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Online as a % of Retail Sales: What’s the Magic Number?

Posted on 08. May, 2012 by Jon Bird.

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Ecommerce has been shaking the foundations of traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers for some time. So it’s small wonder that one of the questions most often asked in our industry is; “where will online end up as a percentage of total retail sales?” And is there a natural ceiling, or will digital slowly but surely gobble up [...]

The Danger of Depositioning

Posted on 20. Mar, 2012 by Jon Bird.

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If you’re not careful, you can appear to be going backwards as a retailer, even when you’re just standing still. That’s one of the lessons I took away from a trip to NZ this week. I flew across the ditch to speak at the Westfield Breakfast Seminar in Auckland. As part of the address I [...]

Battle of the Heavyweights

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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Last week, three-time world champion Australian boxer Danny Green destroyed icon Roy Jones Jr. in just one round to take the IBO cruiserweight title. Meanwhile, in the US, a fascinating fight of a different kind is taking place between the undisputed discount department store champion Walmart, and the upstart web powerhouse Amazon. The tussle is [...]

Forget “Flagships”, Here Come “Significant Stores”

Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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In the late 1990’s, a struggling US electronics manufacturer decided it had had enough of being squeezed by retailers for margin, and being undercut by private label brands. So a plan was hatched to “go vertical”; take the brand direct to customers through its own retail stores. Commentators at the time were damning. “I give [...]

A Christmas Commercial Break

Posted on 15. Nov, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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OK, time to take a break. Grab a coffee, minimise that Excel spreadsheet and get ready to be entertained for a minute or two. I’ll throw in a little bit of analysis, just so you still feel you’re getting something out of reading this column. But between you and me, this week’s really just about [...]

Protecting Your Brand into Oblivion

Posted on 08. Nov, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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One of the cautionary tales of the US recession has been that of Abercrombie & Fitch. The once high-flying, hip teen fashion retailer has come crashing to earth over the last 12 months, largely as a result of a failure to move with the times. Not so long ago, A&F was considered amongst the world’s [...]

Breaking The Cycle of Predictability

Posted on 25. Oct, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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How’s this for a party trick? I can show you how to forecast with reasonable accuracy the next 12 month’s advertising and promotional plan of any Australian retailer you care to name. You won’t require a crystal ball or complex forecasting software, or even a spy implanted in the retailer’s offices. All you need to [...]

Has the cattledog lost its bite?

Posted on 18. Oct, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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We’re about to enter that time of year when mailboxes groan under the combined weight of Christmas catalogues and flyers, and newspapers strain to contain a panoply of glossy inserts. And so the question must be asked: what good is all that effort? Are retailers just going through the motions because “that’s what we did [...]

The Responsibility Revolution

Posted on 20. Sep, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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As the global economy begins to right itself, not everything will go back to the way it used to be. Retail commentators the world over have been talking for the last year about a fundamental shift in attitudes to consumption; from “what’s in it for me” to “what’s in it for us”. The trend started [...]

Reduction or Seduction: What Works Best?

Posted on 31. Mar, 2009 by Jon Bird.

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Out on store visits last week, I was struck by K-Mart’s latest promotion for Mother’s Day – “buy one item of women’s or men’s clothing or footwear and get 60% off a second.” 60% off! Aside from the deceptiveness of the offer (the reality is the customer is actually getting 30% off her total purchase), [...]

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