Study: Loyalty programs are failing to connect with customers

January 24, 2010

As more marketers turn to loyalty and rewards programs to spark business growth, a new report from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council indicates that…

Secure POS Vendor Alliance announces new members

January 24, 2010

The Secure POS Vendor Alliance (SPVA) recently announced five new members, bringing its inaugural year total to nearly 20.

Amazon exploring electronics trade-in program

January 24, 2010

Financial Times reports that online retail giant Amazon is developing its own platform for accepting trade-ins of consumer electronics.

Macy's will open Bloomingdale's Outlet stores

January 21, 2010

Macy's announced in a press release that it will launch a new store concept this year called Bloomingdale's Outlet. Four of stores are planned for 2010, each…

71. redbox

Retailers' ultimate dream is to create a totally new product or concept that's a commercial success, yet not overrun with competition. That's been the reality…

The Lost Art of the Loss Leader

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

Traditional strategies for promotional discounting are being ignored, and retailers are losing revenue as a result.

Target remodeling stores, adding TV delivery service

January 20, 2010

Big changes are afoot at Target, including an announced budget of $1 billion to renovate 340 stores this year. According to MarketWatch, the retailer is also…

Home Depot spending $60 million on handheld devices

January 20, 2010

DIY retailer Home Depot is spending big bucks this year to help its staffers improve the in-store experience: According to BusinessWeek, the retailer announced…

Food Lion, Bloom pay customers to buy private-label products

January 20, 2010

Grocers Food Lion and Bloom are getting aggressive with their private-label products, says Progressive Grocer. In a marketing campaign that runs through Feb.

What e-commerce conversion rates from January 5 and 6 can tell us

Data points to a link between shopping cart abandonment rates and bargain seeking behavior, but it could also potentially indicate widespread out-of-stocks…

72. BOSE

When BOSE announced it was laying off 1,000 employees, or 10 percent of its workforce, in February, most analysts immediately linked the cuts to the demise of…

3D foot scanning kiosk to be on display at this month's Outdoor Retailer Winter Market

January 19, 2010

The eSoles Custom Footbeds 3D TruCapture foot scanning kiosk is set for display at this month's Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City.

73. Concierge services from non-luxury retailers

Most every shopper dreams of being treated like an A-lister, even when he isn't shopping in the luxury segment. Some savvy retailers are using shopper perks to…

NRF: Italian grocer adopts Oracle retail planning tool

January 18, 2010

Grocery retailer Esselunga announced at NRF that it is using an Oracle Retail planning platform to make more profitable and competitive pricing decisions in…

Macy's Terry J. Lundgren elected as chairman of NRF Board of Directors 

January 18, 2010

The National Retail Federation announced Terry J. Lundgren, Chairman, president and CEO of Macy's Inc., will serve as the chairman of the NRF Board of…

The lost art of the loss leader

Traditional strategies for promotional discounting are being ignored, and retailers are losing revenue as a result.

British retailer offering 'divorce registry'

January 17, 2010

U.K. retailer Debenhams is offering a new twist on the traditional gift registry. It recently added divorce registries to its stores, according to a report…

Macy's adds features to online gift registry

January 17, 2010

Macy's has announced enhancements planned for its online Wedding & Gift Registry, beginning Feb. 1.

NRF: Holiday season ends on high note as sales increase 1.1%

January 14, 2010

In the end, retailers got the best Christmas present of all: a holiday season of gains, not losses. After a year that saw holiday sales decrease by 3.…

NCR's coupon-to-card app brings new capabilities to multichannel offer management software

January 14, 2010

NCR Corp. has announced that a new coupon-to-card application is available for its multichannel offer management software, the NCR Advanced Marketing solution.