Melanie Isbill

Here at Ulta Beauty, we believe that beauty is a force for good, for all. So in a world where beauty standards are always changing, our brand new Ulta Beauty study revealed and confimred that every generation shares a deep emotional connection to beauty starting as early as Gen Alpha that is deeply rooted in self care and joy! Introducing our “Generation Joy: Defined by Beauty Enthusiasts of All Ages, United by Joy” report, uncovering a new generation of beauty enthusiasts who are bonded by beauty and united by JOY. We dug deep to discover how consumers across generations, including #GenAlpha, perceive, experience, and are influenced by beauty – and how joy is at the heart of beauty rituals, no matter your age. Among the topline “Generation Joy” insights: ✨Universal Joy from Beauty Routines: All generations look to self-care to increase joy in their lives - with 77% agreeing that maintaining a beauty or wellness routine helps them feel more joyful on a day-to-day basis. ✨Early Beauty Experimentation: Gen Alpha females and males are starting to experiment with beauty products at an average age of 8, five years earlier than Gen Z females. ✨Holistic Beauty Definition: 91% of Gen Alpha believes beauty is about looking and feeling good beyond physical appearance, with a focus on holistic self-care. ✨Parental Guidance: 77% of Ulta Beauty Rewards members who are parents to Gen Alpha actively encourage their child’s interest in beauty, with 70% using beauty routines as a bonding activity. And over two-thirds of these Gen Alpha parents agree that it is healthy and “normal” for their child to want to explore beauty at their age. ✨Natural Preferences: 92% of Gen Alpha prefers a more natural look, 87% prioritize skincare over makeup, and 97% believe skincare is self-care, reflecting their beauty goals – cleanliness, hydration, and enhancing natural beauty. Check out the report to explore how joy and beauty unite us! 👇🏻 https://lnkd.in/gSFpqYXu #UltaBeauty #TheJoyProject #JoyForward

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It’s Associates Week at Walmart! This is the most energized time of the year where we celebrate the incredible work our associates do to make our company so successful. I’m super excited about this morning's announcement on our latest associate investments – especially our new hourly store associate bonus. Full and part-time hourly store associates and store-based health and wellness associates with at least one year with the company, are now eligible for an annual bonus. This is a great way for them to be rewarded for their hard work and longevity with the company. It’s also just 1 of the 4 new investments we announced today. We’re also: ➡ Adding a new Total Pay and Benefits feature to our consumer-grade super-app – Me@Walmart – that gives associates quick and easy visibility to their pay, discounts, learning opportunities, and benefits… all in the palm of their hands. ➡ Launching an Associate to Technician Pipeline Program to create pathways for our own associates to fill critical jobs as skilled trade workers in our stores and supply chain facilities. ➡ Doubling our existing certificates in Live Better U – our Walmart-paid education program – to fast-track front-line associates into approximately 100,000 jobs that are higher-paying and in-demand for our business over the next three years. These are just the latest of some critical associate investments we’ve been making over the past few years. John Furner and Lorraine Stomski say it best in today’s announcement – our north star is building a better company for our associates where we help them live better at every stage of their career. Read the full announcement here: https://bit.ly/4e6BN5n #OurPeopleMaketheDifference #WMT2024 #TeamWalmart #Compensation

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I continue to greatly respect the success of Dollar General and the important role they play in underserved communities and for lower-income consumers. However, I have yet to visit a store that was fully in stock, well-merchandised, and didn't have inventory scattered all over the sales floor. I never see a level of staffing needed to keep the shelves stocked across countless stores I have visited. In short, this is a company that I believe has true greatness right within its grasp, if only it would invest in store operations at a level needed for its full potential of success. #dollargeneral #storeoperations

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It's another great day to work at Walmart! As part of our Associates Week announcements, we shared this morning we're creating a new bonus program for hourly Walmart U.S. store associates, which also rewards their tenure with the company. The longer an hourly store associate stays with us, the higher their bonus potential – up to $1,000 a year. But, wait - that's not all! We also highlighted other associate investments, including: 🔷 The launch of the Associate to Technician Program. This initiative addresses the skilled trade labor shortage while creating fresh career opportunities right here at Walmart. 🔷 Doubling the number of skills certificates available through our Live Better U benefit. 🔷 Introducing the new Total Pay & Benefits feature in the Me@Walmart app, which will enable associates to easily see features like their pay, 401K, benefits and more. Want to join in the fun and work at Walmart? Go to: https://lnkd.in/gWuSHbfT https://lnkd.in/gEnD2uad

