What do you think drove the apparent healthy holiday gains this holiday season? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: A few things were big factors this year. A long weekend allowed last-minute shoppers like me the opportunity to pick up a few more things. I think this was the case Read more…
Do you see much consumer demand for mobile ordering for pickup or delivery from c-stores? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: If it is working with Starbucks and Panera, why not 7-Eleven? So much of 7-Eleven store traffic is about making a fast stop. If this makes it even faster, Read more…
Should companies refrain altogether from publicizing customer data, even anonymously, for marketing purposes? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: Friends can be funny. Sometimes. Services you pay for should always try to be neutral. It’s a golden rule of appropriate business behavior that you should never talk about politics or Read more…
How should retailers adapt their traditional category management practices to the greater influence of online shopping as well as greater competition from the likes of limited-assortment and dollar stores? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: I think Chris Petersen said it best, “category management has become increasingly complex based on Read more…
Do you think a merged CVS/Aetna organization could use data and analytics to improve health service and product recommendations and reduce medical costs? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: As some would conclude, $77 billion has to be made back before they make money so I’m guessing prices may not Read more…
Do you expect department stores, as a whole, will perform better this holiday season than they did in 2016? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: As we all know, New York City is not indicative of the rest of the country but I walked into Macy’s and could not wait Read more…
Which do you think does a better job of connecting with each company’s core customers while reaching out to new shoppers? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: They are both very well done, but I would say the Amazon commercial is more effective at showcasing the entire process of selecting Read more…
Do regional grocers have any advantage over national chains in leveraging data on a localized basis? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: Mining customer data has become critical for all shopping so why not in groceries? Eating is something we do every day. The real question will be, how do Read more…
What advice would you have for marketers attempting to best leverage the data at their disposal? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: I have been known to say “stop worrying about Big Data and use the data you have.” The reason I made that statement was that so many companies Read more…
Which traditional IT functions should stay in-house vs outsourcing to the cloud? Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments: It does make sense, however it is important to retain at least some of the IT folks who understand the legacy systems so that the transition is smooth. It is good to Read more…