Sales & Marketing

Ralph Lauren Corp. is seeking to rectify what it acknowledges have been operational mistakes with a program of cuts and organizational streamlining it calls “The Way Forward Plan.”

Sephora is taking the next step in social commerce.

According to Mobile Commerce Daily, the specialty beauty chain is enabling customers to make purchases from products featured on its Snapchat feed via the ShopStyle mobile app.

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Specialty home furnishings Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. is expanding its omnichannel credit and CRM offerings with help from marketing and loyalty solutions provider Alliance Data Systems Corp.

Bed Bath & Beyond has signed a new long-term agreement to create a co-brand credit card program. Alliance Data will develop a tailored marketing strategy for the retailer and each of its concepts, utilizing its data-driven lifecycle marketing approach.

Today’s retailers face significant challenges as online increases its share of wallet, mall-based stores stumble, technology requirements mount, and customer engagement remains elusive for many. The business environment is clearly marked by the need to rationalize store counts, headcount, and product count.
 
As management faces up to these challenges, they seek purposeful justification of expenditures, higher shareholder returns, and greater customer engagement.
 

When it comes to customer experience, home improvement shoppers have established a long-term favorite.

Ace Hardware ranks highest in customer satisfaction with home improvement retailers for a 10th consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power 2016 Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study. The study measures customer satisfaction with home improvement retailers by examining merchandise; price; sales and promotions; staff and service; and store facility. Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale.

Today’s retailers face significant challenges as online increases its share of wallet, mall-based stores stumble, technology requirements mount, and customer engagement remains elusive for many. The business environment is clearly marked by the need to rationalize store counts, headcount, and product count.
 
As management faces up to these challenges, they seek purposeful justification of expenditures, higher shareholder returns, and greater customer engagement.
 

Mary Meixelsperger, senior VP and CFO DSW Inc., is shifting professional gears

Meixelsperger has resigned from the company effective June 10, to pursue another unspecified opportunity. Coincidentally or otherwise, DSW recently missed expectations for both profits and sales in a difficult first quarter of fiscal 2016. Net income fell 37% and same-store sales also declined, although revenues grew below Wall Street forecasts.

The term “post-department store era” was once considered so controversial that many in the retail world avoided using it, fearing backlash from powerful industry giants like Macy’s and Sears. Some saw the very idea of department store obsolescence as pure folly while others saw it only as a vague possibility too far in the future to consider.