Posts Tagged ‘bettercommerce column’

Garden centres and DIY stores used to be relatively straightforward affairs with demarcation between the rough-edged trade-only propositions and the softer consumer-focused retailers. They also operated predominantly from physical stores and maybe had a paper-based catalogue on the side but it was the same product assortment. Over the years things have become increasingly blurred between…

Visiting a renowned brewery in Yorkshire recently involved a tour around its Victorian architecture and equipment that reminded me of the scenario facing many retailers in the UK in ensuring they are not hidebound by legacy infrastructure. The impressive copper brewing vessels date back to the early nineteenth century and are evocative of the era…

Dollar Shave Club took the world by storm when its 2012 YouTube video featuring founder Michael Dubin promoting the launch of its unique razor subscription service went mega-viral and kick-started a generation of new DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) businesses. The idea of newly-created brands totally bypassing third-party retailers and going straight to consumers to sell their products…

Retailers have over the years moved towards operating ever leaner business models, which has included a pretty much wholesale move away from any close involvement in the actual manufacturing of goods. But this is changing. There is a move towards taking back control of the supply chain in order to have greater visibility of inventory…