Archives tagged: retail
On 1 January 2014, 12 states raised their minimum wages, making 21 states in total that have a minimum wage above the federal rate. What is the effect of this increase in minimum wage rates on pricing?
More Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB) is “desheeting” its products to improve profitability. Weber Stephen Products LLC avoids price promotions and markdowns on their grills, and yet maintains a dominant market position. These are two rather disjointed activities but they both appear to fall afoul of the suggestions given in a recent Wall Street Journal article by Professor Ailawadi of Tuck and Professor Farris of Darden. Are Ailawad and Farris wrong, are the companies wrong, or can both pairs be right?
More How do publishers successfully market to librarians? David Dalka explores this issue from direct research and interactions at the 2013 American Library Association Conference.
More Ron Johnson’s flawed strategy and his subsequent ouster as CEO of J.C. Penney recalls other major retail failures due to fatal marketing, strategy, and operational mistakes. Consider E.J. Korvette, F.W. Woolworth, or W.T. Grant.
More A few months ago I reported on a visit to J.C. Penney and commented on my disappointment with the look and feel of the store. What I saw was CEO Ron Johnson’s new strategy. The basis of this strategy is a return to the roots of the company through its “Fair and Square Every Day” philosophy. The problem with this strategy is that it is, in the words of Wharton Professor George S. Day, an “inside-out” strategy instead of an “outside-in” approach.
More JC Penney’s CEO Ron Johnson has had a tough go at it. Stock valuation is down roughly 40% since the time Johnson took over. Customer sales are down 20% from last year. Some are calling for his resignation. But before we chant “off with his head” with the Twitterati, let’s see if we can’t help him find a way out of his quandary.
More In the age of big data, sales velocity has become a metric for guiding pricing decisions. Pricing software vendors all cite sales velocity as an important factor in guiding pricing decisions. Fortune 500 and mid-tier firms alike are known to practice it. But what does velocity-based pricing mean? Why should sales velocity influence pricing decisions? How should firms use sales velocity to inform pricing? And are there serious pitfalls to this approach, or is it a sound business practice?
More Energy Drinks have become the new star of the supermarket and drug store checkout counters. They are incredibly profitable throughout the channels of trade. One of the most popular – and profitable – is 5-Hour Energy.
More A study conducted by Reims Management School (RMS) reveals that consumers are often put off by promises of lowest prices which are coupled with high refund guarantees – contrary to the usual strategies of many top retailers.
More Every Christmas my son comes home and does his Christmas shopping at the Best Buy store about 5 miles from our house. This year he discovered his favorite Best Buy (BBY) store was closed and out of business.
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