Eight in 10 retailers to end standard shipping deadlines before Dec. 20

December 18, 2013

It's the final stretch for holiday shoppers, and retailers are preparing for the ultimate shipping rush that's very likely to occur in the coming days.

Marketing budgets focused on increased customer engagement in 2014

December 18, 2013

New research from StrongView shows that marketers plan to increase their budgets on activities that increase customer engagement in 2014. However, according to…

Saying no, thank you, to bad customer relations

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Consumers today are accustomed to earning points for their purchases, but coins for being courteous? How Nice.

Retailer John Lewis rolls out new in-store tech for the holidays

December 18, 2013

The upscale retailer John Lewis, which operates 43 department stores throughout the U.K., has announced three new in-store technology initiatives it is taking…

Eyeing omnichannel growth, Macy's to build major new fulfillment center

December 18, 2013

Macy's has announced it will build a major new direct-to-consumer fulfillment center near Owasso, a city in Tulsa County, Okla., to support continued sales…

Declaring that you are omni-channel does not make it so

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

You have to be living under a rock if you haven't seen the seismic shift in consumer shopping patterns. While US retailer stores did OK on Black Friday…

Amazon rumored to acquire mobile payments startup Gopago

December 17, 2013

Italian media is reporting that Amazon has moved to expand its mobile presence by acquiring the mobile payments startup Gopago. The Silicon Valley-based firm…

Kohl's, JCPenney, Nordstrom top Google's 2013 most-searched apparel brands and retailers list

December 17, 2013

Google's Zeitgeist feature, which lets users browse dozens of different interactive lists that detail online activity, offers up this year-end list of the…

Heavy snowstorm brought down retail traffic, sales last week

December 17, 2013

The time to procrastinate is nearly over for holiday shoppers. ShopperTrak, the world's largest counter and analyzer of retail shopper traffic, reported GAFO …

Baroque Japan Limited uses ambient scent for product launch

December 17, 2013

Tokyo-based Baroque Japan Limited, operator of more than 340 apparel and accessories stores in Asia, has introduced "Azul by Moussy-in the spotlight," a line…

Four customer experience management predictions for 2014

Geofencing, A/B testing in real life are on the way in the coming months.

New Sears TV spot emphasizes that the retailer 'always has parking'

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

I understand what they're getting at here, and by the end of this recent 30-second bit the point is made. Kinda. Maybe.

Univ. of Arkansas researchers develop risk assessment tool for mobile POS

December 17, 2013

The researchers studied 26 different retail scenarios and found that there is no "one size fits all" system.

Selfridges takes product photography operation in-house

December 17, 2013

Selfridges has taken its entire online photography operation in-house to improve customer experience and boost the efficiency of its imaging process, the…

Half of holiday shoppers plan to wrap up lists online, highest in NRF survey history

December 17, 2013

According to NRF's latest holiday survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, nearly half (49.9 percent) of holiday shoppers indicate they plan to do…

Four differences between U.S. and European loyalty programs

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

My dollar may be worth just 70 cents in Europe, but my loyalty rewards, and lessons, run in the multiples.

Google Shopping exec on Diane von Furstenberg, using Hangouts for online retailing

December 16, 2013

At the recent launch event for the fourth-annual PSFK Future of Retail Report, Laura Jones, product marketing manager for Google Shopping, spoke about a recent…

Retail haggling is making a comeback

December 16, 2013

NBC News reports that this holiday season, retailers are seeing the return of a practice once mainly relegated to single-location stores, flea markets and…

Study says 'Internet of Things' installed base will grow to 26 billion units by 2020

December 16, 2013

The Internet of Things, which excludes PCs, tablets and smartphones, will grow to 26 billion units installed in 2020, representing an almost 30-fold increase…

British jeweler Beaverbrooks launches new e-commerce site

December 16, 2013

Hybris software, an SAP company, has announced that U.K. high-street jeweler Beaverbrooks has launched its new e-commerce website, www.beaverbrooks.co.uk…