My favorite story last week was Megxit – the announcement on Instagram that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, are stepping away from their roles as ‘senior’ members of the British royal family, will divide their time between the UK and North America, and will look to become financially independent. While the […]

In December UPS anticipated a whopping 26 percent year-over-year surge in the number of returns it would process on January 2, National Returns Day. Those levels would represent the seventh consecutive record number of returns. The surging rate of returns is occurring largely due to strong online growth. Estimates for returns of online purchases range […]

With Christmas only two days away and the important Holiday retail season soon ending, the classic movie Miracle on 34th Street comes to mind.  Filmed in 1947, the movie features two story lines that seem as relevant today as they were 70 years ago:  corporate competition and reputational value. Winner of three Academy Awards, the […]

Andy Dunn, the originator of the term Digitally Native Vertical Brand (DNVB), the founder of Bonobos, and the head of Walmart’s digital consumer brands unit, revealed last week in a LinkedIn post called “A Love Letter to Walmart” that he will be leaving the retail giant early next year. The post described some of the […]

In addition to all the usual challenges facing retailers, this year they also have to deal with an unfriendly calendar.  With the fourth Thursday in November falling on the 28th, Thanksgiving was as late as it can be this year.  The ripple effect is that there are only 26 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, […]