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    Subscriptions Are Getting Out of Hand. Here’s How to Manage Them.

    Beware free trials, turn off auto-renew, and look for forgotten recurring charges in your app-store settings

    According to a Deloitte survey, the average American subscribed to 12 paid media and entertainment services pre-pandemic. Among those age 25 to 40, who averaged 17 subscriptions, 40% reported feeling overwhelmed by the number of their subscriptions and intend to reduce them.

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    San Jose-based eBay eliminating nearly 300 Bay Area jobs

    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Online marketplace giant eBay is cutting hundreds of employees from its Bay Area workforce, many of whom work at the company's global headquarters in San Jose.

    "The competition has gone up, and now, you have lots of places online that you can get stuff from," said Kirthi Kalyanam, director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University. "Part of the challenge for eBay is that it has not evolved into what the next generation of e-commerce should be."

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    Class of 2019 Internships!

    RMI Summer Internships are a paid, full-time opportunity for the students of the Retail Studies Program to experience first hand the culture and business of recognized, industry leading companies and Silicon Valley innovators.

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    Retail Management Institute Student Awarded $10,000

    Marlowe Camblin ‘19 was recently awarded a National Retail Federation (NRF) 2018 Next Generation Scholarship to support her education at Santa Clara University.

    Marketing major and RMI minor Marlowe Camblin '19 was recently awarded an NRF Next Generation Scholarship to support her education at SCU.

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    Own It!

    Dedicated to personal growth & networking - the SCU You Own It Summit featured keynote speakers Teri Bariquit, Nordstrom EVP of Merchandising & Hailai Arghandiwal, Afghanistan Women's Soccer Player and SCU senior, 18 speakers, and breakout panel sessions. Retail Studies student Bella Giannini '18 co-chaired this impressive event. 

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    RMI Digital Magazine

    Read about what the Retail Management Institute has been up to in the 2019 RMI News Magazine!

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    Behind the Scenes at The Future of Retail

    To succeed in the current retail ecosystem, businesses need to position themselves against clear consumer needs.

    Renee Gamble, Google’s director of retail, sits down with Dr. Kirthi Kalyanam, director of the Retail Management Institute at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University.

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    Wayfair, the internet’s massive online furniture store, explained

    As the e-commerce home decor giant Wayfair deals with issues raised by its recent employee walkout and opens its first-ever store, one question remains: How does it even work?

    Dr. Kirthi Kalyanam, RMI director comments on how Wayfair's growth is further fueled by a savvy use of targeted marketing on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and via customer emails.

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    Iconic San Francisco Retailer Gap Forges Road Ahead

    Dr. Kirthi Kalyanam, RMI Executive Director tells KCBS Radio that if Gap has to close some stores permanently due to the pandemic, it will likely pull through because of its portfolio of brands that includes Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta.

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    SAFEWAY: HOW TO PIVOT DURING A PANDEMIC

    Elsie Wolfe ’95, Vice President and Sales Manager of alcoholic beverages for Safeway’s Northern California Division.

    Safeway has managed to adapt and innovate during this unprecedented period, which has helped ease demand and maintain shoppers’ loyalty. Bolstering its ecommerce business has been key: From March 1 to June 30, online sales at Safeway jumped by 172.6 percent. “And I think that number is going to grow,” says Elsie Wolfe ’95, president and sales manager of alcoholic beverages for Safeway’s Northern California Division.

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    Nike Announces Senior Leadership Changes to Unlock Future Growth Through the Consumer Direct Acceleration

    Amy Melczer Montagne '93 becomes VP/GM of its men’s business.

    “We are announcing changes today to transform NIKE faster, accelerate against our biggest growth opportunities and extend our leadership position,” said John Donahoe, President & CEO, NIKE, Inc. “Now is the right time to build on NIKE’s strengths and elevate a group of experienced, talented leaders who can help drive the next phase of our growth.” A shift to a new, simpler consumer construct of Men’s, Women’s and Kids will allow NIKE to create product with deeper insights and drive even greater specialization through performance sport and sport lifestyle. Aligning against the new consumer construct, Amy Montagne becomes VP/GM of its men’s business.

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    Gisel Ruiz ’92 Joins Santa Clara’s Board of Trustees

    Named by USA Today among Arkansas most influential Women of the Century.

    Gisel Ruiz ’92 served extensively in executive capacities in the U.S. and internationally for Walmart, where she led teams through large scale growth in three fast-evolving business segments—Walmart US, Walmart International, and Sam's Club. In her most recent role, as executive vice president and Chief Operations Officer at Sam's Club, she was responsible for over $65 billion in revenue, 600 facilities, and 100,000 employees.

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    Why Traditional Retailers Have the Checkout Blues

    RMI Executive Director Kirthi Kalyanam speaks to the Christian Science Monitor in this in depth article focused on how COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 an inflection point in the rise of online shopping at the expense of physical stores, a shift on par with the postwar boom in shopping malls.

    Now in the pandemic era, retailers like Target are working on making ordering online and picking up at the store a seamless process. And that could be just the start. Other hybrid models will emerge, especially as retailers wring delays out of the system, says Kirthi Kalyanam, executive director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University in California.

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    Here's why Fry's closure is 'the end of an era' for Silicon Valley

    Silicon Valley lost a cultural icon when Fry's Electronics announced it was closing all its stores and shutting down its operations.

    For much of its nearly 36 years, the electronics retailer was a mecca for the tech industry's engineers and other workers. That's because it's huge stores offered a whole lot more than could be found at a Best Buy or a Circuit City — not just TVs and audio equipment, but the very latest gadgets; a wide assortment of electronics components; plus toys, toasters, snack food and even pornographic magazines.

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    Peyton Darrow '22 has been selected as a semifinalists in the 2022 NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship.

    Peyton will spend the summer completing a case study created in collaboration with Meijer. This case study provides valuable real-world experience and helps develop future retail leaders.

    Despite continued challenges amid distance learning, students put together impressive applications that showcased their knowledge of retail and passion for the industry,” NRF Foundation Executive Director Bill Thorne says. “We are looking forward to seeing how they apply their experience working in retail, along with what they’ve learned in their coursework, in the next part of the competition for our most prestigious student award.”

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    How Covid Changed How the Bay Area Shops

    After an excruciating year, we could all use a little retail therapy. So what exactly can we expect shopping to look like now that COVID has turned everything upside down?

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    Bridging the Distance: Reinventing the Internship

    Professor Kirthi Kalyanam, Ph.D rose to action. Watch Kalyanam in this episode of Bridging the Distance, featuring guest host Provost Lisa Kloppenberg, discuss working with the Retail Management Institute.