Retail summit will feature shop-a-long tour of Chicago's largest mall

July 21, 2010

Attendees at the Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit, August 1-3 in Chicago, will begin the event with a visit to Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in…

Card Sharps: How Hallmark reinvented its loyalty value proposition

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

Hallmark is an American classic, a nearly 100-year-old, third-generation family-owned company with deep roots in Kansas City, Missouri. But even long-standing…

Wasting Time with Walmart

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

I have to run an errand to Wal-mart today and I’m dreading it. 

Sears, Kmart use loyalty program for charity

July 20, 2010

While many Americans have had to scale back charitable giving during these financially difficult times, their desire to give to those less fortunate has not…

American Eagle: Try on jeans, get a free smart phone

July 20, 2010

American Eagle Outfitters has announced a back-to-school promotion in which every customer who tries on a pair of AE jeans receives a free smart phone after…

'New movers' become big retail opportunity

A growing number of Americans are relocating for work, sun or family, creating a marked uptick in household spending.

Sugar launches social shopping game Retail Therapy

July 19, 2010

Online women's media company Sugar Inc. has announced the launch of its first social online game, called PopSugar's Retail Therapy. According to the company…

Satisfying the substance shopper

Customers are reaching out to connect with the products they buy in more direct, personal ways.

NCR and its 'c-tailing' revolution

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The company's new approach is as much a philosophy of retail as it is a suite of hardware and software.

Are Your Offerings Competitive?

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

New report spells out importance of multichannel marketing

July 18, 2010

New research launched this week by the Australian Centre for Retail Studies (ACRS) suggests that retailers could miss out on enormous sales opportunities if…

Report: Gadget, clothing sales to trend up for back-to-school

July 18, 2010

PriceGrabber, a division of Experian, has released its Back-to-School Shopping Consumer Behavior Report, which was conducted between May 12 and June 1, 2010…

Generosity

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

The core behaviors of any business have a lot to do with their fundamental beliefs around generosity.  For some, generosity is a core value.  For others, it's…

Visa, NRF work to reduce storage of vulnerable payment card data

July 15, 2010

According to a press release, Visa Inc. has launched a global effort to reduce unnecessary storage of sensitive card information in merchant payment systems.

GfK Future Buy study unveils 'XTreme shoppers'

July 14, 2010

GfK Consumer, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, has announced highlights from Future Buy, its first annual integrated study of shopping…

Report: Back-to-school spending is up

July 14, 2010

Having outgrown shoes, shirts and even the backpacks they’ve used the last two years, children heading back to school this year will arrive in style. The…

No, Your Customer Can't Put Off the Purchase!

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

If you can't find the energy to explain why waiting is not an option, you'll never make a sale in this economy. And the more expensive the item is that you…

NRF: June retail sales a mixed bag

July 13, 2010

June retail sales were more of a mixed bag than a solid indicator of the direction of consumer spending. According to the National Retail Federation, June…

Top ten people who influence American shoppers

Influential figures from entertainment, business and politics are promoting the era of "mindful spending."

Ready for the hook plus line and sinker in the store?

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

I needed to buy a down pillow. That’s how it started. I needed something softer than the hard, bouncy pillow I’d been sleeping on for months, so I thought…