tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post4989313691095022562..comments2023-10-18T08:32:17.510-07:00Comments on Kevin Hillstrom: MineThatData: Coldwater Creek. Wow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-28804371200061125992007-07-24T21:30:00.000-07:002007-07-24T21:30:00.000-07:00Westin Home was a store-based deal, from what I re...Westin Home was a store-based deal, from what I recall.<BR/><BR/>A strong catalog/web presence can be a good indicator of store performance.<BR/><BR/>But you have to do a reasonable job of modeling the relationship. Web customers are often concentrated in suburban areas, catalog customers in rural areas. The proper adjustments need to be made for urban/suburban/rural relationships, and for the number of miles that a zip code is from an existing store.MineThatDatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014200122021988374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-42556267288603941862007-07-24T20:01:00.000-07:002007-07-24T20:01:00.000-07:00Kevin,First off, you are a very humble person. I w...Kevin,<BR/>First off, you are a very humble person. I will leave it at that.<BR/>As for qualifications to speak about retail world, and play ceo, and your opinion as shown in your posts on Eddie Bauer and Coldwater, are very well thought out. I suspect you have your reasons why you dodged and I respect that. <BR/>You mention store factors and specific areas of retail experience that exis primarily in the retail channel. <BR/>Can I ask though, that in your tenure at Nordstrom did the Westin home experience begin in a store, a catalog or on the web? <BR/>Does a strong catalog/web presence provide the testing ground for the stores, or vice versa? Which in your opinion worked best?<BR/>Thanks!<BR/>KAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-63644703282099993552007-07-24T17:29:00.000-07:002007-07-24T17:29:00.000-07:00I can assure you I had very little to do with the ...I can assure you I had very little to do with the success that happened in Nordstrom stores!<BR/><BR/>I don't think I'm qualified to speak to the "What would I do if I were Macy's" question. There's a slurry of challenges that all happened simultaneously to them that are unique to their 'brand'.<BR/><BR/>I can say that, given a finite amount of resources, there's only so much that a business can afford to focus on. If you're busy converting stores/brands to Macy's, then that is where effort resides. I can say that the business leaders at Nordstrom didn't have those kind of distractions --- they could focus on merchandising, and the visual presentation of the merchandise.<BR/><BR/>The combination of must-have merchandise, in-store experience, pricing, customer service and visual merchandising mean an awful lot in retail. When you talk about Sears, Penney, Macy's, Specialty Apparel Retail, and others, you ultimately grade each brand on these factors.MineThatDatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014200122021988374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-67754902468496267792007-07-24T16:29:00.000-07:002007-07-24T16:29:00.000-07:00Hi Kevin,I take issue with your last comment. Actu...Hi Kevin,<BR/>I take issue with your last comment. Actually it is harder for a traditional mall department store to standout among specialty and discounters, even though they are best suited for the multi-channel world. Nordstroms the obvious exception, although really that only happened in last 10 years that it grew into a true department store, adding home and electronics, luggage, etc. (Coincidental to your tenure there...hmmm...)<BR/>Seriously, though...Sears/Macys/Penneys/all the store Macys' absorbed are and have been failing due as much to Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, Things Remembered, as to discounters like Walmart and Target. <BR/><BR/>So if you were CEO of Sears or Macys or Penneys---what would you do? <BR/>Oh, and to tie to a different topic I'd love to see you do---how would you save the failing Macy's brand? What seemed like the grand multichannel experiment(even added internet warehouse, improved catalog division, national marketing) has fallen apart to the point the only life you find in the Chicago State Street store are the fruit flies, while their 2nd quarter sales report said declines were seen across the country.<BR/><BR/>Love to see you play "If I were CEO..." with these three. Thanks.<BR/><BR/>KAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-9951698588763247722007-07-24T10:17:00.000-07:002007-07-24T10:17:00.000-07:00It's hard for a specialty apparel retailer to stan...It's hard for a specialty apparel retailer to stand out in the retail channel, isn't it?MineThatDatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014200122021988374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-47835847616096043822007-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:002007-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:00Very interesting company which I did some BI work ...Very interesting company which I did some BI work with a couple of years ago. Their catalog did a incredible job of creating an emotional involvement with their customers, who in turn were well defined to age, interests, and needs. Execution was consistent throughout the fulfillment cycles and they showed real stickiness. All of this came out of some research I did at that time, which was also when they started really opening stores. <BR/><BR/>I suspect based on what I have seen since that they have not been able to carry that emotional energy they had with the direct customer to the stores. The SG&A shows the huge investment they have made in getting the right locations, the right layouts, lighting, and merchandising with an informed staff. But when I go in the stores I don't see the original demographic and some real clearance issues. The decision to go with a slightly different product mix has not helped.<BR/><BR/>Their loyalty program shows some promise but unless volume increases there won't be enough events to either drive customers or data to support. Reaching out to the direct shopper base to steer into the physical location also looks like it is stalling.<BR/><BR/>Nice company and very much admire their marketing and merchandising complex to execution. But the stores have the feeling of a dead-end to them at the moment.David BI Retailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08511131267535209475noreply@blogger.com