GameStop is safe (for now): PlayStation 4 won't block used games

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The multi-billion-dollar video game industry is currently between generations — that is, most of the major hardware manufacturers haven't put out a new machine…

Retail survival will require both consumer and product centricity

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

The term "consumer-centric" has been bandied about in retail a lot recently. What does it really mean to be a consumer centric retailer? Obviously, it means to…

Overlooked benefits of price analysis

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

A common misconception about pricing is that it’s all about establishing the price. In a recent project my client and I improved their margin by 56 percent…

NRF: Voice feedback tool from Saygent

February 21, 2013

At this year's NRF show, representatives from Saygent were demonstrating their new voice feedback tool, which aims to capture customer sentiment and feedback…

Commentary: The impact of checkout time on customer service perception

The time a customer spends waiting in line can dramatically impact their perception of the service they receive on the whole.

Do your customers say they love you?

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

Are customers saying they love you?  At yelp, epinions, Twitter and hundreds of websites every day, customers who are treated well are not bashful about…

Retailers experiment with Vine video app

February 20, 2013

Retailers are discovering that Vine, Twitter's six-second video-sharing app, is a new way to interact with customers. According to an article on…

At NRF this year, tablets were everywhere

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Mobile in-store tech is the next big thing, if this year's exhibits were any indication.

Bank of America's CEO: Brave or naive?

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

I have seen so many proclamations like the one Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America sent to his 270,000 employees recently stating they needed to improve…

NRF: Foresee talks about the importance of multichannel

February 19, 2013

At this year's NRF show, Larry Freed, president and CEO of Foresee discusses the increasingly multichannel behavior of shoppers, including some findings from a…

Best Buy to join the price-match party

February 18, 2013

Best Buy has announced that it will officially throw its hat into the permanent price-matching ring, Reuters reported. Beginning on March 3 the electronics…

Google will open physical retail stores by year's end

February 18, 2013

According to an "extremely reliable source," 9to5google.com confirmed suspicions that Google plans to open physical retail stores by the end of the year, just…

Meet the Marionettebot (Video)

February 18, 2013

Moving mannequins are no longer limited to the reality of a classic 80s movie. At United Arrows' largest apparel store in Tokyo, technology from a Kinect…

Customer service will transform your business ... starting today

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

Customer service–exceptional, consistent, customer-centered service–can transform your business more quickly than nearly any other advantage.

The future of the retail store

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Retail is dead! At least, that’s how Marc Andreessen sees it. The entrepreneur and tech investor was recently quoted saying that all physical retail stores…

Video demo: Motorola's MP6000 bioptic imaging checkout

February 18, 2013

At this year's NRF show, representatives from Motorola were on hand to demonstrate the company's new multi-plane bioptic imager, the MP6000 scanner. According…

NCR at NRF: presenting the mobile shopper

NCR demoed their mobile shopper app for Mobile Payments Today contributing editor Cherryh Butler for sister site Retail Customer Experience at this year's NRF…

NEC talks new touch-enabled LED edge-lit digital signage display (Video)

February 15, 2013

NEC Display Solutions of America's Rich Ventura talked new retail solutions, inclulding NEC's new V552 LED edge-lit mid-range commercial display that can be…

IKEA's Valentine offer: Free cribs for babies born 9 months from now

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 15, 2013

Here's a retail marketing campaign with a real sense of humor: On Valentine's Day, IKEA ran ads in Australian newspapers offering a free crib to any baby born…

How to use customer data to plan store layouts

Consumer data can give insight on how to boost the bottom line with simple store design improvements.