Wharton Magazine
retail
Campbell's soup cans on a store shelf.
Ideas
/
Marketing
Spring/Summer 2025

See! Think! Buy!

Elizabeth “Zab” Johnson and Barbara Kahn discuss how they combined neuroscience and marketing expertise to co-write Visual Marketing.

Wilglory Tanjong in a white jacket and with a black bow around her neck stands in front of a whiteboard holding a bright pink bag. Other bright pink bags are arranged on a table in front of her.
News
/
Entrepreneurship
Spring/Summer 2024

Anima Iris

On a meteoric rise through the fiercely competitive luxury retail market, high-end handbag brand Anima Iris has been picked up by Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and even Beyoncé. With geometric and bold designs, founder Wilglory Tanjong G22 WG22 expresses her ancestry in a fashionable and sustainable way. The bags are made in Senegal by expert craftspeople who have honed their techniques over decades and draw inspiration from centuries of heritage. The leather and other materials are sourced through local African business merchants. Anima Iris is environmentally friendly and employs a zero-waste model that ensures all materials are used and that no two products are the same.

Portrait of Heidi Block wearing a black Play-PKL shirt and standing in front of her business's apparel.
News
/
Entrepreneurship
Spring/Summer 2024

Play-PKL

Heidi Block WG95 and her family first got hooked on pickleball during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when they played the sport together at home in New Jersey to pass the time and stay active. But when Block couldn’t find apparel specifically designed for pickleball, she decided to make her own. Along with her eldest son, Max, she founded Play-PKL, an online retailer selling premium pickleball equipment and stylish outfits for recreational players. The site also offers tips and lessons for beginning pickleballers.

woman steering a shopping cart and looking at cell phone.
Ideas
/
Retail
Spring/Summer 2021

The Omnichannel Dilemma

Online, in-store, creative partnerships — how retailers can get it right

Pandemic Pivots, Plants, and Lessons Learned 1
Blog Network
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Management
December 15, 2020

Pandemic Pivots, Plants, and Lessons Learned

How one alumna's business adapted to 2020 and is planning for success in the new year.

Person in front of a computer holding a credit card.
Blog Network
/
Retail
November 24, 2020

10 Steps Retailers Can Take Now for Post-COVID Success

Recommendations include defining and communicating values, investing in technology, and reviewing supply chains.

Marc-André Kamel
Alumni Spotlight
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Retail
May 07, 2020

A New Reckoning for Retail

Even before the spread of the coronavirus, retailers were rethinking their business models. Now, Bain & Company partner Marc-André Kamel WG92 is helping them adapt to an even bigger threat.

Talking Global Fashion, El Corte Inglés, and Amazon
Blog Network
/
International
June 28, 2018

Talking Global Fashion, El Corte Inglés, and Amazon

Alumni from the Wharton Club of Spain joined faculty and industry professionals at the Baker Retail Center conference in Madrid.

Blog Network
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Research
August 11, 2017

Marketing Tips for 21st Century Retailers

Insights into the evolving world of modern retail from academics and industry leaders at the Baker Retailing Center's recent conference.

How Restaurants Bite Into Price Research
Blog Network
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Entrepreneurship
February 18, 2016

How Restaurants Bite Into Price Research

Panic pricing and infrequent reviewed are not ingredients for strategic price research for restaurants. Read on for more nuanced guidance.

Hacking Small Business Expansion
Blog Network
/
Entrepreneurship
November 17, 2014

Hacking Small Business Expansion

Are Main Street and malls the top options for entrepreneurs expanding brick-and-mortar retail operations? An airport retailing expert offers a third location.

E-Commerce Strategy for Better Customer Service
Blog Network
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Entrepreneurship
July 11, 2014

E-Commerce Strategy for Better Customer Service

Entrepreneur Paul Shrater presents the strategy behind his online store’s customer service and offers a few technical and personnel tactics for success.

At the Corner of Marketing Knowledge and Innovation
Blog Network
/
Marketing
May 22, 2014

At the Corner of Marketing Knowledge and Innovation

Prof. David Bell shares his latest research and insight on where Internet and offline sales and marketing intersect with the Wharton MBA Reunion audience.

Changed Forever?
News
/
Retail
Fall 2010

Changed Forever?

The retail sector has been changed dramatically by the economic downturn. But are those changes permanent? Experts and industry insiders say they aren't yet sure.

Int'l Foothold in U.S. Manufacturing: James Bolles W29
People
/
Entrepreneurship
Anniversary Issue

Int'l Foothold in U.S. Manufacturing: James Bolles W29

A pioneer in his field, James Bolles was one of the first to target and gain a foothold for his 'runless' hosiery products on the international market, inspiring others to take steps in the right direction to expand their customer base.

Express Checkout For Retailing Innovations: Charles Butt, W’59
People
/
Innovation/Tech
Anniversary Issue

Express Checkout For Retailing Innovations: Charles Butt, W’59

Third generation grocer Charles Butt now heads one of the largest grocery retailers and the largest privately owned company in Texas.

Cover of the spring summer 2025 edition of Wharton Magazine, along a folded-back page with illustrated portraits of ten people on it.
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