"Moneyballing" Restaurants | Walmart's (Literal) Warehouse Double-Down | How To Talk To Consumers — With Robots

Imagine if all a consumer had to do to be treated like a VIP in a restaurant, bar or a club was to just show up. SevenRooms CEO Joel Montaniel told Karen Webster that his technology can help restaurants build profiles on their customers, giving them the information they need to surprise and delight them as their status and profile grows. And, the data they need he says, to help restaurants of all sizes play the “Moneyball” game. Read More...

Could Mall of America’s very publicized decision to remain closed on Thanksgiving day when more and more retailers seem to have been engaged in a Cold War of late to open earlier and earlier that day tip the scales back in favor of stores remaining closed on Thanksgiving day? That does appear to be a trend that is steadily gaining steam with the public and among some of the nation’s most recognizable retailers. Read More...

Is the activewear industry finally starting to lag? In 2015 alone, the activewear segment of retail fashion accounted for $44 billion in total sales in the U.S. alone, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. Last year, activewear sales grew by 16 percent, compared to a 2 percent rise in year-over-year sales for the total apparel industry. But if activewear sales were removed from the equation, total overall fashion sales actually would have declined by 2 percent last year. However, this year's figures are nowhere near as good. Read More...