Amazon is planning a music streaming service for Prime subscribers

May 30, 2014

Consumers have gotten used to the business model pioneered by companies such as Spotify — you can listen as much as you want to all of the music in their huge…

China’s Rainbow Department Store chain pilots self-checkout tech, UK's Tesco trials high-speed self-checkout

May 30, 2014

NCR has won a contract for a self-checkout pilot project from China’s Rainbow Department Store chain, according to a company announcement. After an initial…

Coinstar sweepstakes to celebrate one billionth transaction

May 30, 2014

Coinstar announced it will soon celebrate its one billionth transaction. To date, Coinstar said it has processed 649,963,558,659 coins, weighing approximately…

The one thing about Big Data that retailers aren't talking about enough

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The collection of consumer data is not just transactional – there is an emotional component that is being ignored.

Amazon launches collectible coin store

May 29, 2014

Amazon has announced the launch of its Collectible Coins store, a marketplace that it says gives customers direct access to more than 10,000 unique U.S. coins…

Target forms new Digital Advisory Council

May 29, 2014

Target Corp. announced it has formed a Digital Advisory Council. According to the company, the panel of technology industry leaders will help guide Target's…

Access to the world via public Internet kiosks

by Kisha Wilson — Marketing Manager, SlabbKiosks

Public internet kiosks can be customized or standard, and can be ruggedized in order to accommodate the demands of heavy usage.

Survey says shoppers want 'more personal, less personalization'

May 29, 2014

A new "Truth About Shopping" study explores global consumer attitudes and behavior related to all areas of shopping today, including online, mobile and…

European study says mobile shopping driving impulse buys

May 29, 2014

The growth in smartphone usage is driving impulse purchases, according to a new Europe-wide study of mobile usage conducted by global financial group ING.

Pricing lessons from the 2014 Corvette

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

If you’re serious about wanting to increase demand for your products, raise your prices and limit the supply.

Eighty percent of consumers believe total data privacy no longer exists

May 28, 2014

The vast majority (80 percent) of consumers aged 20-40 in the United States and the United Kingdom believe total privacy in the digital world is a thing of the…

Study shows Millennials prefer malls to online shopping

May 28, 2014

OpinionLab has released a new study that provides a snapshot of Millennials as they shop in malls and stores across the country. The study analyzes Millennials…

Whole Foods’ paycheck may hinge on prices

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

People buy at Whole Foods because it stands for more than food, so simply dropping prices doesn’t solve its perception issue.

Checkpoint Systems launches new EAS tools

May 27, 2014

Checkpoint Systems Inc., a global supplier of merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry, has announced the launch of the next generation of…

SAP unveils multichannel tool for apparel retailers

May 27, 2014

SAP AG has announced its SAP Fashion Management application, which the company says was developed in collaboration with leading fashion brands and retailers…

Engineers develop facial-recognition product using NFC

May 26, 2014

A group of engineers and designers from Logic PD created a point-of-sale facial recognition system that uses NFC to help combat card fraud during a recent…

Michaels partnering with museums for in-store summer programs

May 23, 2014

Michaels announced it has teamed with seven leading North American museums to create Passport to Imagination 2014, a low-cost, in-store summer program where…

Vandalism forces removal of giant automated convenience store

May 23, 2014

A giant vending machine located on the Omaha side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge linking Omaha to Nebraska has been removed after being repeatedly…

Nearly one in two U.K. shoppers need help with self-service checkout

May 23, 2014

Nearly one in two U.K. supermarket shoppers say they regularly need help when using self-service checkouts, a survey by independent U.K. market research firm…

Trend: Online retailers discover value in having stores

Companies that began as pure-play online retailers are discovering the power of having physical stores to build their brand.