As brick-and-mortar retailers face a number of store closures in 2019 and increasing competition from e-commerce, new strategies need to be considered. Kohl in particular is using several strategies to combat the "retail apocalypse," from leveraging partnerships to innovating the in-store experience to drive traffic in-stores. Strategy 1: Connect the in-store and online experience Shopping online and having items shipped directly to your home is easy and convenient. Dealing with returning items bought online can be a different story. Kohl's and Amazon are extending their partnership to bridge the gap and make returns easier for shoppers. Kohl's recently announced it will be accepting Amazon returns in all of... Continue reading

The economic issues of the recent past have not only shaped Millennials as consumers but as shoppers as well. The Great Recession left Millennials to struggle with a lack of job security, mounting student loan debt and financial anxiety. In fact, forty-one percent of Millennials are straddled with student debt, which has left many weary of taking on additional debt with credit cards. Fortune reported just 1 in 3 Millennials carry plastic, and if they do, it tends to be a prepaid or debit card. Therefore, it's no surprise that these financially conscious and debt-averse Millennials are now seeking new payment options from retailers that provide them more... Continue reading

From holiday promotions to in-store experiences, brands and retailers alike look for new ways to connect with shoppers during the holiday season. Jimmy Dean and Taco Bell developed holiday promotions and created their own branded wrapping paper as a way to join in on the holiday fun. Jimmy Dean created scented wrapping paper as part of their promotional ‘recipe gift exchange.’ The simple “cook a sausage recipe, get a sausage gift” call to action creates a compelling way for shoppers to engage with the brand during the holiday season. On Cyber Monday, Taco Bell launched a set of CrunchWrap-themed gift wrap to Canadian customers exclusively on Amazon as... Continue reading

This year's Back to School issue of The Checkout explores how the rise in eCommerce is impacting the back-to-school and back-to-college shopping season. Who is back-to-school shopping on Amazon Prime Day and what are shoppers buying online? What online methods are consumers using to plan for their shopping trips? Are shoppers using new services such as grocery delivery or voice-activated shopping for their back-to-school needs? In this issue, we answer these questions and highlight three key trends influencing the back-to-school shopping season: 1. Amazon Prime Day has become the unofficial kickoff to the back-to-school and back-to-college shopping season 2. Back-to-school shoppers are price-focused shoppers 3. Younger, multicultural shoppers... Continue reading