Babies 'R' Us announces partnership with parenting website

March 28, 2013

Babies"R"Us and Heidi Murkoff's pregnancy and parenting website today announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to offer expectant moms…

Shopper turned delivery person? Walmart considers crowd-sourcing

March 28, 2013

Walmart may soon be crowd-sourcing shoppers for delivery services. According to an article on nbcnews.com, Walmart shoppers could tell the retailer where they…

The JC Penney debacle: Where did Johnson go wrong?

by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

JC Penney returns to high-low pricing, but the damage to the brand may be irreparable.

Amazon's VP of mobile shopping stresses importance of speed

March 27, 2013

Amazon's Sam Hall wants shoppers to go from "wanting to buying in 30 seconds." As the Internet giant's VP of mobile shopping, Hall is in charge of a growing…

Opinion: Higher prices at JC Penney means lower prices at jcp

A branding expert tries to make sense of the retailer's multiple strategies.

Nook mimics Kindle with plans for in-app currency

March 27, 2013

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Amazon should be tickled with Barnes & Noble's latest Nook feature. Nearly two months after Amazon launched…

Walmart announces plans for in-store lockers, expanded fulfillment network

March 27, 2013

Walmart Stores Inc. said on Tuesday it would start using its stores to get Internet orders to customers faster, as the world's largest retailer faces…

Walmart's secret sauce: How the largest survives and thrives

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Amazon and omni-channel are sexy topics that grab a lot of retail press. But at the end of the day, Walmart is the largest retailer on the planet, and the…

Positioning and pricing

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

Pricing goes well beyond merely establishing a price. Indeed, there are some industries in which there’s little, if any, ability to adjust price. The health…

Lululemon can avoid sheer 'Luonacy'

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

You'd think a yoga outfitter would afford its customers a little more flexibility.

Walmart struggles to stock shelves with fewer employees

March 26, 2013

Walmart's thinly spread workforce could be contributing to its increasingly empty shelves. According to an article on Bloomberg, the retailer's disorganized…

Aussie store fights showrooming with $5 'just looking fee'

March 26, 2013

A specialty food store in Brisbane, Australia, has come up with a way to combat showrooming, and a photo of its strategy has gone viral on Reddit. 

Reinvention another key to retail's future

March 25, 2013

According to a recent article on brandchannel.com, the future of retail hinges not only on the successful adoption of new technologies, but also the retailer's…

This is the most popular customer service question ever

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

“How should I compensate a customer for a service or product failure?”

McCormick World of Flavors store

The 3,818 square foot store in Baltimore, MD is an experiential brand showcase featuring McCormick global leadership in flavor through three platforms…

Shopbust launches mobile mystery shopping platform in Asia

March 22, 2013

The Singapore-based startup Shopbust announced the launch of its fully automated, online mystery shopping platform that helps brands measure customer service…

Americans won't pay for same-day delivery ... or will they?

New research reinforces the premise that online shoppers expect free shipping.

Oscar de la Renta brings True Fit to online shoppers

March 21, 2013

Oscar de la Renta is refreshing the customer experience on its e-commerce site by offering personalized shopping and fitting profiles with True Fit technology…

3M's Virtual Presenter shows retail possibilities

by Christopher Hall

After its SXSW debut, 3M talks about its new virtual avatar for digital merchandising.

Restaurants reel in customers with retail

March 21, 2013

According to a recent interview aired on Minnesota Public Radio, there is a growing trend toward restaurant establishments serving a side of retail. And not…