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Bed Bath & Beyond’s Persistent Coupons and the Return of Thrifty Consumers
Pricing strategy Digital ArticleBig-box stores need to offer discounts — and make customers earn them. -
How AR Is Redefining Retail in the Pandemic
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleA closer look at augmented reality and the "digital lipstick effect." -
Why McDonald’s New Coffee Strategy Could Go Cold
Strategy Digital ArticleEarlier this week, fast food king McDonald’s Corp revealed a bold plan to bring baristas to thousands of its retail locations. While the instinctive reaction is this must be a death blow for staggering Starbucks Corp, don’t count out the Seattle-based coffee chain yet. After watching Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts capture the explosive growth in […] -
How E-Commerce Will Trump Brand Management
Marketing Magazine ArticleThe Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing. -
How E-Commerce Fits into Retail’s Post-Pandemic Future
Technology and analytics Digital ArticleNew data from Ernst & Young suggests it will be an important part of the consumer experience — but not everything. -
Innovating a Classic at Airstream
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleAirstream's ability to innovate and grow depends on balancing longtime owners' expectations with new buyers' desires. In this conversation, president... -
Don’t Trust Your Gut With Assortment Planning
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleThis blog post is part of the HBR Online Forum The Future of Retail. Retailers periodically update their product assortments, deleting slow sellers and adding new products in response to shifts in consumer demand or to accommodate new offerings from suppliers. Assortment-planning processes vary greatly across retailers and product segments but have one thing in […] -
A Breeze in the Face
Customer experience Magazine ArticleA man once worked on the 89th floor of the Empire State Building. One muggy August day, he began to imagine how nice a breeze in his face would feel. When he opened the window, he suddenly realized he could probably get the world’s best breeze in the face—simply by jumping out and falling face […] -
Nook: Too Soon To Call It a Kindle-Killer
Innovation & Leadership Digital ArticleIf nothing else, developments in the e-reader market provide substantial fodder for online commentary. It seems that every week features a story in a... -
What Ron Johnson Got Right
Innovation Digital ArticleThe ousted J.C. Penney chief understood the importance of intuition. -
The Intersection of Retail and Health Care
Innovation Digital ArticleWhatever comes of the reform efforts in Washington, D.C., the focus of the U.S. health care system has already shifted toward a patient-controlled (not just patient-centered) delivery system. WebMD, DestinationRx, and other online resources are creating informed, intelligent, and empowered consumers who are focused on prevention more so than treatment, and who want their providers’ […] -
Wal-Mart’s New Information Advantage
Customer experience Digital ArticlePaul Reuter, who later founded the Reuters press agency, used a fleet of pigeons to deliver news and stock prices — including the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo — which helped his clients trade on valuable information before their competition. Every company can find an information advantage, if they are creative enough. On June […] -
Who Has the D?: How Clear Decision Roles Enhance Organizational Performance
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleYour organization can become more decisive—and can implement strategy more quickly—if you know where the bottlenecks are and who’s empowered to break through them. -
Wal-Mart Exposes the De-Value Chain
Organizational Development Digital ArticleWal-Mart's announcement of its new sustainability index marks the dawning of the age of ecological transparency in the marketplace. This is not just idle... -
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Battle for E-Books
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleThere’s a battle emerging over the industry structure of e-books: Amazon has one approach, Barnes & Noble another. Will the clash play out like the computer wars of the late 80s, or the music wars of the late 90s? Let’s take a look. Years of declining music sales reflect a grim story for the music […] -
Let Your Customers Persuade Themselves
Sales and marketing Digital ArticleWhile working at MIT’s Media Lab, “Demo or Die” not “Publish or Perish,” was our academic motto. I quickly observed that we basically produced two kinds of demos. The first was show-and-tell: We’d show off a clever object or a device or software snippet. The goal was to make jaws drop and/or blow people away. […] -
Why Business Models Matter
Finance and investing Magazine ArticleA good business model begins with an insight into human motivations and ends in a rich stream of profits. -
Suppliers—Manage Your Customers
Supply chain management Magazine ArticleEarly in 1984, the top executives of an East Coast hardware chain made a momentous decision. Without consulting the company’s suppliers, they decided to phase out its fleet of trucks and its network of warehouses. Maintaining this distribution system was costing the company about 5% of annual sales, and the executives believed the company was […] -
Don’t Be Undersold!
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleA new class of European discounters have U.S. retailers squarely in their sights. -
The Sure Thing That Flopped
Brand management Magazine ArticleAll the market research said that TF’s NextStage stores couldn’t miss. What went wrong?
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Hubble Contact Lenses: Data Driven Direct-to-Consumer Marketing
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details As its Series A extension round approaches, the founders of Hubble, a subscription-based, social-media fueled, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand of contact... -
Zalora Philippines: From Growth to Profitability
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In May 2015 Paulo Campos, Co-Founder and CEO of Zalora Philippines, found himself at a crucial turning point in his young company's development. In just... -
Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In April 2013, Ron Johnson (HBS '84) stepped down after just 18 months as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his brief tenure, Johnson, an acclaimed retailer respected... -
Trader Joe's: At a crossroads?
