“AI has the potential to revolutionize the retail industry by introducing innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, customer experiences and overall business operations.” That’s what a well-known AI model, ChatGPT, told me when I asked about positive use cases for AI in the retail sector. It went on to list several areas where AI could help
Leslie Sarasin takes an expansive view of her work. As president and chief executive officer of FMI – The Food Industry Association, she has significantly broadened the organization’s reach, carving out a bigger role within FMI for grocery manufacturers and other industry stakeholders, while at the same time forging partnerships with groups that support its
Those among us who yearn for the good old days — and there remain many who fondly recall a simpler time in chain drug retailing — must surely have a second thought or two about Rite Aid, in the wake of that venerable retailer’s fight for survival. Once upon a not-so-distant time, Rite Aid, along
We’re in the home stretch now, pushing to deliver on our holiday and year-end objectives. And get off the ground running for 2024. But we’re running lean. Very lean. And crossing the finish line is getting harder and harder. With inflation pressures and high interest rates, cost-cutting is the direction in every company. Remember the
This holiday season, retailers face a unique set of challenges that will test their adaptability, resilience and innovation to the fullest. With consumer behaviors likely to remain uncertain and volatile, retailers are having to display ever greater levels of agility and responsiveness to keep pace. For many people, times are tough right now. Consumers are
WASHINGTON — The Merchants Payment Coalition (MPC) has sent a letter to a U.S. House committee urging passage of the Credit Card Competition Act as a way of limiting Chinese involvement in industry groups that set security standards governing U.S. credit and debit card networks. The letter to members of the Financial Services Committee was
Amazon.com late last month reported extraordinarily robust financial results for the quarter ended March 31. Sales at the e-commerce and technology company jumped 43% to $51 billion, while net earnings more than doubled to $1.6 billion. With ad revenue and Amazon Web Services showing notable strength, the company generated gains across the board. Of particular
Many companies today embrace some form of continuous improvement process, under which they strive to make their products, services and systems better over time. The CIP concept seems very professional and corporate, but former Dollar General Corp. chief executive officer Cal Turner Jr. had a blunter version of the same idea. “Would you like to
Walmart recently reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year. The world’s largest retailer turned in a mixed performance, with sales gains coming at the expense of lower profits. On the plus side of the ledger, companywide revenue for fiscal 2017 rose 0.8% to $485.9 billion, and operating cash flow hit a record
Our member chief executive officers often emphasize with us that the heart of customer loyalty is value — but perhaps not in the traditional ways we’ve defined value through taste, price and convenience. In fact, the very concept of value has become increasingly more difficult to describe because it is unique and so personal for