How to cultivate long-term loyalty

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

I used to go to the same Chinese Restaurant weekly growing up. My family celebrated birthdays, graduations, and other fun celebrations at this restaurant.

Access does not equal value

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

A professional recently told me that he'd merged his firm with a larger firm. Then he went on to say that he'd sent his clients a letter stating that the fees…

European hypermarket Auchan adopts RFID to track produce

October 4, 2011

Orange Business Services is providing Auchan Group, the 12th largest food retail group in the world, a real-time tracking solution to monitor the complete…

Tanga puts Etsy in its sights with craft site BelleChic

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The daily deal retailer known for its sense of humor is reaching out to handmade goods shoppers with a new online store.

Mobile Payments Today publishes state-of-the-industry report

October 4, 2011

Retail Customer Experience sister site Mobile Payments Today has published its inaugural State of the Industry Report, a survey of both consumers and financial…

McLaren opens flagship showroom in London

On June 21, McLaren Automotive opened the doors to its first global retailer, McLaren London. By the end of this year, McLaren will have 35 bespoke retailers…

The declining need for, and escalating value of, human service

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Technology has been steadily reducing the number of human service interactions we require in an average day. For at least the last decade, the list of what we…

What Facebook's 'Want' button means for retailers

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Facebook is adding a WANT button in addition to other interface changes. Knowing what shoppers want before they buy it is a big deal for everyone.

The Container Store launches gift registry

October 3, 2011

The Container Store, retailer of storage and organization products, has introduced its Gift Registry, www.containerstore.com/registry, which will allow…

Price Chopper selects Mercatus Smart Shopping tech

October 3, 2011

Mercatus USA, a software development company delivering cross-channel marketing capabilities to the retail industry, has announced a multi-year deal with Price…

After Missoni, what's next for Target: Obama favorite Jason Wu

October 3, 2011

With the last of the Missoni for Target products making their way off store shelves, the retailer has announced its next big-name fashion lure: Jason Wu.

Video: Inside the new T-Mobile store design

The retailer is adopting a 'European store model' at 400 locations this year.

PayPal to open Manhattan pop-up store to highlight its offline offerings

October 3, 2011

According to TechCrunch, PayPal is looking to open a temporary "pop up" store in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood next month. The article says the…

New tech lets retailers give head-to-toe virtual makeovers

Application lets shoppers see how they will look in specific outfits and makeup configurations.

A lesson in customer service

by Jim Joseph — President, Lippe Taylor

I just got a text the other day that many of us hope never happens: the guy who has cut my hair for years is leaving the salon. Oh no!

Enhanced customer service increases retail sales

by Laurel Tielis — Author and Professional Speaker, Laurel Tielis & Associates

The best thing you can say about the economy, is that it's shaky. Prices are up for everything–from groceries to gasoline. The unemployed are looking for…

The 2011 holiday outlook for specialty stores

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

With Black Friday less than two months away, it's time to take a look at this year's holiday predictions. Here are some recent headlines about the upcoming…

Macy's heard it on the radio

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

If Macy's isn't carrying enough of your size, it isn't for lack of trying.

Whole Foods in Napa installs folding glass walls

At the new Whole Foods Market in Napa, the design team's goal was to create a warm, intimate, inviting, natural, indoor/outdoor environment. The use of…

Starbucks plugs up electricity for some

Some stores are covering electrical outlets, to discourage lengthy laptop visits.