PROFILE
Cathy Hotka
Principal, Cathy Hotka & AssociatesCathy Hotka has personal relationships with most of North America’s most influential retail technology leaders. Cathy Hotka & Associates is a different kind of retail IT marketing firm, leveraging close relationships with CIOs to assist technology companies, and working with retail CIOs to create thought leadership materials. The company was founded in 2002 and enjoys working relationships with many Tier 1 retailers and vendors.
Prior to creating the firm, Hotka created the CIO Council for the National Retail Federation, and staffed the American Petroleum Institute’s IT Council. She has worked on Capitol Hill and the White House, and has been recognized by Computerworld, CIO, Executive Technology, and the Wharton School of Business.
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- Posted on: 04/12/2018
No site comes close to Amazon for Gen Z
What's interesting to me is that the stores listed in the story are all mall brands. I wonder if teens will migrate to online-only sellers like StyleWe and Rose Wholesale ... - Posted on: 04/10/2018
Retailers must unite to bring dying downtowns back to life
This has already happened in my city. A new downtown arena was the spark that resulted in mixed-use developments, hot restaurants and a slew of new retail establishments, including a giant Bed, Bath & Beyond. Here, "walkable" is the new buzzword in real estate. - Posted on: 04/09/2018
Retailers face criticism for failure to protect customer data
There are two issues here. Retail is an industry that underinvests in IT, and therefore in data security, and retailers' name recognition makes breaches into juicy news stories. We're going to keep seeing these stories. - Posted on: 04/06/2018
Can MoviePass help revive America’s malls?
Not only can MoviePass drive mall traffic, it's driving the right kind of mall traffic -- younger people. They flocked to the theaters for loud, flashy hits like Black Panther, which are much more effective away than at home. Some savvy retailer is going to figure out that a "show your movie ticket and get a discount" offer will work as well. - Posted on: 04/04/2018
Luxury fashion hunts ‘hype beasts’ with high-end streetwear
There must be real money here. The Men's Store at Saks adopted this trend three or four years ago, with distinctive sneakers and leather jackets, even here in buttoned-up Washington, D.C. It's nice to see an alternative to traditional men's workwear. - Posted on: 04/02/2018
What would an acquisition of Humana mean for Walmart and its rivals?
On the plus side, one possible outcome could be healthcare clinics in underserved (rural) areas. We'd all like to think that a merger like this could be applied to the greater good ... time will tell. - Posted on: 03/30/2018
Former Walmart U.S. CEO raises prospect of breaking up Amazon
Wow, what a simplistic approach to a very complicated issue. Americans have embraced Amazon and I can't imagine they have an appetite for chopping it up. Mr. Simon's proposal is going nowhere. - Posted on: 03/29/2018
KB Toys plans a Christmas comeback
How can KB Toys provide the kind of experiential excitement that has been missing in the toy biz? Every format -- including pop-ups -- needs an experience hook. - Posted on: 03/27/2018
Will a new designer collaboration be a smash hit for Target?
All sellers of commodity brands need to fight back with unique, private-label offerings that drive customer curiosity and traffic. Collaborations with Missoni, Lilly Pulitzer and others have been successful and the Hunter collection will be, too. - Posted on: 03/26/2018
Has Facebook become toxic for advertisers?
Let's hope that this episode helps make Facebook users a little more savvy about taking quizzes and oversharing. This will continue to be a valuable advertising platform, but with a shrewder audience. - Posted on: 03/15/2018
No more playing around – Toys ‘R’ Us is out of the retail game
Studies by Bloomberg and others have shown that a number of U.S. retailers have unsustainable levels of debt, some brought on by leveraged buyouts. Others mentioned recently include Bon-Ton, Kohl's, Claire's, J. Crew, Nine West and Macy's. Without the capital to adapt and reformat, it's tough to survive. - Posted on: 03/14/2018
IKEA offers sanity-saving furniture assembly solution
It often takes more than one person to assemble furniture. TaskRabbit helps expand IKEA's market to single parents, older people, and others who could use a hand in assembling that Billy bookcase. I'll predict measurable results. - Posted on: 03/13/2018
Will return bans burn retailers that impose them?
My spouse was head of loss prevention for a grocery chain for a number of years, and has amazing stories of return fraud, particularly for diapers and formula. When using third-party services, retailers must strive for continual improvement of true fraud detection and communicate clearly with customers, who will likely be sympathetic. - Posted on: 03/12/2018
Will acquiring tech startups help Nordstrom boost its digital ops?
After under-investing in technology, retailers have been acquiring startups all over -- Walmart buying Spatialand, Amazon buying Shoefitr, Target acquiring Grand Junction. Nikki raises some good points, but I'll bet on this trend continuing as retailers attempt to further differentiate themselves. - Posted on: 03/07/2018
Are photos of packages on doorsteps helpful?
The U.S. Postal Service's Informed Delivery service sends a daily email to customers, showing them photographs of that day's incoming mail. Amazon's photo service will be a welcome development for customers who aren't always at home and who are creeped out by the possibility of delivery drivers entering the house.
