From the Co-Founders of The Retail Owners Institute.Tips | Tactics | Insights on the Business of Retailing.
So, Amazon announced its plan to acquire Whole Foods, the 440 store natural foods grocer concentrated in urban locations, for more than $13 Billion (yes, with a b). They do have a flair for the dramatic, eh? So, why does Amazon want to acquire Whole Foods?
Our opinion: Amazon is a technology company, and relentlessly data-driven.
We believe they want to acquire Whole Foods for the same reason that drives acquisitions at most technology companies: Amazon wants the Intellectual Property of Whole Foods.
First, “real retailing”. All of the operational things Amazon has shown little patience for.
How to operate real stores: How to staff them; keep them open 18 hours a day; deal with “clean up on Aisle 7”.
How to keep the shelves stocked; receive the merchandise; deal with returns.
How to deal with spoilage; display the merchandise; answer questions on where are the restrooms.
How to handle the cash(!); maintain security.
How to deal with the General Public IRL ("in real life"); etc; etc; etc.
And, the Whole Foods customer.
There is a great overlap of the Whole Foods customer with Amazon's coveted Prime customers. (It’s been reported that 60%+ of Whole Foods customers already are Amazon Prime customers.)
Whole Foods has attracted and retained the loyalty of “Prime type” customers.
And Whole Foods has done all this in the highly competitive grocery segment.
Amazon cares about delivering “good customer service”, and wants to learn only from one of the best.
(In fact, we wondered whether Nordstrom’s contemplation of going private could lead to their acquisition by Amazon as well. But that’s for another day.)
So, our take-away:
Amazon’s $13 Billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market is the ultimate tip-of-the-hat to “real retailers” everyday. All of you who make doing retail look so easy!
But look out! While Amazon knows and respects what they don’t know, they are a very quick study.
A new consumer study by First Insight* confirmed: “Today’s consumers expect discounts every time they shop.” The documentation of this phenomenon – what we often refer to as “NPR: Never Pay Retail” – is not surprising. But it is quite sobering.
And then there is this (why do we need to be reminded?): In the battle to deliver "what the customers want", discounts offered have to be real! Yes, even if your name is Amazon!
You've seen all those comments, right? All the dire news about the demise of retailing?
It was 20 years ago this week that Amazon went public. Twenty years. And now they are valued at twice the value of Walmart.
As an independent retailer, this is certainly not news to you. The domination of retail first by Walmart and then Amazon is all-too-well known.
Look, we are not fond of what Amazon has done to independent retailers. But, we were struck by a comment by Jeff Bezos in a 2013 interview with Charlie Rose which we had missed earlier.
You've seen them, right? All the stories about how strong this year's Holiday sales are expected to be.
Meanwhile, the department stores – Kohl's, J.C.Penney, Macy's – keep reporting sales declines. And malls, seeing less foot traffic and fewer shoppers, are scrambling. So, where will those robust retail sales come from?
How to deal with the turmoil and stress of today's retail environment?
Recent strategic changes by two global firms – McDonald's and 7-Eleven – offer good reminders for us all.
Each of these long-established businesses dealt with their growth challenges first by listening to their customers (using good data analysis and research).
Then, what they chose to do next offers some "food for thought" for all retailers.
REI, the $2.62 billion outdoor equipment retailer with over 150 stores, has announced rigorous new standards...for their suppliers!
Those suppliers who can't or won't meet REI's standards? Their products will not even be considered for REI's store shelves, even if that will affect sales. REI's stated standards are an effort to "match its environmental impact to the values espoused by many of its customers." Or, in other words, REI has chosen to be an agent for the customer, rather than appear as an agent for the suppliers. REI's chief executive Jerry Stritzke calls the standards "maybe one of the most transformative things" the 80-year-old co-op has done. "At some point you get to a tipping point where it's expected by consumers," he added.
How important is it to have - and brag about - a “free and easy” return policy?
That is an issue that vexes many retailers.
Processing and handling returns can be costly and time-consuming.
But, there also are "costs" associated with more restrictive return policies.
A two-year study comparing return policies of two similar retailers offers some new insights.
Pat Johnson and Dick Outcalt, The Co-Founders of The Retail Owners Institute®, have been called "The Zen masters of retail finance!" Since 1999, they have been assembling their proprietary content into a unique self-help website. The Retail Owners Institute is an unmatched resource that assists retailers worldwide with basic financial training, assistance and easy-to-use tools. Their engaging and empowering how-to resources about the financial levers in retailing are informative, fun(!), and retailer-friendly. Their promise: "Everyone will 'get it'!" Pat and Dick are recognized experts in strategic retailing. Working only as a team – Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC – they have been consulting, publishing, and speaking professionally throughout North America since 1990. They focus exclusively on retail, or wherever retail is involved. They work with CEOs, CFOs, boards and owners of retail operations, as well as manufacturers or wholesalers expanding into retail. And they also are Retail Turnaround Experts.
Since 1999, empowering retailers and store owners to "Turn on your financial headlights!"