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In the segments covered by Retail Dive, retail sales in May rose 4.5% year over year, with e-commerce surging 6.4%, according to numbers released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Commerce. #retailsales

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This is the new normal. With omni channel concept traditional store or supply chain facility/warehouse manager role has significantly evolved. Now from physical store replenishment, inventory and POS management, managers must also juggle with online order and inventory accordingly. Imaging these new leaders almost like franchisee business owners. Very strong ownership also create big challenges with larger workforce, a suite of process implementation and technology+data. Plus side in addition to higher compensation is the growth in skillset and overall leadership and process & business knowledge. Of course the compensation has changed and will continue as standard, small format or hyper scaled stores and supply chain facilities adopt omni channel distribution, delivery and POS concept. This is just the beginning!! #store #supplychain #management #leadership

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“Currently, 75% of our U.S. stores contribute roughly 100% of our segment AOI (adjusted operating income). For the remaining 25% of the stores in our network which are not currently contributing to our long-term strategy, changes are imminent. To start, we are finalizing a multi-factor store footprint optimization program, which we expect will include the closure of a significant portion of these underperforming stores over the next three years. For the remaining portion of this cohort, we are taking action to improve profitability.” #walgreens

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Today, we announced our first-quarter earnings which show the positive traction of our “A Bold New Chapter” strategy. The hard work and dedication of our colleagues helped us deliver a solid first quarter. Here are the key takeaways: ◾Our First 50 Macy’s locations, which serve as test stores for merchandise, visual and staffing initiatives, showed that when we provide our customers with the right product, experience and value, we deliver sales growth. The Macy’s team is focused on newness in market brands and the reimagination of our Private Brand portfolio.  ◾Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury continued to foster brand love and loyalty.   ◽ Exciting to see the growth at Bloomingdale’s in advanced contemporary. The DNA of this brand gives it the ability to compete for share of wallet across a range of categories. Expansion of Bloomie’s and Outlet stores continues with three new stores this year.  ◽ Bluemercury achieved its 13th consecutive quarter of sales growth, driven by continued strength in skincare and expansion of key brand partners. Our plans to open at least 30 new locations and remodel roughly 30 locations are underway, with one new location and three remodels slated for the second quarter. Read our full earnings results below.

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If you need a jolt of joy and a virtual fist bump 👊 you need to check out this video!

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We are only two weeks away from the National Retail Federation’s premier advocacy event, the Retail Advocates Summit. This event brings together retail leaders and elected officials to share the power of the industry. At the heart of the Summit is The Retail Experience, where lawmakers engage with top retailers, Main Street merchants and technology innovators, exploring firsthand the impact of retail on our economy, careers and communities. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect: 1️⃣ Economic Impact: Retail supports 1 in 4 American jobs and contributes $5.3 trillion to GDP. Interactive displays will showcase its state-by-state impact. 2️⃣ Career Opportunities: Learn how retail fosters careers through education and opportunities with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lowe’s and NRF Foundation. 3️⃣ Community Support: Hear from retail giants on their community initiatives. 4️⃣ Small Business Showcase: Discover 50 Main Street retailers spotlighted for their community impact. 5️⃣ Tech Innovation: Explore how technology is driving retail forward. 6️⃣ Celebrating Leaders: Join us in honoring over 200 lawmakers with Heroes and Champions of Main Street awards. Follow NRF’s Instagram and X accounts on July 25 to be part of The Retail Experience action! Let’s celebrate and advocate for the power of retail together! https://lnkd.in/ectTxXc3 #RetailAdvocates

