Discount retailers turn 50

September 18, 2012

The holy trinity of discount retailers celebrates a 50th birthday this year. Kmart, Walmart and Target (coincidentally) all began selling discounted…

Tailored store layout boosts sales at bedding retailer

September 18, 2012

The retail store Benson for Beds joined with John Evans Interior Architecture and Design to create a new concept store, focusing on layout and displays that…

Customer experience management 101: Identifying channels of communication

by Kimberly Nasief — President, Measure Consumer Perspectives

Customer experience management has changed, thanks to the digital age. Social media has changed the way businesses interact with their customers. No matter the…

The Walmart whale is making waves in South Africa retail

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

It is one thing to read about international retailing, but quite another to experience it firsthand. I've visited South Africa several times on safaris, but…

New MasterCard SDK makes developing NFC payment apps easier

September 17, 2012

Amidst the ruckus caused by Apple's exclusion of NFC from its new iPhone, payment providers are moving forward with the technology as an enabler for mobile…

Burberry's new London flagship combines fashion and technology

September 17, 2012

British fashion house Burberry unveiled it’s first digitally-integrated retail outlet at its newly launched London flagship store. The blend of craftsmanship…

Retail customers enjoy telling a good lie, study shows

September 17, 2012

Customers get a high amount of satisfaction when able to lie to retailers to obtain refunds, discounts or concessions, according to an article on NBCnews.com.

No fee layaway plan at Tennessee discount store

September 17, 2012

Memphis-based Fred's Super Dollar announced plans to launch a holiday layaway plan that boasts no fees, a down payment of just $1, and a $5 gift card for…

The new 'super shopper' and the fate of bricks and mortar retail

Despite the mobile boom, 90 percent of consumers still embrace the physical store when making retail purchases.

No more pennies at Vermont retailer

September 17, 2012

Power Play Sports, a sporting goods shop in Morrisville, Vt., has banned customer usage of the penny, according to an article on abcNEWS.com. 

Body scans could improve online shopping

September 17, 2012

Annoying airport body scanners may hold the key to accurate online shopping, according to an article in the Financial Times.

Retail Top 100 2012, No. 46: CVS/Caremark

September 17, 2012

iPhone 5 features Passbook loyalty app, but no NFC

by James Wester — Editor 1, Mobile Payments Today

Apple unveils a new design for its flagship phone but doesn't include near field communications.

Ignorance is expensive

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

A construction company complained that while revenues were up over 40%, their profits hadn't grown much at all. When asked who their ideal customer is, they…

'Future of Retail' event to discuss RFID and NFC

September 17, 2012

Retail self-checkout with RFID and NFC will be discussed at next week's "Future of Retail" event.

Mobile retail lags behind Web-based in customer experience, index shows

September 14, 2012

Customer experience analytics provider ForeSee released yesterday the ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index: Retail Edition, which creates a benchmark for customer…

Back-to-school shoppers boost August sales, slightly

September 14, 2012

According to recent calculations from the National Retail Federation, August retail sales had a boost from back-to-school shoppers.

Retail Doctor Bob Phibbs talks customer service training

The Retail Doctor Bob Phibbs recaps some highlights from his customer service training session at the 2012 Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit.

Pre-orders for iPhone 5 available down under

September 13, 2012

Australian retailer Kogan is already taking pre-orders for unlocked versions of the newly unveiled iPhone 5, according to an article on cnet.com.

New loyalty app lets customers 'walk-in to check-in'

September 13, 2012

LoyalBlocks, the first automated, mobile-based "walk-in to check-in" app for brick and mortar retailers and their customers, announced today the completion of…