Why retailers need to keep a laser focus on the customer

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

I spent the first 15 years of my retail career in operations, i.e. working in and ultimately managing stores. Those years gave me invaluable first-hand…

Your price is too high!

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

These words strike fear into the hearts of CEOs and salespeople like no others. The reality is that this is the one statement we should long to hear. Why?

To create mobile shopping traction, retailers should think beyond payment

SAP study finds that most U.S. consumers use smartphones and tablets for research, but not final purchases.

Online shopping up 8 percent in the week before Valentine's Day

February 14, 2014

IBM today released new data from its Digital Analytics Benchmark to capture online shopping trends during the week leading up to Valentine's Day 2014 (Feb. 7 …

MarketLive launches new partner program MarketLive Connect

February 14, 2014

Commerce platform MarketLive has announced MarketLive Connect, a partner network of technology providers who contribute a wide range of commerce solutions to…

IBM unveils 'Ready for Smarter Commerce' tech ecosystem

February 14, 2014

At this week's PartnerWorld Leadership Conference, IBM unveiled the "Ready for Smarter Commerce" program, a new ecosystem that it says gives clients access to…

IDC publishes 'maturity model' for big data and retail

February 13, 2014

IDC Retail Insights has announced a new report, "Business Strategy: IDC Maturity Model Benchmark – Big Data and Analytics in Retail in North America," which…

NRF: Severe winter weather cripples retail sales

February 13, 2014

Consumers leveled off post-holiday shopping and spending in the beginning of the year due in part to severe winter weather in much of the country. According to…

Merchant Warehouse supports Isis SmartTap in Boston

February 13, 2014

Merchant Warehouse, a provider of payment technologies and merchant services, has announced it is bringing Isis SmartTap capabilities to the point-of-sale…

Consumer spending slowed in January

February 13, 2014

First Data Corporation has released its First Data SpendTrend analysis for Jan.1, 2014, through Jan. 31, 2013, compared to Jan. 1 2013, through Jan. 31, 2013.

Sears offering curbside pick-up

February 12, 2014

Sears has announced that it is offering customers the ability to place mobile orders for products and receive them at the store within five minutes, without…

Five tips to make the most of your Valentine's Day retail experience

Only 54 percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, compared to 60 percent last year.

POPAI releases 2014 Mass Merchant Study results

February 12, 2014

Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) announced it is officially releasing its 2014 Mass Merchant Study, a continuation of their Shopper…

Children's clothing retailer uses RFID to reduce online out-of-stocks

February 12, 2014

Coccinelle, a high-end children's clothing retailer, announced it is now optimizing its inventory accuracy using RFID, resulting in a decrease of more than 6…

NGA reveals Creative Choice Awards 'Best of Show' winners

February 12, 2014

The National Grocers Association has announced its Creative Choice Awards "Best of Show" winners in the Marketing and Merchandising categories at a special…

Customer loyalty test: Will your customer evangelize your business?

by Shep Hyken — CAO, Shepard Presentations

The term "loyalty" usually brings to mind a long period of time … in other words, a lifetime customer. However, when I teach the concept of loyalty, I like to…

Revel Systems POS platform adds Bitcoin integration

February 12, 2014

Revel Systems, an iPad POS provider, has added Bitcoin integration to its platform. Now, users of the Revel POS can accept bitcoins as payment, giving their…

H&M Conscious Foundation donates $9.3 million for clean water in schools

February 11, 2014

The H&M Conscious Foundation and the international non-profit WaterAid launched today a new global partnership for safe water and toilets in schools that…

Retail imports expected to drop in typically slow February

February 11, 2014

Import volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to drop 8.4 percent in February from the same time last year as the shipping cycle…

Volusion platform unveils integration with Stripe

February 11, 2014

Volusion Inc. has announced a new integration with Stripe for the Volusion platform, which is designed to offer its small to medium-sized merchants an…