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Joan Verdon

CONTRIBUTOR

About Joan

Joan Verdon has been covering business and retail news for the past 25 years. She has covered trends in tech, manufacturing, real estate and retail, first for The Record of North Jersey and USA Today, and now for CO—. She is a senior contributor, retail, for Forbes.com. Her passion is reporting on how Americans buy and sell. She has covered the birth of billion-dollar companies and the evolution of 100-year-old brands. Previously, she has been an education, general assignment and investigative reporter for The Grand Rapids Press and Buffalo Courier-Express. She spent a year working on Capitol Hill as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow.

Latest—

How Holiday Spending Will Shape Retail in 2024
Consumers surprised retailers this holiday season with the strength of their spending and their willingness to use next-generation digital technology, like AI-shopping assistants, to make purchases.
READ

Meta, Google, and Shopify Execs Share AI Sales Tools for 2024
AI-enhanced commerce exploded this holiday season, giving merchants new ways to sell and changing how consumers shop.
READ

How Businesses Leverage Nostalgia to Win Over New Customers
Products and memories from the past are a powerful way to reach today’s young consumers.
READ

How is Walmart Helping Small Businesses Scale
The giant retailer is expanding its Walmart Marketplace platform to attract more third-party sellers, which are helping to boost its online business.
READ

How Verizon Business Is Fostering Opportunities for Hispanic SMBs
Chief Revenue Officer Aparna Khurjekar shares how the communication-tech giant is supporting one of the fastest-growing small business cohorts with education and grants.
READ

How Retailer J. Jill Is Leveraging the 40-Plus Women’s Market
The clothing brand has expanded its sizes, created a premium collection, and added more work outfit options in response to customer feedback.
READ

How Walmart Is Building a New Shopping Channel for Small Businesses
Walmart Business General Manager and SVP Ashley Hubka on the retailer’s plan to become a one-stop shop for business customers.
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GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

How Apple Is Providing Small Businesses With Tools to Connect & Scale
Vice President Susan Prescott on how the tech giant is seeking to make life easier for small business owners.
READ
GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

How Startup Back to the Roots Monetized the Gardening Boom
Nikhil Arora, Co-founder of the organic seed and gardening kit company, on his company’s rise from a nascent startup to garnering over $100 million in retail sales.
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GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

Macy’s Is Investing Millions to Nurture Diverse Entrepreneurs
Matt Bergantino shares how the department store chain is offering underrepresented businesses access to funding, mentorship, and the opportunity to be a supplier to national retailers.
READ