Author Archives: Ben Smith
How To Maxx Out Retail er Leverage (With Unwilling Help From Apple’s IPAD)
- Nov
- 19
I don’t care whether you are a retailer or a brand marketer, I just know that at some point on Friday November 19, 2010 you wished you had the same idea that some genius(es) at TJ Maxx did.
read moreShelf potato alert – Microsoft Kin mobile phone
- Jul
- 22
This article appears courtesy of The Shelf Potato Blog, by Doug Garnett. The article was originally published on July 1, 2010, by Ben Smith.
If you saw the commercials or talked to a rep in store, you probably couldn’t figure out what problems Kin solved or unmet needs it satisfied. The fact that it was pulled from the market so soon by a company with so deep of pockets leaves only a few conclusions and bigger questions.
read moreWhat Is A Shelf Potato?
- Jul
- 20
By Ben Smith The term “Couch Potato” has made it into pop culture, with its own wikipedia listing. So when my friend Doug Garnett mentioned a concept he kept coming back to when describing dud products at retail, “Shelf Potatos”, I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I figure that anybody who is […]
read moreMartha Stewart Called To Carpet For Benefiting From A Legal Trade
- Jul
- 11
I wanted to provide an update to Vince Young’s prior coverage of Stainmaster carpet’s move to Lowe’s and share an article by Chris Burritt that just appeared in Business Week detailing how the dust has settled. The net is that Martha Stewart now has the featured brand of carpet at the #1 carpet retailer in the US, Home Depot.
In today’s environment it is rare that a brand drops a major retailer. Once the shock wears off, you can see how major moves by competitors, particularly exclusive deals, can create retail leverage opportunities.
read moreForget Perfection – Just Worry About Good Enough
- Jun
- 28
By Ben Smith So I thought I had come up with this revelation, but apparently I’m not the only one. The good news is that as you read this you’ll likely realize you’ve had the same thoughts too. Type A personalities might want to stop reading now. We are in the age of “Good Enough”. […]
read moreSharp Quattron TV’s Add Yellow But Their Marketing Makes Me Blue
- Jun
- 08
You might think that the big players have seemingly unlimited funds that allow them to execute plans that cover the marketing spectrum, but that doesn’t mean their spend makes sense.
What would you do if you were Sharp? Do you think you can win by driving customers to the stores alone? Or do you win by converting customers that are already in the store by locking down the aisle? How did Sharp get to their strategy?
read moreThe Concept Of Retail Momentum: Feed The Beast Or Lose It
- May
- 09
THIS IS AN EXCERPT: TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK ON THE TITLE.
WHAT IS RETAIL MOMENTUM?
Now look at momentum from a retail perspective. Here at Retail Leverage, we’re defining Retail Momentum as when your sales velocity reaches critical mass. The definition works at all levels – it can occur in a single store, category, retailer, channel, or the entire market. Of course getting your sales to a high level and sustaining them is easier said than done. This is probably a good time to tell you this article isn’t about how to achieve a high level of sales and gain momentum. It’s about understanding Retail Momentum and ideas to keep from losing momentum.
read moreWant To Gain Big Dollar and Lots of Leverage In General At Retail? Look Closely To Find The Answer.
- May
- 02
THIS IS AN EXCERPT: TO READ FULL ARTICLE, CLICK ON THE TITLE:
This article explores pushing the boundaries of your own retail comfort level and looking at channels that aren’t necessary alternative, because they are already selling products from your category. I’ve got 2 great examples of retailers in this story – and as the title suggests – they might hold the key to big dollar and lots of leverage in general!
read moreUnderstand Retailer Private Brand Strategy By Watching Football
- Apr
- 21
I never pass up a good analogy to help myself understand a complicated story, and spice up a boring one. The growing use of private brands (or private label) by retailers has become the key story of this new era in retail marketing. There are so many different stories and perspectives floating around, I think what gets lost in the buzz is the underlying reason of why retailers have turned to private brands. So what does retailer’s private brand strategy have to do with the NFL?
read moreWhat If Radio Shack Becomes Best Buy Mobile?
- Mar
- 26
THIS IS AN EXCERPT. TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK ON THE TITLE:
So the rumor is out there – Radio Shack could be on the market, and Best Buy’s name has been tossed out as a suitor – we wanted to share our perspective on what it could mean. Best Buy and other retailers are known to be taking learnings from European Retail and applying them in the US. Best Buy’s own acquisition of Carphone Warehouse in the UK in 2008 could serve as a model for a potential acquisition of Radio Shack. While there are approximately 61 Best Buy Mobile stand alone stores in the US today, there are over 6,000 Radio Shack locations when you combine company owned stores, franchies, and wireless kiosks.
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