The best time for online Black Friday shopping? Wednesday night

November 18, 2014

The online versions of these sales typically start many hours earlier and in some cases days before.

Digital signage opening the door to GlobalShop 2015

November 18, 2014

Show deploying digital signage entranceway to underscore the role interactive display technology is playing in shaping the future of retail design.

Amazon increases product listings 43 percent heading into holidays

November 18, 2014

Amazon added four times as many SKUs to its website between July and September as it did in the entire first half of 2014.

Social shopping network Retailcommon available now in the US

November 17, 2014

Among the U.S. retailers to use the service at launch are Macy's, Kenneth Cole, Athleta and Payless Shoesource.

Survey says 40 percent of US shoppers feel pressured to overspend this holiday season

November 17, 2014

Among parents with children under the age of 18, this pressure is even greater with 53 percent feeling pressured to overspend.

Virtual currencies: bitcoin and beyond [infographic]

An array of virtual currencies are making their presence known.

While others discount, Amazon raises prices on Cyber Monday

November 17, 2014

In the 2013 holiday season, while Amazon discounted the most on Black Friday, it then raised prices the most for Cyber Monday.

Whole Foods testing new interactive tech in Georgia store

November 17, 2014

The installations create an informative, entertaining and streamlined shopping experience, including connecting shoppers more closely to the farmers who…

LivingSocial adds communication platform for merchants

November 17, 2014

LivingSocial has launched Connect, a communications toolkit for merchants to engage and build relationships with customers acquired through its platform.

Don't inadvertently uninspire your employees

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

Building up your store associates is critical, but so too is not tearing them down.

Trade association set to host mobile payments session in DC

November 14, 2014

The Merchants Payments Coalition wants to educate Congress members and their staffs about upcoming innovations in payments.

Holiday shoppers not afraid to buy as Halloween leads strong October spending

November 13, 2014

A Friday Halloween spurred early holiday spending; leisure spending growth is up 4.6 percent; credit and debit spending show healthy increases over September.

Research suggests online retailers lose sales through irrelevant promotions, poor follow-up

November 13, 2014

Survey underscores retail's disconnects: Three quarters of online retailers promote irrelevant products, while others fail to build customer relationships that…

Survey says: 9 out of 10 have been frustrated by self-service tech

November 13, 2014

Many customers report being frustrated by self-service technology; is human interaction still the key to getting customer service right?

Holiday shoppers set to spend more than $31B on gift cards this year

November 13, 2014

According to NRF survey, more than half of buyers cite practicality as reason to buy gift cards as gifts.

Versatile Credit kiosks and Crest Financial to 'simplify' credit app for retailers

November 13, 2014

Draper, Utah-based "no credit needed" financing company Crest Financial has announced a partnership with financial kiosk provider Versatile Credit in an effort…

Rebecca Minkoff debuts first interactive store

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The luxury brand is debuting its new store, featuring "connected walls" and high-tech dressing rooms.

Networld Media Group to launch Virtual Currency Summit in Boston, April 2015

November 12, 2014

Renowned economic strategist Bruce Fenton, Managing Director of Atlantic Financial, has been confirmed as a featured Summit speaker.

One-third of Americans changing their savings plan to spend more this holiday season

November 12, 2014

According to the Holiday Spending and Savings Study conducted by financial services firm Edward Jones, 35 percent of Americans plan to shift their saving and…

Shopping activity rebounded slightly in October, but not enough for year-over-year growth

November 12, 2014

Traffic increased only marginally compared to last year, despite a much better macro-economic environment than last October, and repeat visits were down…