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Brazil – Retail lessons from the land of beef

Rapid sales growth can cover retail “sins” of omission

While in much of the world economies and retail are still in recovery mode, Brazil is a bull of an economy.  Brazil is bold, brazen and the land of where “beef is truly what’s for dinner”.  Brazil has the highest GDP for Latin America, and now ranks in the top economies globally.  So, what does retail look like in a booming economy?  The Retail U Professor returns with insights, retail snapshots and glowing stories of "picanha"!    

Another nail in the coffin of big box stores?

Ability to sustain traffic will be a critical success factor 

You don’t need to look very far to see another article on the growth of online retailing.  The phenomenon of online shopping is truly worldwide. While Amazon grabs the headlines with record profits in the west, Alibaba dominates China. Consumers are voting.  The biggest threat to traditional bricks and mortar stores is not the loss of just sales, but the ability to drive future traffic.  Two recent tests offer a crystal ball of new challenges traditional big box stores will face in maintaining consumer traffic.

Retailers are missing Mother’s Day “wow” factor

Don’t just click … Give Mum an experience to remember    

Everyone has one … a “Mum”.  So, how can you not remember her on this holiday!  Yet, in this time crunched world a majority of kids will purchase something quick and easy.  Want to give your Mom something to remember this year?  How about giving her a “dog fight”!  Retail stores would do well to think outside of the box to capitalize on the emerging trend of gifting “experience” over token gifts purchased online.

Invest in the Front line to grow the Bottom line!

Why the front line has become the battle ground in retail

In the not too distant past, retailers did not pay much attention to staff on the retail floor. They primarily hired “clerks” to run registers for checkout. The front line staff in retail has historically been the lowest paid and received the least amount of training. Yet your experience as a consumer today is literally in the hands of the person on the retail floor. In today’s sterile world of “lowest price”, retailers must re-evaluate investing in the front line to grow their bottom line.

Ukraine: A case study for emerging markets

It’s not just the west, retail is changing everywhere 

I’m always excited about the opportunity to take IMS retail workshops on the road to other countries.  Last week I had opportunity to not only visit the Ukraine, but to meet with the senior management from top retailers in this emerging market.  There are always some unique local challenges. However, there are more similarities than differences across retailers today.  At the end of the day, results count … no matter where your retail stores are located.

Harvesting Low Hanging Fruit from Out of Stocks

Why retailers & vendors must address shelf availability 

In these economic times, retailers have pressed so hard for lean inventory that now many of their high volume stores are often out of stock.  If the item is missing from the shelf, consumers are quickly turning to online retailers.  Out of stocks represent “low hanging” fruit for capturing lost sales, and profit potential without additional market spend.  As typical in retail, this sounds enticing.  But, the harvesting this opportunity requires visible inventory and collaboration between both retailers and vendors.

Will Target & Best Buy Avoid “Race to the Bottom”?

Vendors can’t just “sell to retail” … it’s much harder now

The current retail trend seems to have become a “race to the bottom” for most retailers. It’s not a race that most retailers can afford to win.  The corporate headquarters of Best Buy and Target are both based in the Minneapolis area.  While they are from the same town, they are competing with the low price leaders in very different ways.  It will become a classic case study of who survived … and which vendors adapt to be successful in this new retail environment.

Retail best practices – from the Girl Scouts?

Cutting edge tech for a lean, mean selling machine

The Girl Scouts is a nonprofit organization focused on developing life skills of girls.  Their biggest fundraiser is their annual cookie sale, where members historically sold cookies door to door.  Even in the face of Walmart selling “knockoff” cookie clones, the Girl Scouts sell over 200 million boxes in about 10 weeks.  Retailers would do well to study how Girls Scouts today have pulled out all the stops in using social media, apps, mobility, advance marketing and logistics.

The CPO is alive, well and definitely in charge

If you doubt the power of the CPO, check the latest stats 

In Retail University, we’ve been highlighting the “CPO” for a long time – Chief Procurement Officer.  In the US, the CPO definitely controls the purse strings and influences a majority of the purchase decisions for the American home.  The latest “infographic” from the Business Insider confirms that women are definitely in control.  Yet, it is amazing how many retailers and manufacturers fail to understand this fact, and how to effectively market to women.  Clearly, Apple is a notable exception.

“Emerging” retail markets are exploding …

Growth of the “small screen” moves retailing online

I always relish the opportunity to take Retail University courses abroad.  Inevitably, I find that the Professor learns as much as the students.  While much of US and western European retail has been homogenized by the large big box chains, Asia is truly a land of diversity in retailing. There is nothing like first-hand experience of visiting retail stores in Asia.  But, the biggest retail trend is not about stores … it’s happening online!  Read on to discover a new resource to watch the trends unfold in Asia.