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details When Covid-19 hit the US in 2020, the grocery retail industry underwent a greatly accelerated digital transformation as consumers' habits changed drastically... -
RETAIL ROCKET: PERSONALIZING THE ONLINE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details The case, based on extensive interviews with Retail Rocket's co-founders (Nikolay Khlebinsky and Andrey Chizh), several employees and one of the start-up's... -
Wiegandt GmbH Cologne
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The credit department of Wiegandt, a furniture manufacturer, is evaluating the financial condition of two stores that retail the company's furniture. -
Data Analytics-Driven E-Commerce for the Small Seller: Zilingo
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Zilingo, a play on the word 'Zillions', is an online e-commerce platform for selling fashion products and was founded by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor... -
Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods, offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious... -
The World Trade Organization and Tobacco Plain Packaging: Is Packaging Adverting and Does It Influence Consumption?
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details This case has stimulated some of the most engaged discussions in my 25 years of case teaching. Students will embrace opposing sides in debating how much... -
"No More Uncle": Asian Men's Beauty Care in the Forefront of Gender-Neutral Marketing
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details This descriptive case discusses an emerging global market trend and opportunity - the increasing use of beauty products by men, especially those in Asia.... -
Unilever's Fair & Lovely In India: Fairness Matters
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In July 2020, Hindustan Unilever Limited, the Indian subsidiary of global fast-moving consumer goods company Unilever plc, renamed its Fair & Lovely skin-lightening... -
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Glossier's proclaimed strategy was "born from content, fueled by community". The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid... -
Diversifying P&G's Supplier Base (B)
Sales & Marketing Case Study5.00View Details This (B) case accompanies the (A) case of the same title. -
Reshaping the Book Industry or Back to Basics? (A) The Case of 'France Loisirs'
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The Bertelsmann-owned French book club, France Loisirs, has successfully operated a subscription-based business model delivering a remarkably high profit... -
Laurence & Ralph: The Basic Economics of Capacity and Inventory
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Laurence & Ralph (L&R) is not a case, per se, but a note on the classical Newsboy Problem. This type of problem is exemplary in capacity or inventory... -
LOGITECH'S GROWTH STRATEGY WITH LIFESIZE AND GOOGLE'S REVUE (2008-2011)
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Logitech has sold billions of computer mice and other computer peripherals over the 38 years of its existence. It was a typical growth company profiting... -
CircleUp in 2019: Investing in the Future
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details CircleUp was founded in 2012 as a marketplace that matched accredited investors to emerging consumer packaged goods companies. A tool that the team developed... -
The Cycling Industry
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details This note explores brand evolution in a growing industry. Four high-end U.S. bicycle frame manufacturers (Trek, Seven, Moots, and Cérvolo) compete for... -
Customer Relationship Management at Capital One (UK), Condensed
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Capital One, a credit card company, has built its business on a strategy with a clear customer focus: The company systematically gathers and analyses... -
Soccer Balls Made for Children by Children? Child Labor in Pakistan (B)
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details The case describes an international agreement to phase out child labor in soccer-ball manufacturing. This high-profile agreement, which resolves major...
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Bed Bath & Beyond’s Persistent Coupons and the Return of Thrifty Consumers
Pricing strategy Digital ArticleBig-box stores need to offer discounts — and make customers earn them. -
How AR Is Redefining Retail in the Pandemic
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleA closer look at augmented reality and the "digital lipstick effect." -
Why McDonald’s New Coffee Strategy Could Go Cold
Strategy Digital ArticleEarlier this week, fast food king McDonald’s Corp revealed a bold plan to bring baristas to thousands of its retail locations. While the instinctive reaction is this must be a death blow for staggering Starbucks Corp, don’t count out the Seattle-based coffee chain yet. After watching Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts capture the explosive growth in […] -
Hubble Contact Lenses: Data Driven Direct-to-Consumer Marketing
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details As its Series A extension round approaches, the founders of Hubble, a subscription-based, social-media fueled, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand of contact... -
How E-Commerce Will Trump Brand Management
Marketing Magazine ArticleThe Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing. -
Zalora Philippines: From Growth to Profitability
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In May 2015 Paulo Campos, Co-Founder and CEO of Zalora Philippines, found himself at a crucial turning point in his young company's development. In just... -
How E-Commerce Fits into Retail’s Post-Pandemic Future
Technology and analytics Digital ArticleNew data from Ernst & Young suggests it will be an important part of the consumer experience — but not everything. -
Learning From Toys: Lessons in Managing Supply Chain Risk From the Toy Industry
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleThe toy industry faces relentless change and an unpredictable buying public, which creates immense challenges in anticipating best sellers and predicting... -
Innovating a Classic at Airstream
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleAirstream's ability to innovate and grow depends on balancing longtime owners' expectations with new buyers' desires. In this conversation, president... -
Don’t Trust Your Gut With Assortment Planning
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleThis blog post is part of the HBR Online Forum The Future of Retail. Retailers periodically update their product assortments, deleting slow sellers and adding new products in response to shifts in consumer demand or to accommodate new offerings from suppliers. Assortment-planning processes vary greatly across retailers and product segments but have one thing in […]