RetailWire

Are Last-Mile Costs Becoming Bigger Burdens to Online Profitability? A new survey finds e-commerce profitability being increasingly undermined by rising last-mile costs caused in part by efforts to fulfill high expectations around delivery. Read the discussion and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/ecwHXTcm Jeff Sward "Retail pricing was established in the ancient practice of customers doing all the work. Driving to the store. In effect, doing all the picking and packing. Paying at the register. Self delivering to their house." Neil Saunders "The problem is that the price the customer pays does not fully reflect the price of fulfillment. The other problem is consumers expect faster delivery but very few retailers, bar Amazon, have the scale do so this in a cost effective fashion." David Biernbaum "Due to the growing demand for faster delivery times and the rise of urban logistics solutions, the costs associated with last-mile delivery are likely to continue to fluctuate. In order to manage these costs, retailers may need to invest in innovative technologies such as drones and autonomous vehicles."

Coty Sells Stake in Kim Kardashian Beauty Brand SKKN BY KIM to SKIMS Coty has announced the end of its partnership with Kim Kardashian and the SKKN by Kim brand to her retail company, SKIMS. Read more and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/ev6gdvDg

HGTV Star Jasmine Roth Partners With Reeses & Cadburys for New Easter Tradition. Here Are the Details This Easter season, HGTV star and DIY expert Jasmine Roth is teaming up with Reese’s and Cadbury to reimagine an age-old prank into a festive new tradition. Known for her design expertise and creative approach to home transformations, Roth is now helping families across the country add a little extra magic to their Easter celebrations — one chocolate egg at a time. Read more and share your comments on this partnership: https://lnkd.in/e56mppBh

It's been an eventful week at Shoptalk. Our CEO Chase Binnie sat down with Eric Sheinkop, CEO of The Desire Company, for an exclusive interview on the biggest trends shaping retail—from the rise of expert-led content to the growing demand for authenticity in the shopping journey. Stay tuned for exclusive sneak peeks, with the full interview coming soon!

Should Starbucks Be Worried as 2 Chinese Competitors, CHAGEE and Luckin Coffee, Prepare To Enter the US Market? Starbucks has been pushing hard to reverse slowing sales under the direction of newly installed CEO Brian Niccol, as Inc. detailed. Read the full discussion and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/e8PR8_F3 Patricia Vekich Waldron "While Starbucks (and other brands) have loyal followings there is significant cohorts who will be intrigued by new brands especially if they have interesting, good-value offerings" Kai Clarke - L.I.O.N. "No, Starbucks should not be concerned about chinese companies that have already failed to compete in the US, or that are entering a market and need to get a plan B round of funding to start here in the US." Cathy Hotka "Starbucks has a massive head start here, and there are Peet’s and Dunkin’ outlets everywhere. Any new entrant faces a pretty crowded marketplace."

Pilot Partners With General Motors To Install 135 Fast-Charging EV Stations in Its Gas Stops Pilot has officially surpassed a major milestone in its partnership with General Motors (GM) and EVgo, expanding its EV fast-charging network to more than 130 locations across 25 states. Read more and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/eZn6X2-g

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-Hee Dies Samsung Electronics said that Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-Hee had died of a heart attack. Han was 63. Read more and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/ev2ZERcz

Does Gen Alpha Actually Influence Household Purchasing Decisions? A recent?Razorfish study?surveying about 2,300 U.S. tweens between the ages of 9 and 13 produced some highly interesting data. As it turns out, these Gen Alpha kids are “influential tweens” who appear to have a notable level of?interest in beauty products, automobiles, and having a say in household purchasing decisions. Read the full discussion and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/eMAMu9nu Georganne Bender "This is a generation who were taken to get mani-pedis at age three, and they have always had a seat at the table because they have been asked their opinion since they could talk. Are you really surprised that they would influence household purchases? Because I’m not." Scott Benedict "This generation is truly digital natives, tech-savvy, and interested in sustainability and sustainable products. They stand to have a strong impact on retail as they enter college and eventually the workforce." Neil Saunders "I am sure that younger consumers are partly involved in making decisions, but I cannot see most parents making major purchasing choices based off what their kids want. 61% of kids said they had the final say on what car was purchased. Color me skeptical!"

The CEO of Botify showed me this chart. It shows AI bots are crawling retail websites a lot more. Not just Google or Bing. These are AI engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity. What are retailers doing about it? Adrien Menard said it clearly: "Every piece of valuable content on your website needs to be accessible to the systems generating results." Here’s what they are seeing: - These bots may bring fewer clicks, but they’re higher intent. - Higher intent is due to the personalized AI recommendations - If your pages aren’t indexed in all the search engines & AI engines, you’re losing real sales. I'll wrap up this post with another quote from Adrien: "We’ve been advocating for this indexation optimization question for years—but now it’s a C-level issue."

Albertsons Is Now Offering $15 Meal Deal for Inflation-Weary Customers Albertsons Companies is rolling out a new way for families to enjoy quality meals at an unbeatable value. Through its award-winning for U loyalty program, customers can now access the Signature SELECT $15 Meal Bundle for Four — a limited-time promotion designed to bring loved ones together around the table without breaking the bank. Read more and share your comments: https://lnkd.in/eq8P6NhA