RPW 2-3-09

Retail Paradox Weekly

Retail News Analysis by RSR Research

February 3, 2009

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As Earnings Go from Black to Red, Does Green Go Gray?

By Steve Rowen, Managing Partner
2/3/2009

The ubiquitous complaint about advertisement spots run during the Super Bowl was their complete failure to seize an opportunity to say something timely. Apart from a few exceptions, the old standby tactics (animals, attractive women and people getting hurt) had us all wondering, are the people making these decisions aware of what year it is, and where the consumer’s collective head is at?

Moreover, where were all the... More

DemandTec Acquires Connect3: Pricing Moves Closer to Execution

By Nikki Baird, Managing Partner
2/3/2009

Last week, DemandTec announced the acquisition of Connect3, a firm specializing in marketing and promotion management. Technology synergies aside (I haven’t had a chance to look into that part yet), this is a great combination of products: DemandTec’s expanding base of merchandising and pricing solutions, together with the tools to help turn optimized offers into execution. Promotions, as our recent research on pricing trends found, is a critical space for 2009 – retailers are very focused on trying to eke out whatever they can from price-conscious consumers.

DemandTec’s acquisition is also... More

Moving Beyond the Wal-Mart Mandate: What's Happening in RFID?

By Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner
2/3/2009

We’re all aware of Wal-Mart’s initiative to put RFID on cartons and pallets. We’re also aware that this application has a somewhat limited usefulness to most non-tonnage oriented retailers. So we wondered, what’s happening now beyond the mandate? What else might be going on with RFID?

This week I had the pleasure of talking to Marshall Kay, a principal in... More

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