The future of augmented reality & mobile commerce

Retailers are inundated with new technology innovations, promising big returns for their bottom lines. It is difficult to decipher which deserve priority.

Identifying the millennial 'tribes'

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Media outlets often make the mistake of stereotyping millennials either as lazy, entitled, antiestablishment types who can’t stop taking selfies, or as clever…

When will retailers wake up and smell the CLV?

Peter Fader, professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder of Zodiac, explains why a truly customer centric…

Kagan: Mobile pay apps not created equal

by Jeff KAGAN — Wireless Analyst, Telecom Industry Analyst

The decision on which mobile app to work with is an important decision. Some are sleek. Others are clunky. Some are quick. Others are slow as molasses. There…

A look at trends taking over retail in 2017

To keep up with shopper expectations, it's more important than ever for retailers to enhance and integrate the physical and digital. As we move further into…

The future of retail: Thinking small

Leading retailers are beginning to make sweeping changes to keep up with consumer demands. In the past six months retailers like Amazon, Target and Kroger have…

Trump, tech, and taxes: What's in store for 2017

Whatever your feelings about President Donald Trump, one thing is for sure: 2017 is going to be an interesting year for everyone.

Humanizing the retail experience: Experiential shopping lives offline

These are the days of sharing, group think and the herd mentality… who knew the 90s-era mall rats, a generation of teens known for simply hanging out in…

4 ways to retain infrequent retail customers

As most business owners know, the cost of acquiring a new customer is much higher than retaining a current buyer. It's why companies put a lot of effort into…

Loyalty marketing in a Trumpian world

Brands associating and disassociating with a polarizing President are going to tap into at least some of that emotion. So as a brand leader, it’s imperative…

Kagan: Fixing your app to improve customer experience

by Jeff KAGAN — Wireless Analyst, Telecom Industry Analyst

Bottom line, smartphone technology and apps are an incredible way to reach customers in new and creative ways. Use technology in new ways to give the customer…

Forget just selling products: Customer experience is king

In a world where anyone can whip up an e-commerce site and begin selling in a matter of hours, merely taking products to market just isn't good enough anymore.

Easing the pain of shipping: 5 tips to optimize shipping solutions

For many customers, online shopping is exciting (or, at the very least, more enjoyable than leaving the house to visit a store). Actually, receiving the…

Why a customer-centric retail model is key to beating digital competition

Rental car companies can effectively respond to competition by adopting the successful strategies and best practices digital retailers use to engage customers…

Engaging millennials: Value trumps message

Millennials aren't the only ones feeling overwhelmed by the barrage of advertisements. A 2016 HubSpot survey showed 91 percent of respondents feel today's ads…

Sorry Jim Cramer, malls won't ever be ghost towns

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

During his flamboyant declarations about malls and their impending doom, Jim Cramer asks another financial analyst if he's been at a mall lately. The analyst…

Reinventing the in-store customer experience

In-store shopping has fallen on hard times. Many retail categories — such as electronics and music — have largely disappeared, victims to the convenience and…

Accounting for gift cards in the retail setting

While gift cards are popular they are also a very hot area of scrutiny with the IRS. And if retailers aren't calculating the gift card income adjustment, using…

5 key distributor opportunities in an omnichannel world

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

For today's consumers, omnichannel is their "new normal." They now shop and purchase anytime and everywhere. What this means for traditional retailers is that…

Why retail Is the ultimate social platform

The impulse to socialize at the market lives on — witness the late 20th century phenomenon of "hanging out at the mall," or the 21st century rise of farmers…