Life Fitness takes personal approach to shopping

November 23, 2008

SCHILLER PARK, Ill. — Step into an Apple store or a neighborhood Whole Foods and consumers are greeted with texture, color and movement that's highly sensory.

Study: Retailers underperforming on customer service

November 20, 2008

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — eGain Communications Corp., provider of multichannel customer service and knowledge management software, published its 200…

'Internet of things' will connect products, people

November 20, 2008

RFID Journal: CASAGRAS (Coordination and Support Action for Global RFID-related Activities and Standardization), an 18-month E.U.-funded project being carried…

Eyewear retailer features smart mirrors, environment simulator

November 20, 2008

SAN MATEO, Calif. — N3L Optics announced the grand opening of its sport performance sunglass store at Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, Calif. today. N3L Optics…

Convenience still the top reason people shop online

November 20, 2008

Adweek: American consumers will continue to shift their gift buying online this holiday season, citing convenience, time saving and price, according to…

Cellfire wins mobile marketing innovation award

November 20, 2008

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cellfire Inc., a nationwide mobile coupon and discount offer service, was honored by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) with the MMA…

NEC receives 2008 global digital signage award from Frost & Sullivan

November 19, 2008

CHICAGO — NEC Display Solutions of America, a provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, announced it is the recipient of the 2008 Frost &…

Smart carts coming to Food Lion

November 18, 2008

Progressive Grocer: Food Lion banner Bloom plans to deploy interactive touchscreen computer consoles on the shopping carts at its Fort Mill, N.C. store to…

Sephora chooses RedPrairie for warehouse management

November 18, 2008

MILWAUKEE — RedPrairie Corp. announced today its Warehouse Management solution is running in cosmetics retailer Sephora's new Salt Lake City distribution…

More shoppers choosing private-label products

November 18, 2008

Progressive Grocer: Private-label products are increasingly encroaching on name brands' turf, as a majority of U.S. consumers are viewing store-brand items…

DVDPlay installs kiosks in Hawaii

November 18, 2008

CAMPBELL, Calif. — DVDPlay Inc., a DVD rental kiosk operator and entertainment technology company, announced its expansion to Oahu, Hawaii and Maui, bringing…

Autologic, NCR bring RFID to the car dealership

November 17, 2008

DAYTON, Ohio — NCR Corporation and Toronto-based Autologic Innovations have partnered to offer the automotive dealership industry in Canada an innovative…

HP turnkey POS aimed at smaller retailers

November 17, 2008

PALO ALTO, Calif. — HP is making it even easier for small and independent retailers to purchase POS solutions for their businesses with today's introduction…

Gift card balances are covered, FDIC says

November 16, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the entity that guarantees bank deposits, has issued an opinion stating that funds on gift cards and…

Sears brings back layaway

November 16, 2008

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears announced it will offer layaway on a wide selection of merchandise. The program was made available to shoppers on Sunday, Nov.

Leaked memo: Best Buy redoubling customer service efforts in wake of slowing sales

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

November 16, 2008

With fear of a global recession casting a shadow over much of retail, one major player is using that fear as an opportunity to motivate staff and improve its…

77% of consumers say they've gone green

November 13, 2008

Adweek: The drive to sustainability is having a broad effect on consumers, with three in four defining themselves as "green," according to a new study.

J.C. Penney, Sears get aggressive on gift cards for holiday season

November 13, 2008

New York Times: J.C. Penney plans to devote part of its holiday campaign to reassuring shoppers about the redeemability of its gift cards, much the same way…

Retailers tap into shoppers' psyches with sentimental sales pitches

November 12, 2008

Washington Post: The economic downturn is rattling U.S. shoppers as their wallets shrink and credit dries up. Retailers, who just reported their worst October…

Grocers cash in as Americans eat cheap

November 12, 2008

Forbes: Food costs have fallen in recent months, but the stalling economy has kept price the top concern for consumers. For many grocery stores, that's been a…