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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do you see the coronavirus fallout driving many department stores and other mid-tier retailers out of business? Which retailers serving the middle appear best positioned to survive? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : The key word is disruption. I mean disruption in a positive way. Mall operators and their tenants who are in the middle of this collapse need to think differently as it is not going to Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What practical advice can you give small and independent retailers who have immediate needs to pay employees and keep their businesses going? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : I happen to believe that there will be many new opportunities for businesses that become really creative in what and how they deliver their goods and services. We need to remain hopeful and positive and work towards keeping things in Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing retailers and their technology suppliers and consultants as a result of the coronavirus outbreak? What workarounds will be most effective in limiting the disruptions that result from the realities of working in the current environment? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : We have no choice but to do our work virtually. It takes getting used to but the work Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Should all non-essential stores temporarily close to counter the spread of coronavirus? What obvious and less obvious factors should weigh into the decision? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : The only way to get through this as quickly as possible is to do the difficult work now. Yes, all non-essential stores should close in order to get back to business as usual as fast as we can. Read Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will other retailers buy Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology? What do you see as the potential for the technology inside and out of Amazon-owned properties? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : This is a no-brainer. Why develop this when it already exists? Use the products, assortments and shopability of your store to stand out. Having a slightly different system that has not been proven does not make sense. Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Has Target’s experience operating stores between 12,000- and 30,000-square-feet prepared it to succeed with even smaller locations? What do you think of Target’s plan to begin testing a 6,000-square-foot store in 2021? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : This is a winning strategy for Target. This is what category management and shopper insights are all about – knowing what items will appeal to the ebbing and flowing traffic, Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing retailers in relation to the coronavirus outbreak? What actions do you recommend retailers and suppliers take now to minimize the impact for their customers and their businesses? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : For right or wrong, this will have a very negative impact on retail if this continues to spread. I was about to go out to Expo Read more…

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will customer faith in Walgreens be compromised in light of this reporting? What is the appropriate course of action that should have been taken when Walgreens received proof that their pharmacists were being overworked? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust : We all have had bad experiences at a pharmacy at one time or another. I recently had a horrible experience at my neighborhood CVS, but I attributed it Read more…