As we all know, marketing today is moving fast (although everyone was saying that in 2005, and will be in 2025!) Currently, one of the “accelerators” is that of digital marketing, with real time event driven campaigns being one of the latest mantras. For example when a customer puts something
The holiday season is a festive time of the year. But it can also be a nail biter for retailers. Months of planning can be sidetracked by fickle consumers or aggressive pricing from competitors. Paying attention to even a little bit of data can work wonders. In October, SAS conducted
Once upon a time, the festive countdown began when towns and cities switched on their Christmas lights. We all sat at home, eagerly waiting for Christmas adverts to debut. Retailers could plan based on the number of weekends left until Christmas. But last year, all that changed – the Black
Recently I read an article on National Retail Federation's "Halloween Headquarters" that 1 out of 6 millennials will dress up their animal for Halloween versus 13% of adults. With the rise in cat lovers and hipsters, I wasn’t surprised. I’m not going to lie, I once had a Pomeranian named Armani
The Rule of Three is a writing principle that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things – Wikipedia. 3 Ps of success, Blind Mice, Little Pigs, Stooges, Musketeers, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, rings, pairs
All of us in the retail and wholesale industry, regardless of role, are responsible for the same objectives: Increase customer satisfaction, inventory productivity, and profitability by way of localization and omni strategies. We've learned that our best strategies sometimes fall short; we spend significant effort analyzing, only to achieve marginal results. Many of
In the past, the supermarket wars were fought on location and floor space. The biggest supermarkets had the most space in the best locations. Today it’s very different as battles are won and lost on price, loyalty and maintaining profit margins. The price of milk rose to the top of the
I realized a little while ago that I may have more loyalty cards and memberships than the average person. (And that I more actively prove my loyalty than the average person). But as anybody who has ever signed up to a mailing list or for a store card knows, having
If you know me, you know two undeniable things (other than my love for froyo): I consider shopping a sport and I am an Analytics geek. Being an Analytics geek means that I see potential for using data everywhere, and never more than when it’s my data as a customer.
How often do you give much thought to your card swipe? It’s become so commonplace that I doubt you think of it at all – and that’s how it's supposed to be. Fast, easy and a complete non-event so you can be on your way in no time at all
USA Today recently published an article titled 10 retailers take two-thirds of your money. The story highlights the revenue distribution among the Top 100 retailers in the S&P 1500. It was startling to see that such a small number of retail powerhouses take in such a large percentage of consumers’ income.
Not so long ago, I started my retail/merchandising career in the juniors division at the corporate office of a retailer. It was so exciting to be in a place where I could wear the clothes that I worked with, and I was sure that picking out cute clothes all day was what I
On Monday, SAS announced the beginning of a new era with its Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions OEM partnership. This is the first time SAS has provided its technology for an equipment manufacturer to wrap into its solution to help retail customers gain the benefits of advanced analytics. We always ask
Black Friday might seem like a long time ago now, but the impact of this new phenomenon in the UK still ripples. Retailers such as Dixons Carphone embraced the shopping day and once the results were tallied, that turned out to be a good move. The retailer attributes the success to careful planning
Retailers are always trying to get closer to customers. But it’s not just about improving service to those customers – it’s about understand more about what products they are demanding so as to make better forecasting decisions around, for example, how much of a particular item is needed in stock.
Omnichannel, Internet of Things and customer loyalty were just three of the terms you heard over and over again on the conference floor and in presentations at retail's biggest conference last month. If you had to miss the Retail Big Show in New York City, the article "Retail's Omnichannel, Data-Driven Revolution is
Once upon a time: The toy industry has invited me to the world‘s largest toy fair, which took place recently in the city of Nuremberg. With close to 3,000 exhibitors the toy fair is bigger than ever before. Success is the theme of the event, and most German retailers cannot complain with consecutive
Cupid is bearing down on me again, and I’m still only thinking about what gifts to give my wife and daughter for Valentine’s Day. At this point, I’m hoping for divine inspiration. Based on holiday shopping research we conducted in November, I’ve learned that the gifts women expect to receive
Think about what makes you shop at the same place over and over again. Is it attention to detail or the fact that you're always remembered? What makes a good customer experience, regardless of channel? Darren Stoll, Group Vice President of Marketing at Macys.com recommends these three guidelines for retailers: Think about
If you’ve been watching the news out of The Retail Big Show, you've been hearing about omnichannel, big data and the Internet of Things. Now that the show is over, don’t forget to follow @SASRetail on Twitter for continued retail news, and watch the SAS Marketing Insights Center for coverage of the
Retailing is fascinating because it’s the very essence of a market – a place that begins and ends with the customer. And the cash register / online shopping cart is where the supply curve and the demand curve meet, generating an endless stream of customer data made very valuable with
If you like hunting, fishing, hiking or camping, chances are you not only know Cabela's but you're also a customer. Cabela's is one of the most well-known outdoor recreation brands in the world and was founded as a direct retailer in 1961. Cabela's now engages with customers across all 50 U.S states
It’s that time of year again, and I have retail on my mind. Not only because we’re reaching the peak of the holiday buying season, but because we at SAS are getting ready for one the biggest events on our calendar, the National Retail Federation tradeshow in January. As I’m
Everybody cares about the holiday shopping season. For retailers, it can account for as much as 30% of annual sales according to the National Retail Federation ("NRF"). For many individuals, it can be the best time to score great deals on presents for loved ones. For the overall economy, the impact of the
Few of us can have missed the scenes of frantic shoppers searching for that ultimate bargain on Black Friday. This is something fairly new in the UK, having originated in the United States to refer to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. Legend has it that ‘black’ refers to the first day of the
You’re a retailer, it’s the holidays, data is flooding in from all points (if you’re lucky), and the last thing you want to hear from the higher-ups is that you need to “modernize.” And what do they actually mean when they say modernize anyway? Well, modernizing doesn’t have to mean scrapping
The idea of "management by walking around" has been around for a while. First brought to prominence in Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s best-seller In Search of Excellence, the concept is that managers get out of their offices and meet employees in their work areas to get a sense of how
2014 was a rude wakeup call for retailers: In January, Target announced an additional 70 million individuals’ contact information was taken during the December 2013 breach. In September, Home Depot announced that cyber criminals had compromised the credit card information of roughly 56 million shoppers. Neiman Marcus, Kmart, AT&T, Michaels
‘Tis the day before T-Day and all through the mall The shoppers are waiting for prices to fall. The signs they are printed and ready to hang In hopes that “Black Thursday” will start with a bang. The family has traveled and all gathered here To spend time with grandma
I love Christmas, but there is one thing I never seem to get right: the office Secret Santa. Every year I draw someone I’ve barely met and fruitlessly dig around for clues – only to find myself hastily wrapping a scented candle/novelty mug at the eleventh hour. Merry Christmas Sandra
