Excess inventory encourages steeper discounts in Black Friday sales
2021 was an anti-climactic year for Black Friday sales. Global supply chains had been disrupted, inventory was very low, and demand was very high. So, retailers had little incentive to sell items at discounted prices. 2022 has been a little different, said Prof Maxime Cohen in an interview with CTV News.
Circular economy can help mitigate environmental impact of frenzied Black Friday shopping
Black Friday offers cut-rate deals, but low prices can come with a high environmental cost. If shoppers don’t make choices wisely, their purchases could end up in the landfill.
ICSC conference offers MMR students opportunities to learn and network
The Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC) conference in Toronto aims to create connections and catalyze deals between the innovators, dealmakers and changemakers who are driving retail forward. The Bensadoun School of Retail Management was well represented at this year’s three-day expo and networking event, which was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Aldo Bensadoun gives master class at Bensadoun School of Retail Management
Aldo Bensadoun began his career at a chemical company, but that didn’t align with his values – or his vision. The entrepreneur launched ALDO in 1972, with a vision of love, respect, and integrity. Fifty years later, the company has more than 3,000 stores around the world.
Retail power in distribution channels: A double-edged sword for upstream suppliers
Authors: Yuhong He, Saibal Ray and Shuya Yin
Publication: Production and Operations Management Volume 31, Issue 6, June 2022, Pages 2681 – 2694
Abstract:
AI-driven automated checkouts are coming soon to Couche-Tard’s Quebec locations
Over the next two years, Alimentation Couche-Tard is installing more than 7,000 automated check-outs that use artificial intelligence to recognize the products that customers want to purchase, without having to scan each item individually. There are already more than 500 of these point-of-sale units in place – including at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management’s Retail Innovation Lab, where Alimentation Couche-Tard tested the technology.
Professor Yoo awarded 2022-2023 FRQSC New Academics Grant
Congratulations to Changseung Yoo, Assistant Professor, Bensadoun School of Retail Management with affiliation to Information Systems Area, who has been awarded the 2022-2023 FRQSC New Academics Grant (Soutien à la recherche pour la relève professorale) for his project titled “Social Media Content Creation Strategies and Engagement During Disasters” (“Stratégies de création de con
Health data analytics can help improve access to health care
Health questionnaires are time-consuming – for doctors and patients alike. “The digitalization of all of those questions would allow patients to do lot of work before visiting a physician,” says Maxime Cohen, a Professor of Retail and Operations Management at Desautels and the Chief AI officer for ELNA Medical, Canada’s largest network of clinics.
The novelty of celebrity collaborations can drive sales, build brands
For years, paparazzi have been clicking candid shots of Justin Bieber cradling Tim Hortons coffee cups, but it still came as a surprise to see Biebs Brew become an official menu item at Canada’s most popular coffee chain. The novelty aspect of this type of collaboration can help drive sales, said Charles de Brabant in a story in The Globe and Mail.
Management Masters Office achieves Gold-Level Sustainable Workplace Certification
Improvements in sustainability are often motivated by a desire to reduce environmental impact, but for the McGill Management Masters Office, friendly competition plays a role too. In 2021, Sustainable Workplace Ambassador Wesley McCoy challenged a colleague to see who could reach Bronze-level Sustainable Workplace Certification first. The Management Masters Office achieved that goal, and then some.
Montreal named top Canadian city for students
After naming McGill Canada’s top university earlier this month, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has ranked Montreal as the most desirable Canadian city to be a student, and one of the most soug
McGill Desautels Masters Office attains Gold level of sustainability certification
After receiving a Silver certification under the McGill Sustainable Workplace Certification program, the McGill Desautels Masters Office has taken it to the next level, earning its Gold certification. The Sustainable Workplace Certification program challenges the McGill community to foster healthier, environmentally friendly, connected workplaces through individual and collective practices.
Taxing waste could help make fashion more sustainable
Reducing waste can help lower the environmental impact of any business, and Javad Nasiry believes that policy can help achieve this. The fashion industry is a major source of carbon emissions, and fast fashion retailers have made it worse with low-quality apparel designed to be worn only a few times.
Technology used in Retail Innovation Lab to be deployed at scale
McGill’s Retail Innovation Lab is a testing ground for new technologies, and an automated check-out system that it is currently using will be deployed in 7000 Couche-Tard and Circle K locations. The computer vision technology uses eight cameras to automatically detect multiple items simultaneously at check-out, and Couche-Tard’s Vishnu Subramaniam gave TVA Nouvelles a demo of the cutting-edge tech in action – no scanning required.
McGill’s Retail Innovation Lab is the first frictionless store in Canada
At a glance, the Couche-Tard in the Bronfman Building looks much like any other. But it is actually an innovative research facility that uses technology to improve our understanding consumer behaviour. Known as the Retail Innovation Lab, a partnership between McGill’s Bensadoun School of Retail Management and Alimentation Couche-Tard, it is the first frictionless store in Canada.
