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How Retailers Can Appeal to Lower-Income Shoppers

Harvard Business Review

This blog post is part of the HBR Online Forum The Future of Retail. Retailers face several challenges as they enter the 2011 holiday season. Gas prices have risen 90% from 2008 to 2010, leaving consumers with $160 billion less spending money per year. Unemployment remains high. cost per meal) or at an individual unit level.

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How Big Data Brings Marketing and Finance Together

Harvard Business Review

Likewise, marketing wants to clearly quantify the impact of its long-term branding efforts while finance is more focused on macro-economic drivers of marketing performance, such as interest rates, employment levels, inflation and retail sales. As an ingredient brand, Intel often struggled to link marketing to P&L impact.

Finance 15
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Top 10 Green Business Stories of 2011

Harvard Business Review

Ok, this one is cheating a bit, but on a fundamental level, the top themes in green business haven't actually changed too much ( see the 2010 list ). One of my favorite new partnerships is the new Sustainable Apparel Coalition , an impressive mix of powerful retailers, apparel manufacturers, and NGOs. Watch this space.