Big boxes add kiosks to help low-income Americans cash checks

January 31, 2011

Millions of low-income Americans who don't have bank accounts are finding an alternative to check-cashing stores at kiosks inside big-box retailers, according…

Is this the death of loyalty rewards as we know them?

When customers choose which company to do business with, rewards just don't matter like they used to.

Certona Product Recommendations drove 1 percent of all Cyber Monday purchases

January 31, 2011

Tallying the numbers from a positive 2010 holiday shopping season, multi-channel personalization firm Certona reported more good news in its post-2010 holiday…

Opinion: Most mobile retail strategies aren't innovative enough

Many proposed scenarios are just new twists on old ways of doing business, says one expert.

Top 100: 88. Bloomingdale's

Aggressively pursuing the re-emerging upscale customer, Bloomingdale’s first opened a slick 90,000 square foot space in the heart of Manhattan’s SoHo district…

Adrift in a sea of change? Check your internal compass.

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

I don't know a business owner/leader who hasn't, at one time or another, felt adrift in the sea of change. It's inevitable. Why?Business, like everything else…

Mobile Monday: Apple Store App

Mobile customer scheduling could be a game-changing application for the retailer.

Foursquare and Facebook Places Face-Off for Loyalty

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

The check-in wars are clearly in full swing. Foursquare recently boasted it had 381,576,305 check-ins worldwide in 2010, and while I don't know the exact…

Contactless mobile payment services coming to the UK

by James Wester — Editor 1, Mobile Payments Today

Barclaycard, Everything Everywhere will roll out contactless mobile payment using NFC tech later this year.

How Much is that Downy in the Window?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Heard the one about the fabric softener and the sleepwalker? The punch line takes place in a department store.

Kiosk vs. Mobile: Industry insiders weigh in

As the popularity of mobile technology grows, will it spell the end for self-service as we know it?

Kraft unveils mobile retail concept for Toblerone

January 25, 2011

According to The Moodie Report, Kraft Foods World Travel Retail has unveiled a new retail prototype for chocolate brand Toblerone.The flexible unit is flanked…

NFC developer Proxama acquires proximity-marketing company Hypertag

January 25, 2011

U.K.-based Proxama, a developer of mobile contactless payments and near field communications (NFC) technologies, announced earlier this week it has acquired…

Customer service greatness, as taught to us by PBS

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Here's an amazing story that any retailer can learn from, a story about the power of surprise and going above-and-beyond for the people that interact with…

When Must is Always, Should is Most of the Time, and Never is Out of the Question

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

One thing that fascinates me when working with retail chains is seeing the different levels of performance that spring from the same retail strategy.  Each…

Triggering An Avalanche

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

 Will social media marketing...

Next gen iPhones, iPads to support NFC

by James Wester — Editor 1, Mobile Payments Today

January 24, 2011

According to Bloomberg, Apple Inc. will ship the next generation of its iPhones for AT&T Inc. and the iPad 2 with support for near-field communication…

Walmart's healthy new turn: What it means for IT, competitors

The retailer's recent announcement represents yet another dramatic reinvention of the Bentonville giant.

JCPenney shutting down catalog operations

January 23, 2011

In an effort to "focus on its highest potential growth opportunities by reducing investment in areas of the business that no longer contribute meaningfully to…

Kwik Trip selects Radiant Systems technology for its convenience stores

January 23, 2011

Radiant Systems today announced a new agreement with Kwik Trip, a Wisconsin-based petroleum and convenience store retailer with 425 locations, to equip its…