Black Friday Retail Professors From Santa Clara University Available for Media Analysis

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, two professors from the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business are available for comment on trends, challenges and tactics that will be used by retailers this season.

1. Dale Achabal (pr. ATCH-a-ball), executive director, Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University --- (408) 554-4679 or dachabal@scu.edu
Faculty page: http://www.scu.edu/business/marketing/faculty/achabal.cfm

Among the topics Prof. Achabal can discuss:

The impact of the new requirement that online retailers collect sales taxes.
Retailers’ efforts to be flexible to meet competitive demands.
The role of the increasing number of “flash sale” sites like Gilt or Daily Deal.
Select tips for consumers to make the most of retailers’ tactics this year.
The uncertain impact of future consumer income-tax increases on sales.

2. Kirthi Kalyanam (pr. Kal-YAHN-um), director, Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University --- (408) 554-2705 or kkalyanam@scu.edu
Faculty page: http://www.scu.edu/business/marketing/faculty/kalyanam.cfm

Among the topics Prof. Kalyanam can discuss:

How retailers are adapting to “showrooming,” or the practice by consumers of visiting stores with great inventories to test out products that they buy elsewhere. Prof. Kalyanam has co-authored a study on the practice.
Tactics that retailers are using to be competitive this year, including price matching by stores like Target, Best Buy and Wal-mart; “omni-channeling,” where stores like Macy’s try to maximize the consumer experience seamlessly between online and in stores; and creating exclusive products at stores like Toys R Us.
Select tips for consumers to make the most of retailers’ tactics this year – including considering not abandoning your favorite brick-and-mortar stores.

Deborah Lohse of SCU Media Relations can also assist in reaching these and other business professors at Santa Clara University: dlohse@scu.edu or 408-768-6898 (CELL) or 408-554-5121 (OFFICE).