The 'miserable men of shopping,' via Instagram

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

In the early days of my marriage, my wife and I spent a lot of time at local shopping malls. In those pre-children years, shopping was more a leisure activity…

Are Apple in-store payments coming soon?

January 28, 2014

Recent developments at Apple signal the company plans to offer in-store mobile payments for physical goods, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Starbucks CEO talks gift card, mobile payment trends

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

The company processed 2-plus million new Starbucks card activations a day leading up to Christmas.

One-fifth of people who review products online have never used the product

January 28, 2014

According to the latest YouGov research, nearly one-fifth (21 percent) of Americans who have reviewed a product or service claim that they have reviewed a…

Baynote launches self-service tool for e-commerce merchandising

January 28, 2014

Baynote, a provider of big data solutions for retail, today announced the release of Baynote VUE, a self-service merchandising application purposely built to…

The Business Case for Automated Retail Kiosks

Automated retail kiosks can expand your presence beyond online and brick-and-mortar retailing while offering a host of branding opportunities.

Point of sale mindset: How analytics can increase in-store sales

The use of in-store data as a way to increase sales is one of the most cutting-edge fields in analytics.

Precision measuring tech for retail checkouts to weigh in at EuroShop

January 27, 2014

METTLER TOLEDO, a manufacturer of precision measuring instruments, will present retail concepts to improve the in-store experience at fresh service counters…

Valentine's Day study: Tablets beat smartphones for mobile shopping

January 27, 2014

Customer experience firm Maxymiser today released its latest research study, ″Valentine's Day: Retail's Love Affair With Digital.″ The report compares and…

New Media Insight announces mCards loyalty program, branded gift cards

January 27, 2014

Mobile payments company New Media Insight Group announced today its mCard loyalty rewards and branded gift card programs in several states. According to the…

Shoppers will expect more mobile content from brands, retailers in 2014

January 27, 2014

Most mobile shoppers redeemed a coupon directly from their mobile device last year, according to a recent study from mobile shopping app Key Ring. Key Ring is…

AVT licenses wireless management system to Marley Coffee Automated Stores

January 27, 2014

AVT Inc., a provider of custom vending machines, automated retailing and self-service kiosks, has announced that it has licensed its patented wireless vending…

RILA announces cybersecurity initiative

January 27, 2014

The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced today that it will expand its commitment to cybersecurity and data privacy by launching a comprehensive…

Deloitte Consumer Spending Index on the rise

January 24, 2014

The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index climbed in December. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

NRF bulletin: Personalization done right

by James Tenser — Principal, VSN Strategies

I've been on record many times as a hater of shopper loyalty, but an advocate of intelligent personalization.

Hudson's Bay, Lord & Taylor offer mobile shopping from print ads

January 23, 2014

The HBC Department Store Group announced today the launch of a new mobile shopping application for both Hudson's Bay and Lord & Taylor. HBC is partnering…

Supermarket DIA adds mobile app, refrigerated pickup lockers

January 23, 2014

Madrid-based multiformat grocery chain DIA has announced a new partnership with mobile solution provider AIRTAG. The program, dubbed "Diadiscount," includes a…

A love song to Mr. Sears and Mr. Roebuck

Sears Holdings just announced its plans to close its flagship Loop location in Chicago this April.

Microsoft Connected Fitting Room at NRF 2014

The fitting room is the crucial place where a customer decides whether to make a purchase. But most of the time, the customer is alone behind a curtain when…

Five customer service tactics to increase sales

by Shep Hyken — CAO, Shepard Presentations

As you read this, you may think this article could fall under the heading of sales tactics. I respectfully disagree. This is all about customer service, as it…