Description: Target has revolutionized the entire shopping experience, from the width of the aisles and the weight of the shopping carts to the smell of Starbucks coffee and placement of dollar bins. The tactics are paying off. Despite the pandemic, profits rose more than 80% year over year. Here’s how Target uses dollar bins and… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Retail Marketing
The holiday shopping season could start on 10/10/2020 with retailers hopeful that consumers will turn out early
Description: Forget Thanksgiving Day. The start to the holiday shopping season could be October 10, or 10/10/2020, according to Keith Jelinek, managing director in the retail practice at global consultancy Berkeley Research Group. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 16, 2020 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-holiday-shopping-season-could-start-on-10-10-2020-with-retailers-hopeful-that-consumers-will-turn-out-early-11600197849?mod=home-page Questions for discussion: What is the basis for these notions of an earlier start… Read more »
There’s now even more evidence that restaurant dining sharply increases COVID spread
Description: Growing evidence indicates that proximity to other people is among the easiest ways for coronavirus to spread, especially indoors. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adds to the thesis and points to a very specific culprit: Restaurant dining. Source: Fortune.com Date: Sep 11, 2020 Link: https://fortune.com/2020/09/11/covid-restaurant-dining-cdc-report/ Questions for discussion: What does this research… Read more »
How a husband-and-wife startup are trying to save mom-and-pop restaurants from pandemic oblivion
Description: Sociavore is a one-stop, custom website building tool that helps restaurants create a consumer-friendly online presence Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Sep 11, 2020 Link: https://financialpost.com/entrepreneur/small-business/how-a-husband-and-wife-startup-are-trying-to-save-mom-and-pop-restaurants-from-pandemic-oblivion/wcm/1ce8a29f-cb05-488a-9459-4f7316968e23/ Questions for discussion: Why has this service been so successful? How can the model be transferred to other businesses facing the same issues? How would you market these services to… Read more »
Why Americans hate shopping for cars at dealerships.
Description: Why Americans hate shopping for cars at dealerships. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Sep 02, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/09/03/why-americans-hate-car-shopping-at-dealerships-.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about the attitude consumers have towards buying cars? Why do you suppose this is the case? How can dealers mitigate the negative attitudes held by consumers? Are… Read more »
Grocers fight back against calls for a government enforced business code of conduct
Description: Retail Council of Canada says intervention could lead to higher food costs for consumers Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Aug 28, 2020 Link: https://financialpost.com/entrepreneur/small-business/grocers-fight-back-against-calls-for-a-government-enforced-business-code-of-conduct/wcm/e7229ffc-b08e-4b9d-aa54-ec7718f91850/ Questions for discussion: What is the source of the problem between suppliers and retailers? Is government regulation a good idea and if so, what would your regulation look like? What are the… Read more »
These restaurant chains are unveiling new designs inspired by the pandemic
Description: The coronavirus pandemic is spurring on a growing number of restaurant chains to build restaurants with new bells and whistles focused on convenience and safety. Source: CNBC.com Date: Sep 04, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/05/restaurant-chains-are-unveiling-new-designs-inspired-by-the-pandemic.html Questions for discussion: How have these restaurant chains responded to the coronavirus pandemic? Do you think these are good decisions? What else would… Read more »
Crisis Management: Walmart+ ‘not aggressive enough’ to take on Amazon
Description: Yahoo Finance Canada’s Alicja Siekierska and strategy expert Mark Satov discuss Walmart’s new membership service and how it will stack up against Amazon Prime. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com – video report Date: Sep 04, 2020 Link: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/video/crisis-management-walmart-not-aggressive-194154877.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about Walmart’s effort to launch a competing plan against Amazon Prime?… Read more »
People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips — and then changing them to zero
Description: New York (CNN Business)In late March, Instacart worker Annaliisa Arambula accepted a grocery order that came with a big tip: $55. The store was just down the street, everything the customer wanted was available, and the order seemed to go off without a hitch. Source: CNN.com Date: Apr 09, 2020 Link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/tech/instacart-shoppers-tip-baiting/index.html Questions for… Read more »
Canadian restaurant sector laid off 800,000 in March, with wave of permanent closures expected this month
Description: An industry survey also found that 10 per cent of Canada’s 98,000 establishments don’t plan to reopen after the COVID-19 crisis Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Apr 02, 2020 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/canadian-restaurant-sector-laid-off-800000-in-march-with-wave-of-permanent-closures-expected-this-month?video_autoplay=true# Questions for discussion: What has happened to the restaurant and related food services businesses because of the Covid – 19 economic shut down? Do you… Read more »
Applied Marketing, 2e
Canadian Edition
