Opinion: Don't confuse customer service with customer experience

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 23, 2009

Forrester analyst and prolific customer experience blogger Bruce Temkin writes about the need to keep a clear distinction between customer service and…

Research: Mobile retail apps have massive growth potential

A new survey reveals that while most online shoppers have mobile phones, only a fraction have used them while shopping.

Phone company upgrades in-store experience with interactivity, signage

February 22, 2009

JEEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — When 200 of retail's top designers, editors and vendors cast their votes for the most influential store designs of 2008, Mobily's use…

Study shows e-mail campaigns drive offline shopping behavior

February 22, 2009

DALLAS — The receipt of permission-based e-mail makes shoppers more likely to do business with a retailer, in addition to generating a more favorable opinion…

GK Software releases GK/Retail 12

February 22, 2009

SCHOENECK, Germany — GK SOFTWARE AG has announced the immediate availability of GK/Retail 12, the newest release of its Store Automation suite of products…

Wincor Nixdorf Real 360 Automatic Scanning in action

At this year's Wincor World event, attendees were able to catch the Real 360 Automatic Scanning solution in action. In this video, Wincor Nixdorf head of…

Cisco Lean Retail Architecture introduction

Brian Kilcourse, Retail Systems Research, discusses how retailers can use Cisco solutions to do more with less.

Putting your best customers to work for you

The best retailers don't just serve their customers — they put them to work, on behalf of the organization.

Giant Foods debuts new store design

February 19, 2009

Progressive Grocer: Giant Eagle Inc. introduced its newest store design with the opening of an 87,500-square-foot unit that features an open market-style…

Education to take center stage at Digital Signage Expo 2009

Annual show adds content and mobile digital signage seminars, continues to grow despite economy.

Weaving real-time Web into brick-and-mortar

February 18, 2009

ZDNet Blogs: For many purchases, consumers get a better customer experience from a well-automated Web site than they do from most retail stores. They can…

Mac-based POS gets new online extension

February 18, 2009

MONTREAL — Xsilva Systems Inc., maker of a comprehensive suite of retail tools tailored for the Mac, is now shipping LightSpeed Web Store 2.0, providing…

NCR, Unified offer tech for small grocers

February 18, 2009

DAYTON, Ohio — Unified Grocers, a leading U.S. cooperative grocery wholesaler, and NCR Corporation have expanded their POS technology relationship to provide…

More retailers putting print catalogs online

February 18, 2009

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Adobe Systems Inc. today published results of its annual Adobe Scene7 survey detailing how Web commerce businesses are building out their…

Texas retailers get self-service bill payment

February 18, 2009

BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada — TIO Networks Corp., a provider of multi-channel bill payment processing, has partnered with H-E-B, a Texas retailer, to implement…

Ask the Experts: Is layaway passe?

February 18, 2009

In this installment of Ask the Experts, we ask Mike Wittenstein, chief executive of retail consultancy Storyminers, whether or not layaway is back for good.

Jewelry.com relaunches with broader scope

February 17, 2009

National Jeweler: Jewelry.com has relaunched to feature an expanded retailer directory that covers multichannel national and regional fine-jewelry stores in…

Webinar looks at digital signage opportunities in an uncertain economy

February 17, 2009

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Last week, Digital Signage Today took a closer look at business communication technology in a webinar entitled Digital Signage: More…

The promise of RFID in retail

Motorola's vice president of RFID business development Joe White explores the many possibilities for enhancing the retail customer experience via RFID…

More than one in five Americans uncomfortable using coupons at the grocery

February 16, 2009

TORONTO — More than one in five U.S. consumers, 22 percent to be precise, admit they are self-conscious about redeeming coupons at the grocery store…