While JCPenney saw some solid ecommerce gains pre-pandemic, it has struggled to keep that momentum going in the months that followed. The retailer’s market share not only fell significantly—and remained down—as its advances were dwarfed by competitors who proved to be more adept at ecommerce, but the company also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy mid-May, along with plans to close roughly a third of its 846 stores within the next two years.

As a former global CMO of human resources consulting firm Mercer and marketing lead for Nook by Barnes & Noble and JCPenney, Mullen's tenures have shaped her understanding and approach to the diverse responsibilities of a CMO. She spoke with us about what it takes to be the first person in that position at a company, the four types of CMOs, and why she considers herself a "hybrid.".

There is a running list of retailers that sought Chapter 11 protection, including JCPenney, Neiman Marcus and J.Crew, and more will likely follow. But the more dominant players like Walmart, Target and Best Buy are only getting bigger. For one, some have remained open during the pandemic, which is no doubt a huge upside.

Department stores like Macy’s, Kohl’s and JCPenney continued to struggle as mall foot traffic declined. What is the forecast for holiday sales in 2020? We predict the 2020 holiday season will see overall growth rates soften amid signs of a weakening consumer economy.

Even as big-box retailers like Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney and Pier 1 all reported catastrophic H1 performances, announced various store closures or declared bankruptcy, other retailers with more nimble tactics successfully pivoted to digital-centric omnichannel approaches that are now paying major dividends.

These companies are not only operating their own websites, but also partnering with retailers like Fabletics, Walmart, and JCPenney. And brands such as lululemon and REI have launched their own resale platforms to better control their brand experience aside from gaining extra revenue streams.

On the negative side, department store retailers JCPenney, Neiman Marcus and Macy’s have hit hard times, and their ecommerce performance has failed to make up ground for brick-and-mortar. The first two have prepared bankruptcy filings, while Macy’s is the only one of the top 10 ecommerce companies whose sales we expect to see dip this year, declining 5.1% to $6.70 billion.

With shopping center traffic still down more than 20% year over year into October, according to Placer.ai, retailers with a significant mall presence—especially department stores like Macy's, JCPenney, and Nordstrom—will be challenged.