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The transition to Luminate is imminent - we have crafted tools to support Basic or Charter and are excited to assist our clients through this change. Additionally, our team has designed a comprehensive report for Walmart Marketplace performance. Reach out to uncover more and gain valuable insights into the future of managing your Walmart business. Our dedicated team of experts is prepared to aid you in a smooth transition and prepare your team for the road ahead. Feel free to drop me a message or connect with a member of our team to learn more. #Luminate #Walmart #MarketPerformanceGroup #MPG

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This interview with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is a #retail #masterclass. A bit of context and perspective, combined with a lot of detail about every aspect of their business — #merchandising, #SupplyChain, #stores, #digital / #omnichannel, #international, #technology, #marketplaces, #RMNs, and more. And this will make an excellent base prompt for a retail #AI assistant — one of my #WeekendProjects

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In this new Wisdom With, I get a chance to garner valuable insights from James Jackson who leads strategic development efforts for the Category Management Association and his thoughts on better retailer and buyer engagement. 💡 Understand your Category Manager/Buyer ↗ Retailer Category Managers are charged with meeting P&L objectives and not YOUR specific brand goals. ↗ Each individual brand (and item) must clearly serve a purpose and contribute to achieving his/her objectives. ↗ Learn their how they like to receive information and tailor accordingly. Avoid off-the-shelf presentations that lack any customization for the specific customer in mind. Canned pitches have a low success rate. 💡 You Must Be Compelling ➡ Weave great insights and your product offering into a clear solution that helps address their specific category or business objectives. Compelling stories should have: 👉 A recognizable conflict (example: “50% of shoppers in this category are struggling to find an x product to relieve this symptom”) 💪 A “hero” (your brand) 👊 A believable and profitable resolution (example: “By solving the conflict, it would bring an incremental $1M in margin to the category”) 💡 Help Drive Execution ↗ Your Customer is buried with data, multiple projects, and is continuously putting out a fire. ↗ Your goal shouldn’t stop at getting distribution, it should be to STAY in distribution. 💡 Assist your Category by making effective implementation easy. ↗ Recommend the POG changes and do the work in advance ↗ Target a smart cluster of stores to launch for higher likelihood of success ↗ Create a strong promotional plan to drive immediate proof of performance ↗ Offer sales/broker support to get things rolling #wisdomwith #betterperformance #retail #merchandising #data #storytelling

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Will JCPenney's loyalty and rewards program be the key to its turnaround? It's mind-boggling how many brands and retailers do NOT have a loyalty program. Without a loyalty program, customers are just individual transactions, and there's no way to connect the same person from marketing to physical store to e-commerce. First-party data is gold and shoppers have shown they are willing to share information in exchange for personalization and promotions. What keeps retailers and brands from rolling out a loyalty program? #ecommerce #loyaltyprograms #firstpartydata

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The retail landscape is evolving as Direct to Consumer (DTC) brands increasingly lean into physical store expansions. Recent data from Placer.ai shows that major retailers like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, and Costco saw notable increases in store visits during Q1, highlighting the enduring appeal of in-person shopping. Amidst this trend, DTC pioneers like Warby Parker, Allbirds, Glossier, Inc., Rothy's, and Casper are making strategic moves to grow their brick-and-mortar footprints. Warby Parker is expanding to close to 275 stores by the end of 2024, Allbirds is opening new locations globally, and Glossier is re-establishing its physical presence with flagship stores. Similarly, Rothy's and Casper are expanding their physical locations to offer immersive, hands-on customer experiences. As consumer behaviors evolve, DTC brands are recognizing the value of brick-and-mortar stores in building stronger customer connections and enhancing brand loyalty. By offering personalized service and engaging, in-store experiences, these brands are not just selling products but also creating meaningful interactions with their customers. This blend of online convenience and physical engagement is setting a new standard in the retail industry, paving the way for a more integrated and customer-centric future. cda Ventures LLC has deep experience in omni-channel capabilities and is here to help as you develop your strategies!! #DTC #RetailExpansion #WarbyParker #Allbirds #Glossier #Rothys #Casper #CustomerExperience #RetailTrends

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Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers are embracing the omnichannel shopping journey https://lnkd.in/ewKkHy3G 73% of consumers blend online research, physical store visits and options such as buy-online-pickup-in-store or in-store returns before making purchase decisions #retail #TRI Chain Store Age

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