Why it's time to retire the concept of generations

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

For marketers, labeling a target market as "millennials" or "boomers" makes as much sense as grouping all the Capricorns together and targeting them.

What did you miss at #CONNECTsummit14? Check out the highlights

#CONNECTsummit14 included mobile innovation leaders from across the spectrum: tech, restaurant, retail.

Understanding the lifetime value of a loyal customer

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

It is a business practice so long-standing it is practically a cliché. Companies fall all over themselves to woo new customers, but once they get them, they…

More than half of Americans are unhappy with their loyalty programs

September 17, 2014

Ninety-three percent of U.S. consumers said the type of reward offered is a “very important” or “somewhat important” factor in their decisions to join a…

Study: QuikTrip, Wawa named favorite convenience stores

September 17, 2014

Other regional players such as Sheetz, RaceTrac and Speedway also earned high enough scores to land in the top five.

More than 60 percent of consumers are increasing their online shopping activity

September 15, 2014

The SmartFocus survey also reveals a significant age-related gap in digital shopping preferences. Nearly half of all millennials spend more time shopping…

Report says August retail spending growth strongest in 13 months

September 12, 2014

Leisure spending is at a six-month high; late-season travel, back-to-school spending propel growth.

August retail sales increased 0.5 percent

September 12, 2014

When combined with revisions to July, August sales indicate a consistent improvement in consumer confidence and spending but run contrary to August's…

The four different types of specialty retail associates

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

How your employees can gawk, stalk, talk or rock the retail sales experience.

ICSC says momentum for marketplace fairness at an all-time high

September 10, 2014

Seven in ten Americans support legislation requiring sales tax collection at the time of purchase. This represents an increase of six percentage points since…

Independent grocers hold ground in tough fiscal year 2013

September 10, 2014

The National Grocers Association and FMS Solutions today released the results of their joint 2014 Independent Grocers Financial Survey, covering fiscal year…

Report says that for first time, online shoppers primarily interact with brands via mobile

September 8, 2014

In August 2014, mobile devices generated 51 percent of all online retail visits, the majority of which occurred on Apple devices. In 2010, only four percent of…

Mastering customer retention using data

According to global consulting firm Bain & Company, it costs six to seven times more for an organization to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one.

IBM unveils back-to-school online shopping numbers

September 8, 2014

Overall, U.S. retail online sales for August were up more than 11 percent as compared to the same period last year.

Nearly a quarter of shoppers choose to go to a competitor due to dissatisfaction with their retail experience

September 8, 2014

46 percent of shoppers who have unsatisfactory retail experiences do not let the retailer know and almost a quarter of these opt to shop at a competitor when…

Mobile payments must be relevant, useful, study confirms

September 5, 2014

Young adults are especially interested in wearable mobile technologies that they can use for banking and making payments.

Study: Prepaid card users highly likely to adopt mobile payments

September 4, 2014

The greater the number of features -- such as mobile payments -- associated with a card, the greater the likelihood of customer retention.

Walmart's web efforts leave much in store

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Walmart created some buzz when it announced plans to personalize its online shopping experience, but the news failed to address the white elephant that is…

#CONNECTsummit14: Marketers should opt in to text as key mobile messaging channel

When it comes to building relationships with hardcore fans, marketers shouldn't overlook the original mobile messaging channel: text.

#CONNECTsummit14: Using Big Data to give customers what they want

The big message from this year's CONNECT Mobile Innovation Summit was not about retailers and restaurants deciding if mobile should be part of their digital…