CGT Archives

We have heard the argument by some consumer goods manufacturers that direct-to-consumer e-commerce will upset their retailer. This is changing. The Apparel & Footwear sector moved beyond this argument, and other sectors are soon to change the dynamic as well. Whether they open their own stores, follow China's model of a store-within-a-store, sell via Amazon or direct-to-consumer via web sites, change is upon us.

The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. launches a new limited time holiday collection Snow Globes, featuring three new fragrances.

The new campaign focuses on the brand's iconic, yet evolving image and continued partnership with stylist and fashion icon, Rachel Zoe.

With the advent of personalized digital marketing, social and mobile engagement, and rich consumer insights, brands now have an unprecedented ability to engage directly with consumers, shifting the balance of power between manufacturers and retailers. This month, we asked Cassandra Moren, senior director, CG & Retail Solutions Industry Marketing, Oracle, to weigh in on this unstoppable trend.

CGT Editor Ali Ackerman gives you a sneak peek into the trends and topics discussed in this month's issue.

Mobility is still new enough to create a lot of confusion around capabilities, with some claiming it is easy to develop enterprise-level applications that seamlessly run on all platforms and devices while integrating with back-office data. Others will tell you that ROI is difficult to attain. Let our experts help you wade through the hype and understand the true potential of mobile technology.

Mobile commerce will grow exponentially during the 2013 holiday season with consumers buying at home and in store via their phone. In fact, mobility will drive e-commerce sales gains of between 13 percent and 15 percent. Today's sales and marketing strategies, therefore, need to acknowledge the mobile device not as a "channel" but rather as gateway to multiple channels.

Mondelez International and Google are working with Hipcricket to design and build a series of consumer-focused, mobile optimized web sites for multiple Mondelez brands.