Shopper marketing finally getting respect it deserves

January 18, 2009

Adweek: While 21 million people waltzed over to their sets to watch an average episode of Dancing With the Stars last year, and American Idol cast its spell on…

NRF's Sonic Bar highlights retailing innovations

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The high-concept concept store gave attendees a taste of retail's future — one that is available today.

NRF: Curiosk wine kiosk demonstration

Josh Rosen of Curiosk demonstrates his company's wine information and gift card kiosk, at the NRF 98th Annual Convention & Expo.

NRF Sonic Bar concept store video wall

At NRF's Sonic Bar concept store, one corner was devoted to a large video wall, the Virgin Theater sponsored by Virgin Megastore, which looped through a live…

Walkthru: NRF's Customer Experience Concept Store

At the NRF 98th Annual Convention & Expo, the message seemed to be this: If a great customer experience can drive people into the store to buy music, then…

The business drivers for retail self-service

What are the forces behind the rise of self-service at retail? According to IBM's Norma Wolcott, customer service is the primary driver.

Training customer service staff - with a PSP video game

January 14, 2009

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Hilton Garden Inn today announced the launch of its training program, Ultimate Team Play for PSP. After an intense introductory…

2009 retail trends: More multichannel, smaller stores

January 14, 2009

National Business Review (New Zealand): The 2009 Global Powers Of Retailing report outlines the expected trends for retailers over the coming recessionary…

NRF sees green with eco-friendly concept store

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

At this year's Big Show, attendees got a glimpse of what a truly environmentally friendly store might look like, and how it would operate.

Walkthru: NRF's Seeing Green Concept Store

At the NRF 98th Annual Convention & Expo, a portion of the show floor was devoted to the Seeing Green Concept Store, an interactive and environmentally…

Microsoft opens new Retail Experience Center

The fully functional store environment will serve as an incubator for customer experience ideas and technologies.

Microsoft Surface demo at AT&T retail stores

A demonstration of Microsoft's digital touchscreen table at an AT&T; retail store.

Microsoft opens Retail Experience Center

Located at Microsoft Corp.'s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., the Microsoft Retail Experience Center is a private, 20,000-square-foot facility housing a fully…

NRF: Magstar unveils mobile POS for linebusting

January 12, 2009

NEW YORK — Magstar Inc., a mid-size enterprise retail solution developer, announced its new Magstar Total Mobile POS solution, a lightweight POS handheld that…

NRF: Retaligent announces subscription plan for clienteling software

January 12, 2009

NEW YORK — Retail software company Retaligent Solutions Inc. announced two new programs designed to address the challenges retailers face when buying…

NRF: Clarity unveils POS 'Innovation Lane'

January 12, 2009

NEW YORK — Clarity Consulting today presented its "Innovation Lane" — a new POS technology concept system featuring Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 and unified…

NRF: Torex unveils new customer loyalty system

January 12, 2009

NEW YORK — Torex Retail Holdings Limited today launched its Torex Loyalty system the NRF 98th Annual Convention & Expo. Torex Loyalty enables retailers to…

NRF: Intel reveals new in-store concept technologies

January 12, 2009

NEW YORK — Intel Corporation today unveiled a retail POS proof-of-concept system that could lower a store's total cost of ownership while improving customer…

NRF: Outgoing Wal-Mart CEO stresses opportunity

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

H. Lee Scott, Jr. emphasizes an upcoming period of opportunity for both the nation and the retail industry.

Coming soon: Retailers reach out with ringtones

January 11, 2009

The Times: Jace Tyrrell, operations manager for the New West End Company, a trade body that represents 600 shops in Central London's retail heart, says that…