NPD'S COHEN: CONVENIENCE ISN'T ENOUGH.(Marshal Cohen)(NPD Group)(Retail CEO Summit)

Daily News Record, November, 2004 by Derby, Meredith

Byline: MEREDITH DERBY

NEW YORK -- To entice consumers who are increasingly time-pressed and spending less on apparel, retailers need to focus on making customers' lives not only easier, but more exciting, Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, told the audience at the WWD/DNR Apparel/Retail CEO Summit earlier this month.

The way to do it -- find out what customers think and expect, as well as what gets them excited, Cohen said in his presentation.

"When we look at what we do with our merchandising, we look at it with a certain perspective," Cohen explained. "It's not what we think. It's not what the people on your team think. It's not what your family or friends think. You know what it is? It's what the consumer...