Staff at manor department stores like Saks are finding success with Instagram and social media. The Information shares this:
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Tyler Bell was encouraging all her clients to “tag your bag.” Every time Bell, a Saks Fifth Avenue stylist in Troy, Mich., closed a sale, she asked the buyer to show off their purchase on Instagram and tag her account, @tyler.saks. Bell posts Saks inventory multiple times a day on Instagram Stories. Her 27,000 followers will...
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Saks formed new company a called Saks.com that will lead the company, shares today's WSJ. The physical stores will be moved from the 'drivers seat' to the 'passengers seat.' In a nod to Amazon.com and Walmart's success with third-party sellers, Saks.com will offer a marketplace and pay third-party sellers a commission.
Saks Fifth Avenue just launched a new website. Since more than 600 stores rely on Bridge Store to power their websites, I decided to compare the new site, which likely cost millions of dollars, to an indie retailer's Bridge Store software. An indie store pays pennies compared to Saks' millions, so the Saks site must be a million times better, right?
After a careful review, I'm happy to share that our indie stores have the better website. And, it sort of 'saks' for Saks that it spent millions ...
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Your Bridge Store ranks highly in Google. As a test, try this: Google "Juliska Dinner Plate." In the results, you'll see two indie stores outperform Zola (a million-dollar funded online retailer) and Houzz (another well-funded, venture capital-backed player). The two indies stores do not have any venture capitalists or bankers funding them. They simply use: Bridge.
Thalia and Dahlia, an Ohio-based store, use Bridge. It ranks just below Saks Fifth Avenue--and it's just 3 ...
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June 16, 2019
June 16, 2019
Business lunch: how retail is changing :)
Old retail is 80% analog. This consists of: the physical store, staff, customer service training, etc. What you’d expect walking into a Saks or Macy's. And it's about 20% tech: computers, cash registers (POS systems), mobile shopping, Google ranking, apps, hiring social influencers, Instagram, etc.
Today, the retailers that are well positioned, growing, and 'hot' carry the opposite equation: they're 20% analog and 80% tech.
Saks essentially throws in the towel on cosmetics and moves that department from the first floor to the second. What now greets you? Handbags. The WSJ reminds us that department stores are on the ropes against online competitors, chains dedicated to cosmetics, and changing consumer tastes. Jewelry is now in the basement.
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April 2, 2018
April 2, 2018
Hackers installed software on Saks and Lord & Taylor cash registers. What’s notable is that the hack didn’t affect the companies’ websites. The hackers may have used the web (most likely via phishing emails) to infect the good ol’ ‘analog’ cash register. This crimes mixes new and old tech.
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July 11, 2017
July 11, 2017
Amazon Prime Day has become a national holiday for the entire retail industry.
Here are the Prime Day deals Amazon didn't want you to see.
Here are the Prime Day deals Amazon didn't want you to see
Amazon Prime Day has become a national holiday for the entire retail industry. Kicking off its third annual Prime Day on Monday night, Amazon (AMZN) is offering new deals as ...
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April 17, 2017
April 17, 2017
From Sunday's NY Times, this article highlights how retail is at a tipping point with the shift from brick & mortar to e-commerce. While it is a big concern to all, we have you covered: Bridge has helped its retailers process 32% more in sales over the last year vs the year before. Bridge's mobile retail software has seen an increase of 55% year over year. As the retail landscape continues to shift, we are moving right along with it.
The headline is scary. The article states less drastically that "comparable store" sales which include stores open a year or more and online sales are down 5%. Translation: Neiman's may need to work smarter to compete online because consumer purchases are definltey increasing there. And don't feel too bad for Neimans: it still had a profit of $3.8 million.
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December 5, 2009
December 5, 2009
Luxury makes a comeback from Fortune magazine
Jaguar, Oakley, and other brands are trying to put the 'lux' back in luxury, despite the recession.
By Suzanne Kapner, writer December 3, 2009: 9:02 AM ET NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Here's what the financial crisis sounds like at the top of the income ladder: When asked how the recession had impacted her life, one banker's wife said, "The waiting list for a Birkin bag is a lot shorter."
She was referring, of course, to the coveted Hermès handbag. Each bag is ...
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October 30, 2009
October 30, 2009
Source: Vanity Fair
by John Clarke Jr. October 27, 2009, 11:49 AM
Earlier this year, when Anna Weatherley delivered her magnolia-patterned china set to the White House, the accompanying spate of profiles covered every aspect of her career--except one: gun runner. Was it true, as the whispers around Washington had it, that she had a secret history as a gun-runner in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan? Not quite, although the truth is just as curious.
Weatherley was no Soldier-of-Fortune radical ...
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October 21, 2009
October 21, 2009
Should you offer free shipping on your website?
Please see below. This article from today's Wall St. Journal explores the expectation for free shipping when buying online. My advice to clients: - Let's better promote our free shipping offer for orders made online. - Let's e-mail a coupon to past customers either for an amount off the purchase, or something about free shipping. - Can we lower our free shipping baseline, or offer a free upgrade to quicker shipping? aka: 2 day shipping?
This article below from the today's NYT echoes a conversation I had this week with a major tableware brand. The head of the company said that he can see a day when the traveling home goods salesperson will not travel. Instead, the person will do his or her sales presentations over the phone and web. Samples will be shipped via UPS or FedEx. Otherwise, sales reps have to drive to and from meetings, and this gas money may eat up 25% of their commission. Oddly, ...
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