Do retailers have the right stuff for Christmas?

New research forecasts that imports to American ports will fall to the lowest level in nearly two years by the end of 2022. "This holiday season is going to be hit-or-miss across the board. Consumers should shop early and buy it if they see something they want, since it may not be available if they wait," says Mark Ryski RetailWire BrainTrust commentator.Read More

Super Converters. How To Turn Your Stores into Super Converting Stores in Time for the Holiday

Brick-and-mortar retailers have a significant advantage over e-commerce to drive sales this holiday season but the vast majority of retailers do not have – or have even considered – formally developing conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategies for their physical stores. The fact that CRO is largely untapped by retailers in their brick-and-mortar stores is what makes it such an exciting opportunity, according to Mark Ryski, Author and HeadCount’s Founder & CEO. Read More

H&M Case Shows How Greenwashing Breaks Brand Promise

“While the financial calculation of merely greenwashing away environmental issues may seem acceptable, this is a real threat to the long term success of companies like H&M who target a younger consumer,” says Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation. “I believe that H&M has already sustained brand damage as a result of their past greenwashing activities.Read More

Retail Experts: Kohl’s Should Look Elsewhere For A Buyer

“I don’t see how Franchise Group can add a lot of value to Kohl’s business and the financing approach is concerning," says Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation. “I understand that Kohl’s management needs to review every bona fide offer, but it seems to me that there are other opportunities for Kohl’s that present a more encouraging outcome. And notwithstanding poorer sales results, Kohl’s is not a distressed retailer and they don’t need to do a deal — they can bide their time for better/different offers.Read More

Being Dumped By Nike Might Do Some Retailers Some Good

Amid Nike’s moves to consolidate wholesale accounts, a few affected retailers are expressing confidence they’ll be able to shift to other vendors to fill the void.“The bigger retailers are putting on a brave face, but Nike is a powerful brand and the loss will be felt for many of these retailers,” says Mark Ryski, Author, CEO & Founder of HeadCount Corporation.Read More

Why Amazon Grocery Catapulted To The Top Of America’s Favorites List

A recent survey finds that Amazon has become the preferred source of groceries for the largest number of Americans. “Amazon is a formidable competitor in virtually any category it pursues and I expect that it will build on the momentum from 2020 and continue to become an even bigger player in grocery,” says Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation and a member of the RetailWire Braintrust. Read More

REI Sells Its Headquarters

REI Co-op has announced plans to sell its newly completed corporate campus in Bellevue, WA. Instead of the central location, the co-op will embrace a new HQ set-up of multiple satellite campuses. Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation, drove home the point that doing this — and doing it right — very well may be a necessity.” All companies need to find ways to cut expenses and operate their businesses — as drastic as this move by REI may seem, we’ll be seeing a lot more of it in the months to come,” wrote Mr. Ryski. “This is far from over.”Read More

Chipotle’s Digital-Only Location Anticipates New Era For Quick-Serve Restaurants

"I have no doubt that the pandemic is causing many of the fast causal restaurants — if not all categories of restaurant — to think creatively about how they approach the dining experience in the future," says Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation.  Read More

Walmart+ Getting Into Position To Take On Amazon

Walmart announced that members of its Walmart+ subscription plan will no longer be required to make a $35 minimum purchase to qualify for free next-day and two-day shipping on online orders.  “Removing the minimum will help Walmart add new customers without a doubt,” says  Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation. “The battle for consumers is a slugfest and the removal of the minimum order is part of this. This latest move will create even further distance between Walmart, Amazon, Target and virtually everyone else.”Read More

Is It Best To Be On Retail’s Cutting Edge? Maybe Not

Some of the most headline-grabbing retail technology is just the kind of stuff that retailers are hesitating to adopt. But robots, drones, beacons and facial recognition have thus far been adopted by fewer than 10 percent of retailers. “Retailers are wise to be cautious about investing in cutting edge technology,” says Mark Ryski, CEO of HeadCount Corporation. “However, at the same time, retailers also need to stay apprised of the latest technology advancements and carefully consider specifically how they might be leveraged to produce better store experiences for shoppers and improved business results for the retailer.”Read More

PODCAST: Driving sales when store traffic is down

Declining store traffic is often cited as the key reason why sales are down, but retail analytics expert and two-time author, Mark Ryski has a different take on it – he says, retailers often don’t have a traffic problem, they have a shopper conversion problem. And he has the data to prove it.Read More

Cycle Gear finds a new gear with traffic program

Despite tough headlines for many of the industry’s biggest retailers, HeadCount and Cycle Gear are demonstrating what’s possible. Cycle Gear, a specialty retailer of motorcycle parts and apparel, increased quarter-over-quarter comp sales across its 140 store locations in 38 states while keeping wage budgets in line.Read More