Tony D'Onofrio
Blog
"We are witnessing the birth of a new breed of shopper. They float seamlessly across mobile, online, and real-world platforms as they
travel up and down the purchase path and in doing so, exert tremendous influence over the ways that brands may interact with them and their peer groups. The ways in which they consume information, discover goods and make purchases has forced retailers to contemplate a new mix of transactional, behavioral, and social behaviors to remain competitive." (1) – Pier Fawkes, PSFK
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"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other 
people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." - Steve Jobs
According to a just published study by the Center for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, human happiness peaks at age 23, hits its low point at
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"James Nesmeth...was an average golfer consistently shooting in the mid-90's, until he developed a unique way of improving his golf 
game. It came while he spent seven years in North Vietnam as a prisoner of war. During those tortuous seven years, Nesmeth lived in a solitary confinement....To keep from losing all hope, he realized that he needed to do something to occupy his mind. So every day he played 18 holes of golf in his mind. He imagined everything in vivid detail...the country club...the smell of the fresh cut grass...the grip of the clubs...practice his swing many times until he perfected it....Upon returning to the actual golf course, he found that he had shaved 20 strokes off his game! By visualizing a perfect game every day for seven years he literally brought his score down to a 74." (1)
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Around the world RFID continues to be piloted in hundreds of retailers. By far the vast majority of the activity is centered in the specialty
soft lines verticals. A handful of major retailers primarily in Europe and North America are post the pilot phase and in full deployment. Retail RFID industry adoption had multiple starts and it is finally coalescing around item level visibility as the foundation to transformational onmichannel retailing. For all the activities and discussions, much more needs to be done to speed up the adoption of this high potential retail technology.
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Being a student of successful global business models and motivational wisdom, this week want to highlight my baker's dozen quotes for 
success.
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This week a video from the IHL Group and a couple of IT posts sparked some thoughts on the evolution of retail as it is accelerating on a
technology shoestring budget.
According to the latest 2013 "State of the CIO" survey from CIO Magazine, the average IT budget as a percentage of revenue is 5.2%, and it was up from 4.7% the previous year. Contrast this to the retail industry where according to Jerry Sheldon from the IHL group, the average IT spend as a percentage of total sales ranged from 1.1% to 1.2%.
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The latest BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands survey has insightful data for both technology companies and the retail 
industry.
For the retail industry, the brand value data projects continued economic recovery especially in the United States and in luxury brands.
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This weekend, while walking with my family through the hills of Thalwil, Switzerland, admiring Lake Zurich below us and in the distance the 
snow capped Alps, I started thinking about the topic of happiness. How do you know whether you are really happy? Is it the money? Your health? Your family? Your Career? Your Children? What are the secrets to happiness?
To answer the happiness question and to discover the secrets to a good life, for 70+ years researchers at Harvard University followed 268 men who entered their university starting in 1937.
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The following image that was published this month on the website DashBurst resurfaced multiple thoughts on convergence as it continues to evolve between traditional security and information systems technologies.
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New technologies such as RFID, NFC, augmented reality and gamefied retail apps will directly interact with consumers based on predictive
behaviors identified by "Big Data". - Tony D'Onofrio
This month RIS News published a great post on 12 key takeaways from a recent Onmichannel Merchandising Symposium.
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It is a Small World
Continuing our journey to learn something new, we travel to the War Rooms Museum in London England. The Churchill War Rooms is a secret underground headquarters which offers a fascinating glimpse into Britain's wartime operations, featuring the Map Room, Cabinet Room, and Churchill's office, all preserved as they were on the day the lights went out in 1945.
In the underground Cabinet Room Churchill and his key ministers and advisers would meet with the Chiefs of Staff to make important decisions about the course of World War II. Churchill was known to push his military chiefs far beyond their comfort zones, so it was likely to be a place of tension and confrontation.
The War Rooms were a top-secret location, with strict security measures and a focus on maintaining confidentiality, even down to the typewriters being noiseless. A tiny room disguised as a toilet was used for secret conversations between Churchill and the US President.
You can find some poignant graffiti, including a hand-drawn image of Adolf Hitler, in the Chief of Staff meeting room. To alleviate the health problems associated with working underground for prolonged periods of time, staff had to strip to their underwear, put on protective goggles and stand in front of portable sun lamps.
Churchill’s leadership lessons emphasize unwavering resolve, inspiring communication, and the importance of character and conviction, particularly during times of crisis. Visiting his War Rooms was inspirational.
As he also famously said, “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” My glass for visualizing success has always been half-full. What you visualize and action through continuous learning is what you will ultimately achieve. Believe in yourself and your dreams. Failure is never final. Reset, keep calm, and always carry on.
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Brilliant Research
US Tariffs: What's the impact on global trade and the economy?
J.P. Morgan Research has lowered its estimate for 2025 real GDP growth due to heightened trade policy uncertainty, the effect of existing tariffs and retaliatory measures by foreign trading partners. Real GDP growth is now expected to be 1.6% for the year, down 0.3% from previous estimates. - J.P. Morgan Read more
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China Coffee Wars — Why Starbucks Is Losing The Battle With Luckin -CNBC
Despite adding around 1,500 new stores between 2022 and 2024, Starbucks’ revenue hasn't increased. Competition from chains like Luckin, Cotti and Manner have increased sharply in the years following the pandemic. Read more
