There are so many loyalty programs, just breaking through the clutter is a challenge. Earning points and free products by playing games is an interesting approach that will resonate with some customers -- whether it helps drive new, additional customers is hard to say. I doubt it will be a big win. Simple to understand and meaningful loyalty programs can be an important strategy for virtually any retailer -- complex, meaningless and poorly conceived loyalty programs are distracting and expensive.

Today successful retail CEOs need to be visionaries who embrace change, but can also execute. Having a vision without being able to connect it to operational realities and business results is pointless. While there are many excellent retail CEOs, I submit Brian Cornell, CEO of Target. I think Brian’s approach to people, ability to adapt and innovate and deliver solid results represent many of the characteristics I think retail CEOs should posses.

Toys "R" Us’s demise has created a hole in the market and stranded countless customers with gift cards and a useless gift registry. It’s reasonable and not surprising that other retailers are interested in serving this disenfranchised market. Since moms are likely the main holders of the Toys "R" Us gift cards (perhaps on behalf of their kids) and given the competitive positioning of buybuy Baby, it seems like a sensible move on the part of Bed, Bath & Beyond to try to win these customers over. Whether the program will pay out or not is yet to be seen, but the attempt seems worth the risk.

Amazon Go is a testing lab and a marketing vehicle. It’s important to remember that Amazon is not bound by the same constraints that most retailers are -- like profit or access to capital -- so it can afford to freely test new ideas and concepts regardless of financial viability. I do believe that Go and other retail initiatives by Amazon are intended to find new and even revolutionary ways to serve customers, and to this end the entire industry should be grateful for their efforts. But while Amazon’s initiatives provide inspiration for the industry and push the bounds for what’s possible, I caution retailers from trying to replicate Amazon’s efforts -- they're playing an entirely different game.

Smart move by Walgreens to focus on healthcare services. Walgreens and other drug retailers are realizing that there’s a big opportunity in being part of the health delivery system instead of merely selling products and filling prescriptions. Given the pressure on the healthcare system, I believe that Walgreens and other pharmacy retailers will find this to be a growing and sustainable direction.

Despite the advances made in workforce management technology, staff scheduling remains one of the biggest challenges for retailers – it’s also one of the biggest opportunities. A large part of my work is understanding the impact of staff scheduling on in-store conversion rates and I can say categorically, even some of the most successful retailers are misallocating or misaligning their front-line staff resources. Staffing to traffic is still very much an important principal of effective labor management, however it’s how you staff to traffic that’s the critical insight of this study. Not all staff are equally experienced/skilled or being deployed effectively (i.e. tasking vs. serving customers) -- staff scheduling to traffic without considering conversion rates leads to suboptimal results.

There’s no need to over-think this. Retailers can reduce turnover by paying their employees fairly, providing decent benefits and creating a work environment where they can learn, grow and advance. Technology is a helpful enabler, but it’s not a panacea. Ultimately it comes down to creating a culture where employees feel valued and care about what they do.

The changes being made were inevitable and will continue as Whole Foods evolves under Amazon. To think that the original culture and processes would remain unchanged is naïve. Naturally it’s in Amazon’s best interests to maintain as many of the elements that made Whole Foods a success in the first place, but it’s clearly a whole new ball game.

I don’t believe Facebook’s business model is in danger of breaking down – but this is a bump in the road. Ultimately, advertisers will go where the eyeballs are, and notwithstanding the recent "delete Facebook" movement, I suspect this will pass. Anyone remember Equifax? With more than 2 billion users, I believe this Facebook controversy will blow over, hopefully with some new policies and procedures that make users’ data more secure.

There’s no question Amazon is pushing the bounds in retailing with what seems to be moon-shots every other quarter. However, traditional retailers need to remember that Amazon generates an enormous amount of its profit from its web services business and therefore can make investments and experiment in ways that most retailers simply cannot -- Amazon Go is a good example. My advice to retailers is to focus on their customers and the unique value proposition they bring to the market. It's sensible to monitor Amazon’s activities (as well as those from other leading retailers and brands that are doing interesting things), but don’t get too carried away trying to replicate or beat Amazon -- they’re playing an entirely different game.

I don’t believe pure digital-only retailing is coming to an end, but rather online players are realizing that there’s value in having a physical presence. In this context, I think it’s perfectly valid to think of physical stores as a media channel. While it’s hard to pick winners among the group of companies mentioned, I think it’s exciting that native digital retailers are finding their way to brick-and-mortar stores.

Progressive retailers like IKEA are experimenting with a wide range of technologies to create new ways for shoppers to interact with their brand and products. The use of AR and touch-screens to present IKEA’s expansive product offering makes good sense, especially in highly concentrated urban areas. I think virtual showrooms will be very helpful to shoppers in narrowing their product search, but I suspect that many will still want the tactile experience of touching and seeing the physical product, especially larger items like furniture.

Target is wise to invest in customer service. Over the years, it seems that retailers have prioritized investments in technology over people. In my experience, retails’ front-line is still under-resourced and under-supported, and I believe the investments Target is making in their front-line employees will pay off in several ways including recruiting and retention, customer experience and in-store conversion rates.

Leveraging services like Lyft to enable customers to pick-up perscriptions makes good sense. Not only does it build an even deeper relationship with the customer, but it also brings more traffic to the store.

For those who find building IKEA furniture pure agony, the TaskRabbit assembly service will be a welcomed addition. It may even be helpful in convincing some adamant non-assemblers that IKEA stuff is worth another look. But don't forget, IKEA has done pretty well with their current offering and I suspect that a large percentage of their loyalists are quite happy to continue to buy and DIY. As for competitors, who would that be?