Analytics for better business

The big fuss about 'big data'

2012-01-21T20:41:00.000+05:30

There has been growing interest in the idea of big data in the past few years. Indeed as McKinsey wrote about 'big data' (Read here) in May 2011, there has been an exponential rise in data available...

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Cold winter for Indian apparel retailers

2012-01-06T17:56:00.000+05:30

Many Indian apparel retailers are offering discounts ranging from 40% to 60% three weeks ahead of schedule this season (newspaper article). Sales have been impacted by 20-30% due to higher excise...

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Uncertain times in US apparel retail

2010-09-09T15:31:00.009+05:30

The last couple of years have been exceptionally uncertain for US apparel retailers. As is seen from the graph below, sales had a significant year-on-year dip in September 2008 with the financial...

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Localizing assortment in fashion retail

2010-08-12T11:59:00.005+05:30

CNBC reported today that Macy's recent outstanding results can be attributed to its local approach to customizing its assortment and its size mix (click here). Chief Executive Officer Terry Lundgren...

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... phone?... tablet PC?... No it's a Dell Streak Part 2

2010-08-12T09:29:00.003+05:30

I have commented earlier on Dell's mobile device strategy (click here) and on the Dell Streak (click here). Today Walt Mossberg reviewed the Dell Streak (click here) in the Wall Street Journal. Some...

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Is it a phone? Is it a tablet PC?... No it's a Dell Streak

2010-07-19T11:30:00.004+05:30

Dell Streak has launched in the UK and will soon be launched in the US. Here is the product page from the Dell UK website (click here) and a much better product page on the O2 UK website (click...

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Cola wars begin again

2010-07-19T10:47:00.005+05:30

Pepsi is relaunching its cola wars ad from 1995 with a new generation twist. (Click here). Interestingly they are comparing Coke Zero with Pepsi Max. Interesting sections of the NY Times news...

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Little Red(box) Riding Hood

2009-09-02T00:18:00.003+05:30

Redbox, the in-store kiosk movie rental company has been blazing the news recently. Hollywood studios seem to hate Redbox or love it. Redbox is suing Universal studios (click here) and Fox (click...

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Turning around a newspaper

2009-09-01T23:59:00.002+05:30

Apologies for not writing for so long...I had switched from the practice of writing a blog article to tweeting (or Re-tweeting) my thoughts in 140 characters. I am back now to the longer form of...

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Interesting blog post on pricing

2009-03-10T11:48:00.004+05:30

Sorry for being dormant for some time now. I have been busy for the past few days. My friend, Sat Duggal and his colleague, Hunter Hastings, from the EMM Group, have posted an interesting blog...

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Kraft's turnaround plan and new brand identity: Will it win against store brands?

2009-02-19T12:59:00.011+05:30

At a CAGNY conference in Florida, Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods, highlighted the progress made by Kraft against the turnaround plan announced by her in 2007. The turnaround plan is based on...

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Update on Pepsi rebranding effort

2009-02-16T14:51:00.004+05:30

I had blogged in late November about Pepsi's rebranding effort (click here). I had said at that time: " I think these are bold moves that will revitalize the CSD market as well as position Pepsi...

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Customer lifetime value ... how can Vonage survive?

2009-02-16T11:37:00.007+05:30

After writing last week about why Sirius XM is likely to end up in Chapter 11, from a customer lifetime value perspective, I was looking around for other companies in a similar situation (customer...

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Customer lifetime value ... why Sirius XM may not survive

2009-02-11T12:06:00.008+05:30

It appears that Sirius XM, the satellite radio service provider, is close to filing for bankruptcy (click here). The company has been raking up losses for the past several years and is under a...

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Can a private label manufacturer manage a national brand?...the case of Ralcorp and Post Cereals

2009-02-07T17:55:00.005+05:30

In November 2007, Ralcorp Holdings, one of the biggest manufacturers of store brand groceries, bought the Post brand (iconic products such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Post Raisin Bran, Grape-Nuts,...

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Is gender a meaningful way to segment office products customers?

2009-02-06T16:07:00.006+05:30

OfficeMax is now targeting working women (aged 28-45) according to this Ad Age article (click here). They have launched a new ad campaign called 'Life is Beautiful' (click here), targeted squarely at...

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Is Woolworth's online rebirth a good idea?

2009-02-05T17:41:00.003+05:30

Woolworth's, the iconic hundred-year old British retail store chain, was forced into administration in December. It had to shut its 800 stores after Christmas. Click here to get a wonderful series...

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Dell's smartphone strategy.....Are they dialling the wrong number?

2009-01-30T13:52:00.003+05:30

The Wall Street Journal reported that Dell has been working for over a year on Android and Windows-based smartphone designs (click here). WSJ claims that Dell has been meeting component...

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What's fizzing between Cott and Walmart?

2009-01-29T11:49:00.004+05:30

Cott, the world's largest private label (retail brand) soft drink provider, announced that Walmart USA had informed them of a 3 year phase-out of its exclusive carbonated soft drink (CSD) supply...

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The french fries wars... who's the fattiest of them all !

2009-01-27T22:52:00.002+05:30

There is an interesting column by Sarah Fuss in Yahoo! Fresh Picks today (click here) which compares the french fries of various restaurant chains. I found the article very interesting. So here is an...

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Domino's vs Subway: The sandwich wars

2009-01-23T19:46:00.003+05:30

A few days ago Domino's ran an ad on Fox's American Idol, claiming that consumers preferred Domino’s new oven baked sandwiches over Subway's by a margin of two-to-one. The results were part of an...

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Retail layaway programs revisited

2009-01-17T21:39:00.002+05:30

I had blogged last month about the holiday layaway programs at Sears, KMart, and other retailers (click here). I had said that layaway programs will definitely increase in popularity compared to...

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Should Abercrombie discount?....Part Deux

2009-01-16T00:05:00.005+05:30

I had blogged a few days back on whether Abercrombie should discount its apparel (Read here). In my opinion they should consider selective discounts on slow-moving seasonal inventory so that they...

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Should retailers honour rivals' gift cards ?

2009-01-15T21:50:00.004+05:30

In December, HH Gregg announced that it would honour gift cards sold by it's now bankrupt rival, Circuit City till the Super Bowl weekend (click here). HH Gregg checks the balance on the gift card...

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A recession strategy for newspapers

2009-01-11T22:52:00.009+05:30

On Dec 12, The Tribune Company, which owns iconic newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, Morning Call and Daily...

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