Buying customer loyalty: Does it ever work?

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

Can we really buy customer loyalty? If not, what are we really buying?To answer these questions we need to define loyalty. Loyal customers:

Top 100: 61. Office Max

Office Max has been struggling to compete with online retailers such as Amazon and big box stores such as Staples, but saw third-quarter profits more than…

Nordstrom interactive window display encourages customers to 'touch the glass'

April 5, 2011

According to Nordstrom's blog, the retailer’s Seattle flagship store is featuring an interactive window display using Microsoft’s hands-free Kinect controller…

Tagsys introduces RFID item-tracking system

April 5, 2011

According to RFID-Ready.com, Tagsys, a provider of item-level RFID infrastructure, has announced the introduction of FiTS (Fashion Item Tracking System), a…

Disney Store opens new concept stores in Canada, wins bronze at 2011 Edison Awards

April 5, 2011

Disney Store opened two concept stores in Canada today at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, ON, and at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC. Both…

Yowza!! wins bronze at 2011 Edison Best New Products Awards

April 5, 2011

Free mobile couponing app Yowza!! has won a Bronze Award at the 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards. Yowza!! is a winner in the Innovative Services category…

Chicago Transit Authority attempting to fill retail spaces in subway tunnels

April 4, 2011

According to The Chicago Tribune, a change in a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) ordinance will permit expanded retail shopping offerings throughout its subway…

Sears Holdings Corp. expands partnership with Creative Channel Services

April 4, 2011

Creative Channel Services (CCS), a retail marketing agency, has announced that it will expand its partnership with Sears Holdings Corp. by providing the…

Helios running Acquire in Europe’s largest shopping mall

Both kiosks and digital signs are using Acquire in more than 40 systems in three major shopping malls in Turkey.

Impinj announces item-level RFID components for retail, supply chain

April 4, 2011

Impinj Inc., a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology provider, today announced the launch of two components for implementing item-level RFID across…

Developing a technology strategy to support multichannel content

The Internet is now "the new staging ground for personalized marketing."

Opinion: Forget about selling on Facebook for now

One expert suggests that the market for retailers on the social network is actually miniscule.

Domino's UK teams up with eBay Advertising

April 4, 2011

Domino's Pizza U.K. has partnered up with eBay Advertising to target consumers within specific delivery zones via geo-targeting.

Top 100: 63. Starbucks

During the Great Recession, Starbucks found itself bruised by rising costs and the cannibalizing effects of years of overexpansion in an economic climate that…

Top 100: 62. RFID in retail

If the developers of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have their way, grocery store checkout lines will soon be a thing of the past. RFID technology…

Shinsegae department store, South Korea

CBX, strategic branding and retail design consultancy, announced that its Seoul, South Korea-based JMCBX Division is working towards the completion of the…

Junction Solutions launches new on-demand multichannel retail solution

April 3, 2011

According to SYS-CON Media, Junction Solutions, a provider of vertical, market-specific on-premise and on-demand software applications and services for the…

New 500,000-sq. ft. Shinsegae department store design opens in South Korea

April 3, 2011

With the first phase of its design unveiled late last year, CBX, the strategic branding and retail design consultancy, has announced that its Seoul, South…

Best Buy, TiVo, Walgreens affected by weekend hackers

April 3, 2011

According to The Los Angeles Times, Best Buy Co., TiVo Inc. and Walgreen Co. have reported security breaches, joining Kroger Co. and JPMorgan Chase &…

Luxury Isn't Social

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

I've read a number of articles recently commenting on the conspicuous lack of social marketing in the luxury sector. While it's also true that participation in…