Community Guidelines

RetailWire is a professional community for people who work in and around retail. We hold it to a high standard — for the quality of the conversation, the integrity of the content, and the independence of our editorial voice.

These guidelines apply to everyone who participates: readers who comment, BrainTrust members who contribute expert commentary, sponsors whose content appears on the site, and the RetailWire team itself. By using the site you agree to these guidelines and to our Terms and Conditions.

The Standard We Hold the Conversation To

RetailWire discussions are a public, permanent record of how retail professionals think about their industry. We want that record to be substantive, honest, and useful to practitioners — not a promotional channel, not a political forum, and not a place for personal grievances.

We ask that all participants:

• Write under their real name and professional identity
• Engage with the topic at hand rather than using discussions as a platform for unrelated agendas
• Treat other contributors with respect — disagreement is welcome, personal attacks are not
• Disclose relevant relationships or conflicts of interest (see below)

How We Moderate

All comments — from BrainTrust members and general readers alike — are reviewed before publication. Moderation decisions are made exclusively by RetailWire’s editorial team. We do not delegate this to automated systems or outside parties.

We aim to moderate consistently and fairly. We will not publish content that:

• Contains obscene, abusive, or threatening language
• Personally attacks another contributor
• Demeans particular groups of people, professions, or schools of thought
• Promotes the contributor’s own business or products without relevant disclosure
• Is not meaningfully related to the discussion topic or the retail industry
• Involves political commentary disconnected from retail business relevance
• Uses formatting or volume of posts in a way that disrupts the discussion for others

We may also correct obvious spelling or grammatical errors before publication. Repeat violations may result in posting privileges being revoked without further notice.

BrainTrust Standards

BrainTrust membership is an invitation extended to senior retail practitioners based on their expertise, professional standing, and demonstrated commitment to substantive commentary. Membership is a privilege, not a right, and we reserve the right to remove any BrainTrust member — at our sole discretion — if their participation no longer meets our standards.

We expect BrainTrust members specifically to:

• Contribute commentary that reflects genuine expert perspective
• Avoid using their BrainTrust platform to promote their own employer, clients, or business interests without clear disclosure
• Maintain the same respectful, professional tone expected of all contributors
• Not submit commentary written by or on behalf of someone other than themselves

Disclosure Requirements

If you have a financial relationship, employment relationship, or other material connection to a company or person being discussed in a thread, you must disclose it in your comment. This applies to BrainTrust members and general commenters alike.

Comments that appear to be undisclosed promotional content will not be published and may result in account suspension.

Our Editorial Independence

Advertising and sponsorship support RetailWire financially, but they do not influence our editorial decisions. Specifically:

• Sponsors do not determine which topics we cover, which discussions we run, or how we frame editorial questions
• Sponsor-created content (advertorials, whitepapers, sponsored posts) is clearly labeled and kept separate from our editorial content
• No advertiser or sponsor receives preferential moderation treatment in our discussions
• Our team may write about, link to, or cite sponsor companies in editorial contexts without that constituting an endorsement, and we may also write critically about sponsors where warranted

We vet sponsors for relevance to our audience. We do not knowingly accept advertising from companies engaged in deceptive practices.

Removing Your Content

We maintain RetailWire discussions as an ongoing archive of professional perspectives. If you would like a comment removed, contact us with the relevant URL and we will honor the request.

Corrections and Disputes

If you believe a comment or piece of content contains a factual error, or if you have a dispute about a moderation decision, please reach out. Include your username and the URL of the relevant content. We will review and respond.

Direct Messages

Where RetailWire provides direct messaging between users, those communications must comply with these guidelines. Sending unsolicited promotional messages, spam, or threatening content through our platform may result in immediate and permanent removal from the community. Report problematic messages through our contact form.

Questions

If you have questions about these guidelines or a specific moderation decision, please use our contact form. Including your username and a link to the relevant content helps us respond faster.