When Toys R Us announced the decision to close all North American stores in March 2018, the effects were cross-generational. From the young who lost a space “where a kid can be a kid,” to the old for whom the event triggered a sense of nostalgia, the Toys R Us closing had an acute impact…
Tag: retail
Discord in Data Breach Standing
On April 1, 2018, Lord and Taylor’s parent company announced that five million payment cards used in their stores had been compromised.1 A few days earlier, Under Armour had announced that roughly 150 million users of its fitness app had their accounts hacked.2 These incidents serve as a grim reminder that our personal information is…
Another Bankruptcy: Sears-ly
What is the store you go to for everything – your “everything store”?1 It used to be Sears. Sears Holdings Corporation’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing has reignited the question of how to keep a company afloat in the modern world of retailing.2 After seven straight years of losses, hedge-fund manager and former Sears CEO Edward…
Challenges of Ecommerce in India
India’s growing ecommerce market has recently been the target of large investments. On Tuesday, October 28, 2013, SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications and Internet company, announced it was investing $800 million in India’s internet market, specifically in two internet start-ups.1 627 million dollars of this investment will be in Snapdeal.com, an Indian online ecommerce marketplace.2 Additionally,…
Pricing Algorithms: Are Real-Time Pricing Services Utilized by Online Retailers Anti-Competitive?
Online retailers are increasingly using pricing algorithms to set their online prices. The advanced algorithms are self-learning and automatically compare competitor prices and customer demand to determine prices.1 The service allows companies to set their own preferences, which customizes the algorithm to their needs.2 Because these algorithms are complex and expensive to produce, the service…