is a dusting of white pear tree blossom petals everywhere. No jets passing over, the sirens are a distant wail in my deserted neighborhood. It is as if 150 years has disappeared. It hasn't. Next Gen Angst For my GenZ 19-year-old this is a cataclysmic time. It is the first time in her adult memory the broader world has intruded on her life, uninvited. Her college sent her home. Her physical isolation is profound. And while Zoom gatherings are a …
A Fake Sport Defines Our Fake President
Dear Readers: Upon reflection of our nation’s 240th birthday, I feel compelled, as a member of the media, to bring you this editorial wake-up call. “America Gets What America Is” was the last sentence in a prescient article I posted on The Robin Report, September 15, 2015, Trump Will Win the Nomination. The blog predicted, early on, that Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination. One of the major reasons I cited was that he was the image and likeness of the famed WWE (remember folks, that’s World Wrestling Entertainment) hero, Hulk …
What Makes a Millennial Spend Big?
Money isn't easy to come by, especially when you're young. Thus, it’s common for people in early adulthood to be frugal. When there’s little money to spend, it’s necessary to spend wisely. But today’s young adult—the millennials, or Gen Y—have been forced to behave in exceptionally frugal ways. Having come of age in the great recession, often saddled with high levels of student loan debt, and witness to the disappearance of their elders’ savings, millennials are not an acquisitive bunch. Unlike when the two generations that preceded them …
Black Friday, Cyber Monday: Irrelevant and Misleading?
It’s a silly game to keep tracking Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Just as same-store sales became a meaningless measure of performance once e-commerce took off, Black Friday and Cyber Monday became irrelevant when retailers began trying to outdo each other by starting both events earlier and earlier with deeper promotions. Amazon launched its 2016 Black Friday campaign on November 1st to run through December 22nd. Furthermore, most senior retail executives I talk to cynically admit that Black Friday is an everyday event, all year long. It’s …
Black Friday, Cyber Monday: Irrelevant and Misleading?Read More
Facebook’s “Marketplace”
Inching or Sprinting To Social Commerce? Not long after Facebook was launched in 2004 as a social network, retail industry experts were bantering about whether or not it would ever become an e-commerce platform. Fairly unanimously, most believed it would never happen -- with one exception. Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, believed that eventually, Facebook could be commercialized. However, while Facebook’s influence on purchasing behavior via word-of-mouth is beyond dispute, as well as its growing advertising platform, its attempts at …
Personalization! The Next and Biggest Thing
Bring It to Me, Just for Me, New, Now & More Often Listen to this. And, listen with great attention to what I’m about to say. The bar has been fundamentally raised on consumers’ expectations in this transformational century. Not incrementally raised, it’s been raised to a level that will require fundamental leaps forward in what you must do to meet those expectations. You must relentlessly pursue the personalization of products, brands, services and experiences for each and every one of your customers. Those who do will be big winners. …
Walmart + Jet.com Can Crush Amazon
In April 2014 I wrote, Walmart Can Crush Amazon. I focused on all of the competitive advantages Walmart has over Amazon. and if leveraged, implementing the right strategies, over time, (and given the time), they could beat Amazon at its own game. The one major disadvantage I cited as an impediment to getting there was Walmart’s plodding and questionable efforts in perfecting and growing their e-commerce business and integrating it into an omnichannel model. This week, Walmart leapfrogged that disadvantage and the many years of catching up to …