Ralph Jacobson

FD Buyer: Let's Try Coordinating the Time of Category Reviews

March 8, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Let's say you're a manufacturer with a new product breakthrough, and you're ready to present it to the trade this month. But let's also say that several of your key retailers won't be reviewing your category until the following January. Would an effort at standardizing which categories are reviewed when be beneficial for the industry?      [more...]

We all know how this has worked in the past ... especially in the food biz. In this changing economy, with customer attention spans at an all-time low, all stakeholders need to be flexible. It's Darwinism at its best. If a hot product comes along, be responsive. Make it happen, because your competition will. Regardless of the size of the supplier.

The apparel industry has only typically acknowledged a few seasons each year. That is all over with Zara. They have taken the business model and started a better way to do business today. All of us need to be more open to this. "Business as usual" is lethal today.