Thought Leadership

The Cure for the “Holiday Hangover” from Growing Gift Returns

Yes, e-commerce is generating tremendous returns volume and, yes, manufacturers must act swiftly and efficiently in order to minimize value loss for returned products. However, highly capable providers with the experience, technology and facilities available to cost effectively relieve online sellers of this burden, execute timely and efficient disposition of returned goods and ensure maximum value retention for product that does come back.

• Read more about The Cure for the “Holiday Hangover” from Growing Gift Returns

Virtual Influencers As The Key To Brand Safety? Not.

The growing popularity of virtual influencers (who don’t really exist!) would seem to be diametrically opposed to what consumers say they are looking for most from those they follow online. That is, authenticity.

• Read more about Virtual Influencers As The Key To Brand Safety? Not.

Now’s the Time for CPG Brands to Embrace Data Sharing

It could be effectively argued that the motivation behind CPGs pursuing greater data sharing with retailers is their growing, albeit diffident, recognition of the myriad marketing benefits that such sharing can generate -- in any competitive situation.  

• Read more about Now’s the Time for CPG Brands to Embrace Data Sharing

Can a Lack of Authenticity Kill Influencer Marketing?

The best influencer content is a story that inspires, connects and engages the audience in a genuine way. However, in order to develop that connection with their audiences and move readers to action, influencers must be authentic.

• Read more about Can a Lack of Authenticity Kill Influencer Marketing?

Men Are Boosting the Beauty Industry

By 2022, the men’s personal care market will grow by $166 billion, which means marketers should already be thinking about the unique ways in which men want to engage and be engaged by brands in this category. 

• Read more about Men Are Boosting the Beauty Industry

Technology: Advancing the Practice of Pharmacy

Delivery of additional clinical services by pharmacies is increasing as more and more patients look to their neighborhood drug store to provide them easily accessible primary care. With all that pharmacists must currently contend, is this new level of patient engagement sustainable?

• Read more about Technology: Advancing the Practice of Pharmacy

A Primer for Brands and Retailers about BERT – Google’s New Intuitive Search

In October, 2019, Google rolled out their most important search functionality update in five years – Bidirectional Encoder Representations From Transformers or, as it’s better known, BERT.

• Read more about A Primer for Brands and Retailers about BERT – Google’s New Intuitive Search

Pursuing Personalization That Drives Real Incrementality

As crucial as personalization is to successfully activating shoppers, the idea of achieving individual engagement at a scale sufficient to drive true incrementality can be daunting for many marketers. At its core, personalization is simply delivering on the promise of a comfortable, valuable interaction between seller and buyer;

• Read more about Pursuing Personalization That Drives Real Incrementality

There’s Still Room For Success In Traditional Grocery Retail

A recent article from CNN Business offered an assessment of retailer performance in the highly competitive retail grocery space that was an excellent start to the conversation. However, it didn’t go as far as it could have in speaking to the opportunity that exists for properly-equipped grocers (of every size) to prosper – even in the face of growing business pressures. 

• Read more about There’s Still Room For Success In Traditional Grocery Retail