New study reveals a growing appetite for self-service among consumers

June 5, 2013

Personalized automation may be the ticket to winning the wallets of global consumers, according to the Cisco Customer Experience Report released today.

ShopperTrak acquires RapidBlue for in-depth analytics power

June 3, 2013

ShopperTrak, a company specializing in the analysis of retail foot traffic, announced today the acquisition of RapidBlue Solutions Oy, a European provider of…

The problem with big data

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

What are you doing about big data? That is a question making the rounds with retailers today. Or turned around it’s, “What am I supposed to do about big data?…

Why retailers must excel in the 4 Cs instead of just the 4 Ps

Marketing 101 classes are being rewritten … by consumers.

What ails Carnival?

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

When we think of a carnival we think of fun and good times. Unfortunately that’s not the image that comes to mind for the cruise line's passengers. So what’s…

More Hispanics shop via smartphone, survey finds

May 23, 2013

A recent survey by the Integer Group found that 16 percent of Hispanic shoppers are using their mobile devices to make purchases, compared to 12 percent of…

At Best Buy, the best customer experiences come from employee buy-in

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Ask any consumer about his or her best buying experience, and you’ll hear it did not simply involve a product purchase, but an entire brand encounter. This is…

Should purchasing intent be used to alter prices?

Charging different prices to different people may be discriminatory for the same reasons "ladies' nights" have been banned in some states.

A case for simplicity in retail

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Nothing seems simple anymore. It's amazing how complex our lives have become with the technology that was supposed to simplify our lives! As I was trying to…

Retailers can relax about showrooming, survey finds

May 22, 2013

A recent study reveals the furor over showrooming may be all for naught. According to the 2nd Annual U.S. Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study released today by xAd…

How to build an expert customer service problem resolution approach

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

An expert approach to customer service requires a well-defined process for problem resolution. Let’s look at how to start setting up such a process.

Survey says Millennials prefer brick-and-mortar shopping

May 21, 2013

Detailed research from the Urban Land Institute reveals that Millennials prefer shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. Surprisingly, the brands Millennials love…

Pricing: Innovation vs. enhancement

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

Innovations premiums are huge. Early adopters often pay 3 to 4 times the price the mass market does. But what about product improvements? Do they carry the…

Malaysian retailer TANGS goes live with Manthan analytics

May 16, 2013

Manthan Systems, providers of business intelligence solutions for retailers, announced recently it's successful implementation of the ARC Customer Analytics…

Will an Internet sales tax bring fairness or confusion?

by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

The Marketplace Fairness Act is causing a divide in the industry and has tax experts bracing for chaos.

Retail reboot: The changing face of retail worldwide

The evolution and tide of consumer change is global ... and is escalating.

Update: Nordstrom ends test of shopper tracking

May 13, 2013

Following a report on CBS 11 in Dallas (and subsequent reporting through other websites) that Nordstrom was tracking shoppers' activity via smartphone data…

Mother's Day shopper study finds in-store trumps online

May 10, 2013

The market research firm Trendsource released results of its Mother's Day buying intentions study, revealing that shoppers prefer the in-store experience for…

Professor weighs benefit vs. risk of facial recognition technology

Retailers have collected data on customer preferences and demographics for years, but biometrics takes it to a new level.

Intuit index offers glimpse of consumer spending habits

May 8, 2013

Findings have been released from the Intuit Consumer Spending Index, providing a unique view into the U.S. economy with a near real-time view of actual…