Stores Weekly

First Edition

In front of a near-capacity crowd in the Qualtrics Theatre at NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show, Shannon Schuyler, chief purpose officer for PwC, introduced a series of speakers discussing workplace diversity and inclusion: Lars Petersson, president of IKEA U.S.; Carolyn Tastad, group president, North America, and executive sponsor of gender equality at Procter & Gamble; and James Fripp, chief diversity and inclusion officer with YUM! Brands.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/14/the-inclusion-imperative/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Inclusion to view the full article online.

Using social enterprise to wear out poverty

As retail becomes increasingly transparent by way of consumer demand, retailers are constantly being challenged in their business practices and core values. Companies need students to bring a fresh take on the retail industry’s impact on the world.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/14/using-social-enterprise-to-wear-out-poverty/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Teaster to view the full article online.

Eye on the prize with a focus on the customer

Of the 2019 predictions First Insight President and CEO Greg Petro recently laid out in Forbes magazine, one called out for greater exploration in particular: the idea that customer centricity would go mainstream in the coming year. An afternoon session at NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show, “Product Paradigm Shift: Customer-centric Merchandising in the Age of Data and Decision Agility,” covered the issue from varied perspectives.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/01/15/eye-on-the-prize-with-a-focus-on-the-customer/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Kohls%20Chicos%20Rue21 to view the full article online.

Macy's redefines customer journey with help of new partners

Macy’s has been reinventing the customer journey of late — and knows well enough to not travel it alone. “Reimagining the customer journey through the lens of experience,” a popular session at NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, featured Macy’s Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette talking with Beck Besecker, co-founder and CEO of Marxent, Vibhu Norby, co-founder and CEO of b8ta, and Rachel Shechtman, founder of STORY and brand experience officer with Macy’s. Each shared how their organizations had been working with Macy’s to bring new strategies to life.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/18/macys-redefines-customer-journey-with-help-of-new-partners/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=Macy's%20b8ta%20STORY to view the full article online.

Trust and courage

Late in the afternoon of the last day of NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president for global industries, clients, platforms and blockchain with IBM, moderated a discussion of the role of trust in the customer experience — its importance, and how it might be enhanced. Most retail CEOs, van Kralingen said, now believe the quality of customer experience will be more critical for the long-term sustainability of their businesses than product.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/18/trust-and-courage/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=NRF2019&utm_content=customer%20trust to view the full article online.

Money well spent

In a well-attended session on the last morning of NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, Jeff Beer, senior staff editor at Fast Company, interviewed Rose Marcario, president and CEO of Patagonia Works and Patagonia Inc., about her company’s approach to living by its beliefs. Or, as Beer put it, whether you can do good and do good business at the same time.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/18/money-well-spent/ ?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=STORES%20Feb-March%20&utm_content=Patagonia to view the full article online.

Retailers play the wellness game

Wellness has taken shape as a major player in the retail industry. Expense is not an issue when it comes to mental or physical health: Changes in consumer preferences, the emergence of unique influencers and the power of social media have changed the rules of the market. Today, retailers play a different game.

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/18/retailers-play-the-wellness-game/?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=STORES%20Feb-March%20&utm_content=Wellness to view the full article online.

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/nrf-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=545887&issueID=64442 to view the full article online.

Trends

Hi-tech, haute look

This one just might be worth the ticket to Tokyo. Japanese beauty brand SK-II has debuted its Future X Smart Store, and it appears to be one for the books. It’s both fully immersive and interactive, a fitting experience for an award-winning brand often called “transformative.”

Visit https://stores.org/2019/02/20/hi-tech-haute-look/ to view the full article online.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/nrf-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=545888&issueID=64442 to view the full article online.

NRF News

Reinventing the gateway

Getaway offers tiny, secluded cabin rentals in nature two hours outside of cities for guests to unplug, disconnect and recharge. Founder and CEO Jon Staff joins NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast to discuss how his team uses customer feedback to influence the design of the cabins and how the company plans to grow.

Visit https://nrf.com/blog/reinventing-getaway?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=Retail%20Gets%20Real&utm_content=Ep%20106%20Getaway to view the full article online.

Retail and entertainment: A winning formula

Nearly half of consumers have attended at least one “retailtainment” event, according to NRF’s latest Consumer View report, and the number jumps to two-thirds among millennial shoppers. The report also explores consumers’ expectations around free shipping and gifts of experience.

Visit https://nrf.com/research/consumer-view-winter-2019?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=Consumer%20View&utm_content=Winter%202019 to view the full article online.

Tariffs could destroy American Dream for Pennsylvania entrepreneur

Local businesses across the country are bracing for what amounts to a major tax hike as tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods are set to rise from 10 to 25 percent on March 2 unless the United States and China negotiate a deal or extend trade talks. For entrepreneur Sherrill Moss, additional tariffs could destroy everything she’s worked hard to build.

Visit https://nrf.com/blog/tariffs-could-destroy-american-dream-pennsylvania-entrepreneur?utm_medium=STORES%20Weekly&utm_source=Email&utm_campaign=Tariffs&utm_content=Americans%20for%20Free%20Trade%20Fly-in%20Feb%202019 to view the full article online.

National Retail Federation