Tag Archives: Loyal Customers

Why did J.C.Penney’s stable pricing not work ?

An article in the New York Times (April 14,2013) describes the consumer experience at retailers such as J.C.Penney and the need to enjoy the sale and anchor the value of product sold. J.C.Penney’s attempt to reduce sale items, reduce average … Continue reading

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Ramp up delays for inexpensive Indian tablet, or infeasible plans?

An article in the New York Times (December 30,2012) describes delivery delays for the $40 tablet promised by Datawind, a Canadian company trying to grow electronics manufacturing in India. With fewer than 10,000 units shipped instead of the promised 100,000, … Continue reading

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Google’s “RE < C" initiative and impact

An article in Fortune (July 23, 2012) describes an effort by Google to initiate projects to drive the cost of renewable enery (RE) to becom elower than the cost of coal (C) based sources. Server farms account for 2% of … Continue reading

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Will parents pay more for US made baby cribs ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 22, 2012) describes a decision by Stanley Furniture to move production of its baby cribs to Robbinsville, NC from China. Four reasons cited are (a) the worries about poor quality products (think … Continue reading

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Social Networking at P&G to drive sales growth

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (April 3, 2012) describes Proctor & Gamble’s foray into social networking and its demand impact. A Facebook campiagn for Pepto-Bismol focused on “Celebrate Life” – targeting users of the product on Saturday and Sunday mornings – … Continue reading

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California’s Supply Chain Transparency Act and Enforcement

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Feb 27,2012) describes the California Supply Chain Transperancy Act requiring retailers with more than $100 million in sales to ensure that their supply chains do not involve slave labor. But  the article reports allegations of slave … Continue reading

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Light Bulb regulation in January 2012 and supply chain impact

An article in he New York Times (Nov 16, 2011) describes the impending regulation that bans manufacturing of the traditional light bulb in January 2012. While sales from inventory can continue, new light bulbs will be required to be more … Continue reading

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Private Label growth in US grocery retail and branded goods impact

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Nov 28,2011) describes grocery retailers like Safeway and Kroger rejuvenating private label products for antibiotic free meat, frozen pizza, pasta etc.  Consultants such as Mckinsey estimate that 75% of customers who try private label brands are … Continue reading

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Turkey vs chicken supply chains in 2011

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Nov 22, 2011) describes the impact of demand volatility on chicken and turkey manufacturers. Turkey manufacturers are smaller and spread out, while chicken has a few large manufacturers. While chicken manufacturers expanded given … Continue reading

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How should retailers deal with the new “frugal consumer”

A Wall Street Journal article (Oct 4, 2011) describes the emergence of the frugal consumer who buys what they need, focus on promotion purchases, avoid premium products, clip coupons and combine shopping trips to save on gas.  The impact of … Continue reading

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