Mark Heckman

I was skeptical of an EDLP program being able to compete in the minds of the price-conscious soft goods consumer as the norm for this channel is deep discounting, coupons and event sales. Instead of going "cold turkey" I would have advocated an evolving mix of EDLP and High-Low...

As a former supermarket store manager, I can relate personally to this subject. Managing finances, conditions, inventory, and even refrigeration equipment often takes priority over nurturing the mood and satisfaction of store employees.

I know I fancied myself as being very good in the area of engaging my employees,...

For the ardent club shopper, many categories and items they purchase are repetitive and certainly lend themselves to be purchased online along with scheduled reminders from Costco that according to their buying cycle, that it's time to buy again. Throwing a few deals into the mix for these online...

It's usually not smart to promote a competitor, even if it means losing sales and disappointing some shoppers. Therefore, I cannot take issue with Target's decision to stop selling Amazon's Kindle. However, just eliminating their presence at Target does not address the increasingly and current unmet threat that Amazon...

The evidence is abundant. Stores that know how to romance food are able to thrive and mitigate some of the price sensitivity that food shoppers carry with them to the store these days.

H-E-B, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, and certainly Whole Foods are great examples of companies that go the...

All four of the key findings in the FMI sponsored research represent enduring issues that brands and retailers must address. However, of these four, I believe that format innovation is the least appreciated and possibly least understood as an opportunity for competitive advantage.

To that point, with online shopping...

Having both competed with and consulted for H-E-B, I have nothing but praise for this chain. Much of their success is the result of a very competitive merchandising and marketing culture, that promotes a willingness to take on the very best in price with "price," while dueling it out...

Publix is very smart to get into the game with digital coupons. Using a phone number or other alternate ID can work as long as the right database conventions are in place to prevent duplication of numbers, etc. The onus on Publix and their content partners now is to...

First of all, let me start with a bit of cynicism. There are very few retailers and particularly supermarket retailers who can truly claim to offer "exceptional checkout customer service." Thus, using the preservation of this level of service as an excuse not to offer self-checkout seems a bit...

Simply said, as long as gas is more than $3 a gallon, the sensitivity to saving at the pump will be a key "driver" for consumers. (All puns intended).

Thus, savvy retailers with companion fuel programs own a tool to cross promote food and soft goods with fuel that provides...