Consumer Affairs & Relations

The results of yesterday's elections will affect a number of issues facing retailers, including infrastructure, tax reform, trade, immigration, labor and health care.       Craig Shearman, National Retail Federation (which does not endorse presidential candidates) looks at how President-elect Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress could impact the industry.  

As Amazon continues to up the ante on convenient, fast shipping options, shoppers expect their favorite brands to follow suit.   Specifically, 42% of shoppers surveyed consider three- or four-day shipping "fast" – a significant drop from the 63% who said so last year. Instead, the majority (83%) of shoppers consider fast shipping to mean delivery within two days or less, according to the “2016 Deloitte Holiday Study,” a report based on responses from 5,038 consumers in the United States.  

New York & Company appointed Michelle Pearlman as executive VP, e-commerce and chief marketing officer.   Pearlman, a member of the company’s board of directors since 2011, has resigned from her duties as a director to lead the company’s omnichannel strategy. In her new role, she will be responsible for the apparel retailer’s e-commerce business, as well as all marketing and visual aspects of the chain’s integrated omnichannel strategy.  

Apple’s App Store has been awash in recent weeks with hundreds of fake retail and product apps, the New York Times reported.  

In the summer of 2016, Pokémon Go was everywhere. And as players traversed the globe in search of the game’s titular critters, they were also wandering into new legal territory. Although the craze now appears to have subsided, the game’s sudden popularity raised intriguing legal questions that will inevitably affect the future of mobile applications and their relationship to retail businesses.  

On the heels of the announcement that Walter Robb would step down as co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, more changes may be in store the grocery chain.   One of Whole Food’s 10 largest shareholders has met with potential activist investors explore making major changes to the retail, including replacing management and exploring a sale of the company, Bloomberg reported.

That was fast.   Anne Dament, senior VP of grocery merchandising for Target Corp., is leaving the chain, after less than 18 months on the job. Her last day will be Nov. 18.   Damen’s exit will mark the third high-level executive departure at Target in less than three months. In August, the chain’s chief marketing officer, Jeff Jones, resigned to join Uber. And in September, chief digital officer Jason Goldberger left.