Michelle Wood

Michelle Wood

Michelle Wood is the VP of Merchant Development at Wildfire Systems.

Managing Margins Without Resorting to Deep Discounts This Holiday Season

With the 2023 holiday shopping season quickly approaching, retailers find themselves navigating uncertain terrain. Consumers face continued high prices and economic uncertainty, as well as the end of the student loan repayment moratorium which will further reduce disposable income. After depleting pandemic-era savings, shoppers will likely be more discount-driven than ever. In fact, Salesforce’s back-to-school…

How High Prices and Economic Uncertainty Have Impacted Consumer Behavior

Consumer shopping behavior is changing. Because of an uncertain economic environment and record-high prices, today’s consumers are changing where they shop, when they shop, and how they shop to save money. They're more reliant on existing tactics like loyalty programs and expanding the set of technological tools they use such as digital coupons, cashback rewards…

3 Strategies for Retailers to Stay Competitive in the Face of Inflation

Consumers and businesses are both being impacted by ongoing inflation. Retailers must change their tactics in the current economic environment. They must understand the trends that have developed as a result of this inflationary environment in order to respond. In this post, I'll look at three tactics retailers may use to weather the current economic…

Customer Engagement Lessons to Take Into 2023

2023 is poised to bring new challenges to retailers as economic uncertainty comes to a head, and consumers focus on getting the most out of their dollar. Luckily, the past few years have provided ample opportunities for retailers to double down on engagement strategies and learn how to survive challenging times. Let’s dive into three…

Don’t Lose Customers at Checkout: Strategies to Simplify the Online Purchase Process

The online checkout process has become cumbersome, to say the least. Among other checkout elements, the number of available payment types has exponentially increased. For example, these might include credit or debit cards; PayPal; Google Pay; Apple Pay; store credit; gift card; buy now, pay later (BNPL) options; and even Bitcoin. While a large number…