Alison Chaltas

Why not? Ex-cons need jobs to re-enter society and retailers need talent. The challenge will be preparing the organization to treat ex-cons fairly and with the respect most deserve and need.

This is one of those articles that really is challenging to respond to in aggregate, but we will try. Ten years ago, a retailer CMO was a novelty. Over the last decade, they've gone from new news to rising stars to scapegoats. Now retailer CMOs are just regular members...

In today's omni-channel world, online reviews can be a differentiator and a curse for all types of retailers. There really is almost no such thing as a pure bricks & mortar player anymore. And with the mobile shopping explosion shoppers are reading reviews on their smartphones and tablets in...

We live in an omni-channel world and differences in promotional strategy must be managed carefully across channels. While we agree that Walmart and Apple Store shoppers are different, Walmart's pricing impacts everyone. "Welcome to the real world" is right.

This is a sign that some of Apple's competitors are catching...

If Walmart can pull off their same-day delivery test on December 23rd, this game is totally changed.

For now, click & collect is the best path to solving for last minute gifts. Order online, have a "guarantee" the product is in-stock and put aside for the purchaser, then a quick...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still all about the deals, heavily communicated through three old faithfuls—TV, newspaper circulars and email advertising. There is so much traditional media noise over the Thanksgiving weekend that new media gets drowned out. When shoppers are running from store to store to get...

The greatest learning is creating ways that people want to come back to the store -- again and again. The environment, the products, the genius bar, the accessories, the associates, the crowd. All with almost perfect consistency across touchpoints. Apple engages all around in a way few retailers ever...

If organizations could instill more transparency from the top down, we'd have more effective promotions across the board. Too often customer teams hide facts from marketing, who doesn't fully disclose to sales, who twists things for the retailer, who keeps the real need close to the vest. And so...

Technology changing so fast could also be driving the absolute dollar increase. A new smartphone, tablet or gaming system blows the average dollars spent on self-gifting. So many of us use the holidays to treat ourselves to the latest new gadget. It would be really interesting to see this...

The lessons for retailers are the same as lessons for home owners. Have a plan that assumes the worst. Safety functions first. And remember, employees may need to be home taking care of their families, so business is second. Run tests and teach all staff what to do. Also,...