I had a good laugh the other day from a photo posted on Twitter. I follow a retail analyst who, like me, seems to have an ironic appreciation of poorly executed stores. The focus this time was a CVS in Scottsdale with its endless rows of garish “buy one, get one free” stickers dangling below…
Proactive Steps in Turbulent Times
Let’s see a show of hands if you’ve become a fan of American Pickers, the Cartoon Channel or even the NFL because the news has become so darn depressing. In a few short weeks, the Biden Administration has reversed policies that led us to energy independence and fostered middle class economic wellbeing. Unfortunately, this is…
Winning the Digital Message
In normal times, a digital transformation can take months, even years. But the COVID-19 pandemic has forced convenience stores to change their messaging quickly to meet customers’ needs in these anything-but-normal, transformative times. While disruptor companies like Amazon, DoorDash, FreshDirect, Blue Apron, etc., are born ready to serve the needs of today’s mobile-obedient customers, traditional…
What Will Become of LA’s Gas Stations When the Cars Are Electric?
Maybe it’s a premature question. Then again, maybe it’s not. Last August, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state are zero-emission by 2035. The impact of the shift toward electrification is also likely to play out first in California as the state…
Leadership for an Uncertain Future
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, we have never needed leadership more than we do now. The question ownership must ask itself is, ‘Do our current leaders have the capacity to lead my organization into an unknown future?’ Leaders today must be forward-thinking, strategically flexible and adaptable, with a willingness to challenge the status quo and…
How Physical Retail Is Evolving for an Omnichannel World
Remember credit card imprinters? A few months ago, I rented an AMC theater and took my family to see Christmas Vacation. I always get a good laugh at the establishing shot for the department store scene about 15 minutes into the film. One swipe after another, viewers are treated to clips of credit card imprinters…
Where Does Foodservice Go From Here?
Remember when bean-to-cup coffee was the hot new trend? Five years ago, while visiting a Ricker’s convenience store in Indiana (later acquired by Giant Eagle’s GetGo), my attention was drawn to a row of bean-to-cup machines gleaming from underneath a sign about fresh-brewed coffee. It wasn’t every day that you encountered that kind of equipment…
Targeting a Vertical Market
Over my career I have worked with a number of organizations where making inroads into certain verticals (industries) was critical for our success. Whether you target the banking, healthcare, automotive, technology, etc. verticals for your business, a comprehensive approach should be taken in order to garner the best results. With my background, one of the…
Is E-Commerce Taking Over the World?
I’m bullish about the need for more digital transformation in retail. At the same time, I have to question if sensational headlines about e-commerce taking over the world actually reflect what happened last year. Investment analyst Elena Burger recently explored this issue in an article that I encourage everyone to read. In short: e-commerce results…
A Brighter 2021 Lies Ahead
Good riddance to 2020. It was the most challenging year for all of us personally and professionally. But as I’ve said so many times, the convenience store industry served as an example of the very best this country has to offer from Day 1 of the deadly coronavirus. In the face of this expanding pandemic,…