SuperHumanAlpacaPerson578
Please visit https://retaildive.comLinks to an external site. , and…
Please visit https://retaildive.comLinks to an external site. , and from either the home page or any of the topical sections of the website (Technology, Marketing, DTC, etc.), choose 1 article and read it. Then, for your discussion post, paste the article’s URL link, provide a 3-5 sentence summary of the article in your own words, and then write a few sentences with your opinions and what you believe are important implications from the article.
1) Visit the Trade Show News Network website, where lists such as the Top 250 Trade
Shows are published: https://www.tsnn.com/toplists-us . Choose any trade show from the
list that interests you personally, and click its link to visit its website. In the space below,
tell me 1) which one you chose, 2) how the trade show is organized, and 3) what types of
information/resources you could gather by attending.
2) On the topic of markdown money, please read the following article and answer the
questions below. If the article doesn’t load, I have uploaded a PDF version in the Module
3 folder on Canvas.
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/business/worldbusiness/markdown-money-sparks-
a-clothing-war.html
a) What threat has markdown money raised within retailing (that hasn’t
disappeared since 2005 when this article was written!)?
b) Explain how Ralph Lauren (Polo) handled the issue of markdown money.
c) What impact can markdown money have on customers?
3) On the topic of strategic relationships, please read the following article:
https://www.retailwire.com/discussion/zappos-makes-nice-with-vendors/ . Based on
your own thoughts, list some pros and possible cons of Zappos’s information-sharing
strategy with its vendors.
4) On the topic of corporate social responsibility, please read the following article and
answer the questions below: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/30/business/intercontinental-
hotels-plastic-toiletries-trnd/index.html
a) What are the three main changes that InterContinental Group is making in his
hotels, through its environmental and sustainability efforts?
b) Do you think that such social efforts could potentially be a double-edged
sword? In other words, do you think they could have both favorable and
potentially unfavorable consequences, and how/why?
Unit 13
1) From your own personal experience, describe a retailer you shop at that uses a
high/low pricing strategy, and one that uses an everyday low pricing strategy. What
do you like, and what do you not like, about these two different approaches from your
experience?
2) A department store retailer purchased black leather belts for $15.99 each and priced
them to sell for $29.99 each. What is the markup (in dollars) on each belt, and what is
the markup percentage?
3) On the topic of optimization software, please read the following article and answer
the questions below. If the article doesn’t load, I have uploaded a PDF version in the
Module 3 folder on Canvas. https://www.pantagraph.com/business/pricing-software-
could-reshape-retail/article_d3532685-38de-5e39-a8da-a9df722598a0.html . The article
is a bit old, but the conceptual framework is still relevant.
a) What did optimization software reveal at ALDO that even a merchandise
manager could get wrong?
b) What can be wrong with strictly using a markup-based pricing approach, as the
article mentions?
c) What has optimization software shown for items such as cereal and pasta?
Unit 14
1) Please visit the Trader Joe’s website at https://www.traderjoes.com/ . Regardless of
whether you’ve shopped at a Trader Joe’s before, evaluate its website from a promotional
perspective; what features/elements/etc. does the company use on its website, and what
type of brand image does this paint in your mind? Why?
2) On the topic of social media, choose a retailer that you shopped at recently, and visit
two of its social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or others). Then,
compare and contrast how the retailer uses each social media page: are the elements of
each page similar/consistent or different than each other (and how?), are the intended
audiences similar or different? Anything else you notice?
3) Visit Facebook’s advertising platform at https://www.facebook.com/business/ads
where you can learn exactly how targeted ads are designed. Scroll down to the “Here’s
how to create a Facebook ad” section, which starts with the “Choose your objective”
section, then “Select your audience”, and so on…there are 7 total sections. Each one of
these sections has a “Learn More” button that you can click on to get detailed information
on how your ads can be customized. Visit all 7 of the Learn More areas, and tell me
about three things that you find interesting or which stand out/surprised you, overall.
4) Brand/retailer communications are getting savage on social media! What’s your
personal opinion on such strategies and actions? See the following article for many
examples: https://www.buzzfeed.com/audreyworboys/times-companies-burned-roasted-
internet-funny
Unit 15
1) On the topic of extrinsic rewards, which type of compensation do you personally
prefer, and why?
2) Tell me about the intrinsic rewards that you personally look for, or value, as an
employee. (If you don’t have work experience, tell me about the intrinsic rewards you
would hope to attain).
3) Please read the following article. If the article doesn’t load, I have uploaded a PDF
version in the Module 3 folder on Canvas:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgebradt/2015/02/17/motivating-the-middle-80-with-
contests/#215c6a791916 . Based on what you learned in this article, what benefits do
contests offer to employers, and to employees? Do you see any negative effects that
contests might raise, or, do you think there are any situations where contests should not
be used?
4) On the topic of labor scheduling, please visit the following link and watch the video
at the top of the page (you should be able to press the Play button and maximize the
screen, even though the article doesn’t load), and then answer the following questions
below: https://www.wsj.com/articles/retailers-under-fire-for-work-schedules-1428890401
a) What is the New York attorney general’s main issue with on-call labor
scheduling?
b) What benefits does this system offer to retailers?
c) In what (sneaky) way has the growth of technology allowed retailers to avoid
the existing laws for on-call labor scheduling?
Unit 16
1) Visit the Visual Merchandising and Store Design (VMSD) website at
https://www.vmsd.com/ and then answer the following questions:
a) Within the Design Galleries tab, there are a variety of different articles talking
about new trends and designs for many different types of retailers. Choose
two articles that you find interesting, paste their URL links below, and tell me
what you found interesting about each article (anything you didn’t know or
realize about store design before?)
b) Within the Products tab, there are a variety of different store elemental
products with explanations, slideshow galleries, and links to manufacturer’s
websites. Chose two products from any categories you’d like, paste their URL
links below, and for each one, provide an example of a retailer you shop at which
you think should start using that product at their stores, and why.
2) On the topic of digital signage, please read the following article and answer the
questions below: https://www.shopify.com/retail/digital-signage-is-it-worth-the-
investment-and-how-can-retailers-use-it
a) Citing some statistics, what does the article mention digital signage leads
customers to do?
b) What is the main benefit of digital signage on windows, as opposed to
traditional printed signage?
c) How does Nordstrom’s “Denim Doctor” help its customers?
e) What benefit does Sephora’s ModiFace offer to its customers and to the retailer
itself?
Unit 17
1) Think of a time when you experienced a service failure when you were at a services
retailer (ex: restaurant, bar, movie theater, car servicer, or others). Did the retailer offer a
service recovery to you? If so, what was it, and did you feel it was adequate, based on
the three types of justice? Why or why not? (If the retailer did not offer you a service
recovery, use the justice dimensions to make a recommendation to them, in terms of what
they should have offered you).
2) Environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly important for retailers, and their
customers. Please read the following article about Loop, and answer the questions
below: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/01/business/loop-reusable-packaging-
mission-ahead/index.html
a) For consumers, Loop is seen as an alternative to what?
b) Who is incentivized to invest in a more durably-designed product?
c) What happens after a customer finishes consuming a Loop product?
d) How many re-uses are Loop products (ideally) supposed to withstand?
e) What percent of US recyclables are exported overseas?
f) What percent of plastic waste is never actually recycled?
