What About It?

Tirades BulbBE ADVISED, COMPLACENT THINKERS. James Tenser is out to provoke you with Tenser’s Tirades.

If you are looking for comfort, acquire pillows.

If you are prepared to confront without hesitation the continuing revolution in retail practice and thought leadership, you will find at least some insights here.

This blog presents original analysis and commentary on trends and issues in the retail – consumer products industry by its principal author, James Tenser. All the work is original. Some of it is commissioned by clients. Some of it is routinely re-published by content aggregators, like Customer Think, RetailWire and Forbes.com.

A few more things…

Storyteller-in-Chief

James (“Jamie”) Tenser is an author, analyst and consultant specializing in customer-centric business strategy, research and analysis for the retail, services and consumer goods sector. Since 1996 he has maintained a particular focus on Shopper Media, Category Management, In-Store Implementation, service practices, multichannel retailing, and related technology, and he has authored two books in the field. He is director of the In-Store Implementation Network, and the author of its working paper released in April 2008.

As a consultant he has helped a diverse range of companies with customer-centric strategy, go-to-market positioning, and communications, including: American Express Co., LightHaus Logic, Eastman Kodak, Dial/Henkel, Itasca Retail Information Systems, Cisco Systems, Del Monte Fresh Produce, IBM Global Services, DemandTec, PRN Networks, KSS Retail, Applied Predictive Technologies, Hewlett Packard, The Partnering Group, LEGS (Japan), Hoyt & Co., KhiMetrics, Interactive Edge, NARMS, Armature (UK), Gourmet Award Foods, Cabco USA, Merchandising Corporation of America, Accuvia, University of Arizona, NRF Foundation, M-Factor, Vcommerce, The 41st Parameter and others.

He secured an NRF Foundation/American Express Co. research grant in Aug., 2003 to author Customer Service Excellence 2004; and presented the book’s findings at NRF annual meeting in New York, Jan. 2004. An earlier book, Tenser’s Tirades – Essays on the Dot-Com Retail Phenomenon, was published in Autumn 2001. He was founder and editor (1998) of the pioneering e-letter VStoreNews, which provided analysis and strategic insight about virtual (online) retailing. He was principal retail strategist for Nexgenix, Inc., an e-business integration firm, for two years ending in 2001.

The Credits

VSN Strategies, his Tucson, AZ-based content marketing agency, and this blog evolved from a 20-year career as an editor, analyst and commentator covering consumer goods retailing and marketing. He has authored numerous white papers on in-store media, retail price strategy, promotion and category management for retail technology clients. Consumer market research work has focused on customer experience and service quality; public libraries; consumer attitude and consumption of fresh fruit; and online structured learning.

Tenser is considered an authority on retailing, brand marketing, consumer trends and Internet strategy. He is frequently quoted in national and international media and trade publications. He contributes to periodicals such as Advertising Age, RetailWire, CPGmatters.com, Progressive Grocer, Supermarket News, Digital Signage Expo, Marketing@Retail, Brand Marketing and Chain Store Age.

He has made numerous television and radio appearances, and is a frequent speaker, moderator and workshop leader at industry conferences, including the LEAD Marketing Conference, Kantar Category Management Forum, National Grocers Association, eTail West, Digital Signage Expo, MVI Future of Retailing Forum, Category Management Conference, Southeastern Small Business Summit, NARMS Executive Conference, Internet World, iGrocer, Retail Systems, the International E-Commerce Congress (Germany), Sonora Spring Grapes Summit (Mexico), GMA Internet Marketing Conference, and e-Retail.

Tenser received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and studied Media at New York University and Consumer Behavior at the University of Arizona’s Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing.