Four myths of the marketplace

by Harvey Mackay — Author, Mackay Mitchell

1. We don’t have any competition.

Multichannel and showrooming helped retailers that did it right

November 27, 2012

Booz & Co. chief retail analyst Thom Blischok said Monday on CNBC that retail companies did well if they successfully integrated their online and…

Black Friday foot traffic went up while one-day sales declined

November 27, 2012

Black Friday data shows that foot traffic in stores rose 3.5 percent over Black Friday 2011 while sales saw a 1.8 percent decline from Black Friday 2011. Why…

New survey app rewards consumers as it tracks their behavior

November 27, 2012

TrendSource Inc., a market research company, announced the launch of an interactive mobile survey app, wINput (Win By Giving Your Input), which is now…

Cyber Monday shopping hits all time high

November 27, 2012

Holiday shoppers turned Cyber Monday into the biggest spending day ever with online sales growing 30.3 percent over the same period last year, according to…

Best Buy invests 50,000 hours in employee training on Windows 8

The radical new operating system is leading to the kind of products that people need to see and touch.

The allure of low prices

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

I missed the irony on my first read of the email in which a marketing firm talked about pricing. The second reading left me laughing. It never ceases to…

Opinion: Online retail has taken billions in tax revenue from states

November 26, 2012

An opinion piece on Politico by Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas takes aim at online retailers. Womack believes that online retail has created a fundamental…

Early promotions get credit for Thanksgiving online sales

November 26, 2012

According to analytics findings from IBM, U.S. shoppers once again took advantage of early promotions this holiday season, driving a 17.4 percent increase in…

Cyber Monday could see record number of shoppers

November 26, 2012

Cyber Monday is here, and if a survey for Shop.org by BIGinsight is correct, more than 129 million shoppers will turn to the Web today to search out retailer…

Using the smartphone 'key' to get to shoppers' wallets

by Christopher Hall — w, t

A survey highlights the importance of smartphones this holiday season and how in-store media can activate smartphone shoppers.

Tips for a safe and profitable Black Friday

From staffing and stocking to security, crowd management, and safety, the responsibilities are far-reaching.

Australian retail marketing scheme Click Frenzy becomes #clickfail

November 21, 2012

It was supposed to be the biggest online shopping event of the year down under, Australia's answer to Black Friday. But Tuesday evening's Click Frenzy event…

Baccarat opening new flagship store in New York

November 21, 2012

Baccarat is set to unveil its newest flagship store in New York City in May 2013 ahead of the iconic brand's upcoming 250th anniversary. Located at 635 Madison…

Delivering loyalty: Ten lessons learned From Zappos.com

Zappos.com is more than an electronic shoe store. It is a community that happens to put you in a pair of great-looking shoes.

Autonomy vs. standards: in business, customer service and the customer experience

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

As a business keynote speaker, I spend a lot of time speaking about the need for employee autonomy in customer service and business operations in general. And…

Survey reveals consumers open to mobile payments at POS

November 20, 2012

According to a joint national survey conducted by Sybase 365 and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), mobile devices are playing a more crucial role than…

Paraprosdokian phrases for life, and retailing today

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Perhaps Yogi had it right all along: Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

Organizers cancel CETW 2013 Vegas show, focus solely on NYC

by Christopher Hall — w, t

Growing the NYC show will be the priority of CETW organizers in 2013.

Philips Retail Solutions creates immersive customer experience at Amsterdam airport

November 20, 2012

In what is being called a "multi-sensory shopping experience" by Philips Retail Solutions, design changes made to the shops at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport…