Recent layoffs and hiring freezes hit media companies particularly, amid declining advertising revenue and recession fears. In 2022, CNN laid off hundreds of staffers, NPR announced a hiring freeze and the Washington Post eliminated its Sunday magazine. The list goes on. Journalists were already stretched thin before these cuts. According to MuckRack’s 2022 State of Journalism report, the average journalist covers four beats (up from three… Read more »
Nearly halfway through 2021, the retail industry is beginning to see signs of recovery with 43% of Americans now fully vaccinated and consumers returning to brick-and-mortar stores. In fact, the National Retail Federation recently raised its outlook for the year, forecasting retail sales to grow to an estimated total of $4.44 trillion to $4.56 trillion in 2021, compared to $4.02 trillion in 2020. We’re staying up-to-speed… Read more »
NRF 2021 Retail’s Big Show (Chapter One) ended last week. Every year Matter attends the event on behalf of our roster of CX and retail technology clients and we get the chance to see the latest trends and technology that are transforming the industry. However, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we turned our badges and blazers in for the virtual conference experience. And COVID-19 didn’t just… Read more »
COVID-19 continues to disrupt the retail industry from all angles. New challenges are arising for retailers as stores continue their reopening process, bankruptcies force tough decisions and we move closer toward major annual shopping events, like back-to-school, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Welcome back to second addition of Now Pitching, Matter’s monthly retail tech Q&A that features the industry’s leading journalists to get a pulse on the trends they’re following and topics they’re focused on. Last month we spoke with Dan Berthiaume of Chain Store Age, who shared his experience at NRF 2020, perspective on covering the coronavirus pandemic and more. This month, we’re thrilled to spotlight Joan Verdon, senior retail contributor at Forbes. … Read more »
As you and your loved ones settle into what is likely a very new daily routine, so too are our nation’s retailers. Many are temporarily shutting their doors, trying to make sense of their workforce while also meeting heavy demand for essential goods, like groceries, toilet paper, cleaning products and more. With the retail landscape transforming before our eyes, reporters continue to cover the rapidly evolving… Read more »
The end of 2019 and kick off to 2020 in retail followed the typical industry fashion (pun intended). We had a busy holiday shopping season highlighted by Black Friday and Cyber Monday; the National Retail Federation also held its annual “Big Show” Conference and Expo, followed by a series of not-so-ideal retail earnings announcements; and we saw new shopper trends around experiential retail, sustainable fashion, mobility and… Read more »
That’s a wrap on NRF 2020 Retail’s Big Show! This year’s event brought together more than 40,000 people – from solution providers to Fortune 500 retailers – to share visionary ideas for retail and experience the latest technology that’s transforming the industry. Each year, Matter attends on behalf of our roster of retail tech clients. In addition to meeting with reporters, staffing media briefings and sitting… Read more »
The retail industry is undergoing a major evolution. Online shopping continues to grow in popularity, complacent retailers continue to shut their doors and Amazon continues to redefine consumer expectations across the board.
