Interbrand Design Forum ranks most valuable U.S. retail brands

March 10, 2010

Retail brand consultants Interbrand Design Forum today released the Most Valuable U.S. Retail Brands report, the second ranking of the top 50 retail brands.

Muzak launches sensory branding agency

March 9, 2010

Muzak, a leading provider of music, messaging and digital signage services for businesses, announced Touch, an exclusive new experience design and sensory…

52. RFID in retail

Item-level tagging of products is one of retail’s many Holy Grails; it has certainly been the center of both hope and speculation for years now, and the desire…

Cell phone sticker for contactless payments wins award

March 8, 2010

Convego Air Mobile, a sticker for contactless payment from Giesecke & Devrient (G&D), was a winner at this year’s CIT Golden Card awards in the…

Report: Retailers must adapt to 'conscious, practical consumerism'

March 8, 2010

With new shopping behavior data and demographic trends indicating that an enduring shift has taken place as a result of the recent economic downturn, retailers…

Christopher & Banks launches multichannel loyalty program

March 8, 2010

Christopher & Banks Corp., a specialty retailer of women's clothing, announced in a news release the launch of its Friendship Rewards loyalty program…

Turning retail into a game

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

"Entertainment shopping" can be fun for shoppers and profitable for retailers, but it can also ignite controversy.

Retail Customer Experience: Change or Die

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

To compete in 2010 you've got to ask the hard questions and then find the answers. Generations of Americans have owned their own jewelry store and generations…

Mobile Monday: Overstock.com

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A clever scratch-off feature isn't enough to salvage this thin offering.

Is Discounting Ever Appropriate?

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

In-flight retail facing turbulence

March 4, 2010

On paper, it's a brilliant idea – take real-time retailing to the skies, arming flight attendants with card-swipe terminals so travelers don't have to wait…

Jesta unveils multichannel software module

March 4, 2010

Jesta I.S. Inc., a supplier of business solutions for the soft goods and specialty markets, has announced the extension of its Vision Suite to support…

Ten retail IT predictions for 2010

At the heart of the coming year is a focus on the "new shopper."

53. High-tech dressing rooms

Dressing rooms are critical to the customer experience, as purchasing decisions may be made or broken by a customer’s perception of herself in an outfit.

HP edges Kodak kiosks out of Walmart stores

March 3, 2010

Hewlett-Packard Co. just gave rival printer giant Eastman Kodak Co. a swift kick in the shins, according to MarketWatch.com.HP’s "Prints in Minutes" photo…

Best Buy's video-on-demand service 'coming out soon'

March 3, 2010

Entertainment-starved consumers will soon have another option for their instant gratification fix: According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Best Buy…

NCR Netkey enhances digital signage software

March 3, 2010

NCR Corp. has announced in a new release that its NCR Netkey digital signage solution, designed to help companies connect better with their customers by…

Vigix rolling out vending kiosks

by Christopher Hall — writer, self

The company is confident the system it is calling the "first true vending kiosk" will be a showstopper.

54. Multichannel integration

The average customer may not be able to articulate the concept, but he wants it to be the case anyway: All facets of a retailer should be seamlessly…

The evolution of private labels at retail

Half of consumers now say they seek out private brands over traditional ones.