Executive Insight

Recently I attended the Ipro annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ipro, it is the independent manufacturers’...

Time is running out. If you haven’t already created and started to execute your public relations program for the 2014 International CES, then before...

As the holiday season fast approaches, the big question is what’s going to happen in the electronics market. There has been a lot of...

I’ve been involved with CE since 1978 and can’t recall a time when some to many weren’t predicting the demise of the 12-volt aftermarket....

What do you think of the plethora of stories telling you what Generation (fill in the blank) wants and how to reach them?  Mainstream...

The consumer electronics industry has gone through a massive sea change over the last several years as Apple has defined the next generation of...

ESPN’s news that they plan to discontinue their 3D channel at the end of the year has the tech industry asking, “Is 3D dead?”...

Minus the parenthetical “Still,” the title of this post was an early ’80s ad headline created for Pioneer by our then-advertising agency Chiat-Day. It...

If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know I advocate “complete experience” merchandising. Consumers want the “best” price possible, however, not at...

Well, all good things must come to an end. After more than 40 years in this industry, I will be hanging up my CE...

There has been intense speculation in the global media this week that Nokia will launch its first Lumia tablet with a Microsoft operating system...

In the consumer electronics realm, direct-to-consumer (D to C) sales have become more than just an option. In-house e-commerce sites have turned into vital...

Trends in TFT LCD panel prices are very different for the three main applications. TV panel prices have been increasing for three quarters, and...

As this tumultuous year draws to a close I have been reminded how history always repeats itself. Yet another prominent retailer is in its...

Mr. Hubert Joly CEO Best Buy Dear Mr. Joly, I know you are working hard to turn Best Buy around, and I hope you...

This year’s Black Friday is expected to be the catalyst for tablets to pass notebook shipments for the first time in North America, a...

3DTV is a non-starter for three reasons. 1.  Bandwagon marketing.  3DTV came along about the same time as the proliferation of 3D theaters and...

Sony and Samsung set stricter pricing policies aimed at limiting discounts on their televisions. Consumer electronic sales slip at Sears. Best Buy closes 50...

The CE market seems to be plagued with bad news these days. With sales volumes squeezed, retailers struggling, longstanding categories on the edge of...

After pouring Simply Smart milk on my Smart Start cereal, I turned on my Smart TV. Smartness shouldn’t be applied so loosely. Ever train...

Following breakout successes like the app-enabled Pebble E-Paper Watch and 3D printer Printrbot, which have raised over $10 million and $830,000 from everyday Internet...

There is an old myth that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini made the trains in his country run on time. Anyone who has been to...

“Made in USA”. During my lifetime that label has morphed from being a reason to buy, to being a reason not to buy, and...

A changed market has created new problems and complicated ongoing challenges for retail. CEA’s Retailer Council and its audio-video retailer division are offering help...

There are quite a few surprising findings from our recent quarterly TraQline study of both prepaid and postpaid (contract) wireless phones. The most surprising...

My last post was only one of many similar recently debating the role store size plays in a retailer’s financial performance. If you missed...

For Best Buy, and big box retail in general, the past few weeks have been filled with “doom and gloom” comments circulating throughout the...

It is fascinating that specialty stores were a leading indicator for what is now happening to Best Buy. The real issue we had was...

There has been considerable banter about the imminent demise of Best Buy. Custom retailers and integrators should rue the day that this would happen....

A customer walks into a showroom and the TV says, “Hey, big spender. Come spend a little time with me.” The customer replies, “Of...

Bloomberg.com recently weighed in on CE retail with an article whose title summarizes the reporter’s contentions regarding the future of Best Buy, Walmart and...

Competition in the consumer products and appliances industries is causing all of us to rethink how we do business and ways we can work...

There is a new word floating around in the wonderful world of retail and that is “showrooming.” In case you have not heard about...

Since the 1980’s, the consumption of mass media in the typical American home has splintered from three broadcast networks into thousands of entertainment and...

The March 3 edition of The Economist included an article describing some of the management philosophy of Amazon’s founder/CEO Jeff Bezos (“Taking the Long...

Apple announced on Wednesday the next generation of its iPad tablet. The new iPad will start at $499 for the 16GB version and $629 with...

One Saturday morning when I was 14, I took a temporary job in a lamp factory. I strung electric cords through metal parts. Over...

(Dateline – Retail Doldrums) Once there was a time when we could blame slow winter sales on the weather. Or the disappointment of our...

Last year wasn’t a very good year on the global economic front.  However, the tech world seemed to weather the world’s economic uncertainty better...

(Editor’s Note: Bill Matthies has been a TWICE blogger and contributor for more than two decades. In this blog Bill departs from our usual...

News that VIZIO plans to enter the PC market caught quite a few CES attendees off-guard, and it was a common topic of conversation...