Kroger acquires digital coupon and promotions firm

February 11, 2014

The Kroger Co. today announced it has purchased the assets of YOU Technology Brand Services Inc., a Silicon Valley-based provider of digital coupons and…

Big Lots is now the official Hostess outlet store

February 11, 2014

Hostess shut down its 600 thrift store outlets in the summer of 2013, but the brand announced it is reviving the concept by placing its overstock inventory in…

UK retail director: Online is 'driving structural change'

February 11, 2014

Helen Dickinson, the director of the British Retail Consortium, told United Press International today that online shopping is fundamentally changing the retail…

New social media monitoring, analytics tool hits market

February 11, 2014

Market Force Information, a provider of customer intelligence solutions, is helping restaurants and other multi-location businesses provide better customer…

Webinar to explore hiring, employee theft

February 11, 2014

On Thursday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET, Retail Customer Experience will host a live webinar, "Worth the Risk? How Hiring Assessments Can Catch Rising Employee Theft…

Consumer optimism inches upward

February 11, 2014

Consumer optimism about the economy continues to inch upward after bottoming out in October 2013, according the latest monthly NACS Consumer Fuels Survey that…

Five requirements for improving employee performance for store growth

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

From the headlines coming out of last month's NRF Big Show, it was difficult to tell if retail stores were "running scared" of e-commerce, or very optimistic…

Shopgate acquires Magento e-commerce development team

February 10, 2014

Mobile commerce platform provider Shopgate has acquired MagCorp, a four-person team developing applications for open-source e-commerce platform Magento.

Victoria's Secret, Nike top retail brand engagement index

Brand Keys has published the results of its 2014 study of emotional loyalty and engagement in retail.

Guitar Center adds pricing and assortment tool from 360pi

February 10, 2014

Price and product intelligence provider 360pi announced that Guitar Center has joined its list of retailer clients. Guitar Center offers a selection of musical…

Ticket Liquidator, Google Wallet in mobile promotion

February 10, 2014

Ticket Liquidator, an online marketplace for live entertainment events, has integrated Google Wallet into its website as a payment option.

Michael's stores hosting live 'Pinterest parties'

February 10, 2014

Hometalk, a home and garden social network, has announced that its members will co-host Pinterest parties in 100 Michaels Stores nationwide on Feb. 16 from 1–…

Redner's Markets installs exception reporting tech

February 10, 2014

Agilence Inc., a provider of cloud-based exception reporting solutions, announced that Redner’s Markets has deployed its Retail 20/20 to reduce shrink and…

Price and profit

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

A January 9, 2014 Washington Post/Associated Press article, "Retailers of all stripes sing holiday blues," states that seven retailers have cut fourth quarter…

Infusion Retail Experience Lounge, New York

This year at NRF, Inclusion brought some highlights from its New York Experience Lounge. Although the "Big Show" has come and gone, the Lounge itself is still…

Bitcoin regulation a certainty, but to what degree?

February 7, 2014

Rulings by the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network are revealing a developing picture of Bitcoin regulation in the United States. Last week…

DSA announces first Symposium of the year, calls for Industry Excellence Award entries

February 7, 2014

The Digital Screenmedia Association has announced it is heading back to Dallas on April 8 and 9 for its first DSA Symposium of the year. The event is scheduled…

NRF forecasts 4.1 percent increase in retail sales for 2014

February 7, 2014

The National Retail Federation released its 2014 economic forecast yesterday, projecting retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and…

Five ways to improve customer service with video

Video can help reduce customer service costs, and is more likely to get your customers engaged.

Report: Most companies that accept cards fail PCI standards

February 6, 2014

A new Verizon report has found that too many businesses, following their annual assessment for meeting the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard , fail…