Let it snow, but don’t let a frozen marketing budget derail 2025 goals

Let it snow, but don’t let a frozen marketing budget derail 2025 goals

6 ways to optimize marketing ROI during economic uncertainty Depending on whom one asks, anywhere from 30 to 35 percent of North American firms plan to increase marketing budgets for 2025 – apparently the lowest number to do so of any region in the world. Why the...
Beat ‘em and join ‘em: Online retail needn’t be the enemy of brick-and-mortar

Beat ‘em and join ‘em: Online retail needn’t be the enemy of brick-and-mortar

The following is the final article in a 3-part series called “Attention Shoppers… The Competitive Strategy Approach to Addressing the Elephant in the Room of the Retail Crisis: The Customer Experience” One of the greatest retail debates of the last decade is over the...
Is Self-Checkout a Self-Imposed Hardship on Retail and Grocery? 8 Ways to make self-checkout a net-positive for staff and customers

Is Self-Checkout a Self-Imposed Hardship on Retail and Grocery? 8 Ways to make self-checkout a net-positive for staff and customers

The following is the first article in a 3-part series called “Attention Shoppers… The Competitive Strategy Approach to Addressing the Elephant in the Room of the Retail Crisis: The Customer Experience” The news about retail challenges is getting hard to ignore. This...
Re-post: Lowe’s has an answer for Target and Walmart’s theft problems

Re-post: Lowe’s has an answer for Target and Walmart’s theft problems

We’ve written about the decline of service in retail generally. In the home improvement sector retailers and customers are thinking similarly to resolve a problem that seemed like a good idea at the time. We note with interest in particular the Lowe’s CEO...
Repost: Second major Burger King franchisee declares bankruptcy

Repost: Second major Burger King franchisee declares bankruptcy

Acquiring distressed assets can be a long and complex process. It is important to be realistic in expectations for immediate profits, and to plan the details of the work necessary inside the organization to turn it around. From this report, it appears Meridian...
Can the “universal branch” please everyone?

Can the “universal branch” please everyone?

The grand opening of a new bank branch we attended last week proves it’s possible. Similar to the illustration, the branch featured a wonderful, open-space “Universal Branch” design demonstrating the “branch of the future” we’ve written about, and the intersection of...