Inside The Aisle » retail news

Retail Sales Fell for the First Time in 2009

editor — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:29:56 +0000

It seems ‘The Secret’ could not be applied to retail sales and despite all the positive thinking and earnest hoping for a turnaround, retail sales fell in the month of March. USA Today reports that this is the first decline of the year. Falling some 1.1%, according to the Commerce Department, the decline came as a surprise to economists. This is the second time this year that economists were surprised at the retail sales report. What does that mean about the validity of these reports in this uncertain economy? Share your thoughts.

Deloitte Says Retailers Must Invest or Close Up Shop

editor — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:55:22 +0000

In a presentation at the NRF Big Show, Stacy Janiak, who leads Deloitte’s retail practice, said that the current economy provides an opportunity for retailers to be more competitive and take market share that has been well segmented up to now. According to Deloitte, retailers that offer the greatest customer experience will be among the few who survive.

“We are in the midst of a great transformation…that will create a very different economy. And no industry is going to be more affected than retail,” said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist of consumer business for Deloitte Research.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to learn about how to invest in your retail environment.

BusinessWeek Reports the Beginning of Holiday Price Wars

editor — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:56:30 +0000

“I have never seen any environment like this. The fight is on … They are all scared.”

According to BusinessWeek, retail price wars have begun and they are brutal. Retailers are seeing same store sales decline in double digit numbers at the most important time of year and they don’t know what to do except mark it down.

Sales planning has gone to the wind and retailers are doing whatever they can to salvage the season. The article quotes one retail spokeswoman as saying that their approach will be to take better care of customers rather than “throwing money to marketing activities.”

However, now more than ever is the time to practice innovative retail marketing. Traditional techniques may not yield the necessary impact but stores in crisis need to do something dramatic to drive in customers. Marketers need to take a huge breath and stop flailing around just long enough to come up with a better plan than “how low can you go” otherwise we’ll all find ourselves in bigger trouble after the dust settles.

Miller Zell in the News

editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:54:52 +0000

Here are a couple of articles that appeared recently hightlighting MZ’s expertise in retail design. Check it out!

Retail as Theater, The Hub Magazine, September/October 2008

John Wilkins, Vice President of Client and Retail Strategy, discusses how to use the retail space to create captivating displays that reinvent the brand for shoppers.

Relaying the Message, Grocery Headquarters, September 2008

Rick Barrick, Vice President of Digital Media, was tapped to comment on the influence of in store digital media.