Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 1/2/13: Wmart #1 Mobile Retailer in ’12; Tour of Target w/CMO

Happy New Year !!!

“Amazon Is Not A Commerce Company” by Alex Williams at Tech Crunch. ” …It’s why 2013 will be the big year for the retail and computing giant. It’s all coming together with its growing cloud infrastructure, voluminous data streams and content. It’s what Ray Wang of Constellation Research calls “matrix commerce.” Wang argues that Amazon is not a commerce company at all. It’s a big data company that has developed a cloud infrastructure that is profitable and subsidizes its retail operations. It has the mobile devices and content that it can spread through a network of users who pay to get it.” https://techcrunch.com/2012/12/30/amazon-is-not-a-commerce-company/

“Tour of Target With New CMO Jeff Jones” at Forbes (Video). Quotes from Jeff Jones:

“Expect more, pay less is THE idea — we’re unwavering with that brand proposition — that will always be the strategy for what we do.”

“The way we connect digitally is the next evolution of where we continue to press.”

“Creatively we’re known for brave execution”

“We’re always goings to offer the best brands…but we have 10 (proprietary) brands that are each doing over 1 billion in sales”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDPQCn62Gno

“Walmart is Mobile Retailer of the Year” by Rimma Kats in Mobile Commerce Daily. “The Mobile Retailer of the Year is the most prestigious honor for smart, strategic and creative use of the mobile medium. EBay won in 2009, Target bagged the honor in 2010 and Sears took top prize in 2011…This past year, Walmart has elevated its comprehensive 360-degree mobile commerce efforts to create a more streamlined shopping experience that incorporates various channels such as mobile applications, mobile Web, augmented reality, mobile advertising, mobile bar codes, social media, location-based services and push notifications.” https://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/walmart-is-mobile-retailer-of-the-year

“Kroger top stock pick for 2013 by Steve Watkins” in Business Courier (Cincinnati). “Kroger Co. is one of MSN Money’s top stock picks for 2013. It was among a group of about 30 stocks MSN Money tabbed as good places to invest your money for the coming year. In fact, Kroger is the top pick of Royden Ward, editor of investment newsletter the Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter. He expects Kroger’s stock to surge more than 30 percent in 2013. Ward wrote in MSN Money’s synopsis of Kroger, the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, that the company’s stock should rise to $35.35 in the coming year.” https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/12/kroger-top-stock-pick-for-2013.html

“The lesson from Lowe’s failed bid for Rona? In Quebec, any company can be protected” by Nicolas Van Praet at The Financial Post. “When former Quebec finance minister Raymond Bachand declared hardware retailer Rona Inc. “a major strategic asset for Canada” this past summer and vowed to keep it out of the hands of U.S. suitor Lowe’s Cos., Bay Street erupted in howls of laughter and bewilderment…It wasn’t a joke. And though Mr. Bachand’s Liberals were ousted from power by the separatist Parti Québécois, the legacy of his position remains. Lowe’s withdrew its $1.8-billion offer. And many investors are now eyeing every Quebec-based company through a lens of state interference.” https://business.financialpost.com/2012/12/29/the-lesson-from-lowes-failed-bid-for-rona-in-quebec-any-company-can-be-protected/

“Amazon versus Walmart and the usability testing results” by Craig Tomlin at Useful Usability. “Amazon and Walmart are kings of eCommerce. But how do they compare in usability? To answer this, I created a simple but useful usability test: something thousands of users were trying to do this holiday season, finding and buying an iPad…The primary advantage Walmart has over Amazon is the availability of filters on the left side of the products search results pages. This filter set enables users to very easily target products that meet their parameters, to find the best product possible for the given budget range.” https://www.usefulusability.com/amazon-versus-walmart-usability-testing-results/

“Zagara’s family grocery prepares for new big competitor (in Cleveland Heights, OH), Walmart” by Janet Cho in Cleveland Plain. “…He said his father always told him, “If you listen to your customers, they’ll help you run your business and make your business better.” But a new competitor coming next summer — a 180,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter that will be open 24/7 — has prompted Zagara to sharpen his focus on winning over his customers. “Walmart will have an effect on us,” he said. “The question is how much of an effect and what happens after six months? How well prepared are we to handle our customer when they tire of that big-box experience? How can we thrive, not just survive?” https://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/12/zagaras_family_grocery_prepare.html

“Contractor Demand May Propel Home Depot Higher In 2013” by Todd Campbell at Seeking Alpha. “Home Depot is just starting to see the benefits of higher construction spending. As homebuilding continues higher, contractor business is starting to climb. And that weakness offers a nice chance for investors to buy this retailer ahead of the spring season…Last quarter, the company’s sales climbed 4.6% to $18.1 billion as comparable store sales increased 4.2%. Net earnings were up 23.3%. Across the nation, the strongest categories were lumber, decor, kitchen, paint and lighting. The strength allowed the company to boost full year sales and earnings guidance to 5.2% and 18%, respectively.” https://seekingalpha.com/article/1089091-contractor-demand-may-propel-home-depot-higher-in-2013

“Whole Foods Top Food Retail Stock in 2012” at Supermarket News. “Whole Foods Market led the field of food-retailing stocks again in 2012, with a gain of nearly 35% for the year, to close at $91.16 on Dec. 31. It marked the fourth straight year that the natural and organic product specialist led the list of food retailers and wholesalers tracked by SN, after the company’s stock lost three quarters of its value in 2008 amid the economic downturn. https://supermarketnews.com/latest-news/whole-foods-top-food-retail-stock-2012#ixzz2GowkWx1I

Thanks for reading…