Bath & Body Works reduced the time it takes to make a bottle of soap from 90 days to 21, shares The Wall Street Journal. It also reduced the number of miles the parts travel from 13,000 miles to a just a handful of miles. Part of the solution: the company trimmed out China and Canada.
BBW was able to move production to the US largely due to robots and computers. In China, 50 people may work on a bottle. In the US, labor is too expensive. The company replaced the 40 people with...
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Last week, we talked about the power of advertising and how Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder of Red Bull, wielded it by sponsoring Mini Coopers, fringe sporting events, and Formula 1 races. Advertising makes a statement and helps people change their minds—specifically to make a purchase. There are people who do similar things in order to change society. We often call them activists. Activists and advertisers possess a similar skill set. In 1950, Ian Hamilton stole a stone slap ...
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You’ve likely had a vodka-Red Bull cocktail in your lifetime, which was followed by a hangover for you—but helped drink co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz amass a $20b fortune. Mateschitz, who passed away last week at the age of 78, discovered the drink in the 1980s in Thailand and built it into a global brand. He promoted Red Bull, whose name is a translation of the drink’s Thai name "Krating Daeng,” via a variety of clever marketing initiatives. In the early 2000s, I ...
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When is the last time you received a Starbucks gift card? I’ve received them as holiday gifts, and I’ve given them to sales reps as thank you gifts. Starbucks gift cards, like their shops, are ubiquitous. They are almost as popular as gift cards from our nemesis: Amazon.com. Just about every month, a company offers me an Amazon gift card if I sign up for a service. WBGO, the local, Newark-based, non-profit radio station known for jazz, recently offered me an Amazon gift ...
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An article in today’s Times cites the high cost of acquiring customers, which ranges from $100 to $800. Excerpt:
“Estimates of an often-cited retail metric known as customer acquisition costs range from $100 to more than $800 per customer, said Daniel McCarthy, a professor at Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, who has done extensive research in the field.”
Physical retail is one of the most expensive ways to acquire customers. An online ...
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A new trend in retail is vacant shops in urban neighborhoods being converted to small warehouses. In the East Village on 10th Street, we see on the left the new warehouse model; on the right we see a traditional retailer. For the ‘store’ on the left, the customer orders via their mobile phone and then does a pickup or gets a delivery.
I’m seeing more of these ‘zombie stores’ around the city. Just in the East Village, I’ve seen four: ...
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Operating a website is expensive--not only because programmers are expensive, but because margins are smaller.
For 10 years, Bridge has encouraged stores to beef up spending in preparation for the e-commerce boom. It's easier to spend a little each year over many years than spend money in a panic. Money spent in haste often results in waste. As a reference, when traditional retailers tried to catch Amazon, they often failed in their scramble. Please recall Macy's buying the ...
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On a daily basis, Bridge helps retailers, brands, and reps: stay in business. We help them more easily and cost effectively run their businesses. Most of our merchants are receiving a record number of online orders. The result: our clients have more money to keep going and even prosper.
This is important because we're not out of the woods yet. In 2021, more store closings are predicted, shares Coresight. Note: these are just estimates, and much like the failed prediction of a ...
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E-commerce is hammering stores, shares a study appearing in RetailDive. Each e-commerce job kills four traditional jobs, and it may help close 30k stores in the next 5 years.
RetailDive excerpts:
E-commerce has been a net negative — an agent of "destructive destruction" — for the retail industry writ large, according to a new study from credit insurance company Euler Hermes. The study found that 56,000 stores, or 10.7% of the
An expert in todayβs WSJ estimates that 30% of Amazon reviews are fake. In addition, Amazon gives its Vine users free products to post reviews. Iβm thinking 40% are suspect.
The article shares that customers value a product with more reviews and a lower average rating than a product with fewer reviews and a higher average.
The service ReviewMeta allows one to test an Amazon page for fake reviews. Fakespot is another fake review service.
The Support & Comfort of Ruby Ribbon Wireless Cami Bras Now At Cheeks! Cheeks now carries Ruby Ribbon intimates, including the highly popular cami/bra combo pictured. As seen on Oprah, Ruby Ribbon makes wireless cami bras that fit every cup size and feel like a second skin for a flawless braless fit. Stop at either Cheeks location to get fitted and experience the amazing support and comfort!
Glassworks And Cheeks offer free gift wrapping!
Click here to see store info on our Cheeks Website: https:...
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June 2, 2018
June 2, 2018
Amazon is a black widow spider that kills its mates suggests todayβs Wall St. Journal.
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February 12, 2018
February 12, 2018
Some wedding couples are foregoing the wedding party. This might put a kabosh on your bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts. Have you experienced this? Read this article from Sunday's NY Times. Click the link or read the full text below.
Make the Friends Happy. Donβt Have a Wedding Party.
When Bobby Rosen and Cara Safon got engaged last August, there were many decisions to be made. A venue had to be ...
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November 2, 2017
November 2, 2017
P.J. Salvage Pajamas At Cheeks! Known for using luxury fabrics and chic patterns, P.J. Salvage leads the future of blending lounge + intimates + sportswear into one look. Pictured is P.J. Salvage's relaxed fit dog print brushed velour long sleeve top. Slim fit dog print banded brushed velour pant also available to make a set. Get yours at Cheeks!
The more reviews you have, the higher you'll rank in Google's local search results, shares Humayun Khun. He estimates that reviews are 10% of your Google ranking score.
He also shows examples of how reviews are shared between sites.
This year Bridge is on track to break new records. In 2017, we'll:
- Help customers make 27k online purchases on retailers' sites. - Help retailers track 48k purchases. - Help customers share 3.6k reviews about their shopping experiences. - Help customers give 5.4k 'likes' to products. - Help brides start 3.2k new registries. - Help businesses share 1.7k pieces of news.
* The above numbers are estimates based upon the first quarter of 2017
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February 14, 2017
February 14, 2017
Compact in size, but big on versatility, our Beatriz Ball ORGANIC PEARL Bari Small Metal Serving Platter is every bit as handsome and practical as its larger mates.
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August 11, 2016
August 11, 2016
August 11, 2016 ~ Macy's soars after topping Wall Street estimates, outlining plans to close 100 stores. Various news sources report that Macy's will invest more in online. Read the highlights and other plans here:
How does a Main Street store open an online gift registry service?
I thought of this question after reading about a similar project in this week's Wall Street Journal. The writer Joanna Stern asked how someone can setup a new, informational website quickly. (Please find the WSJ article here.)
The writer picked Squarespace as her favorite. If I could, I'd like to ask the writer Ms. Stern to do the same test amongst online bridal registry store providers.
In under 30 minutes, a retailer can open ...
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