Retail survival will require both consumer and product centricity

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

The term "consumer-centric" has been bandied about in retail a lot recently. What does it really mean to be a consumer centric retailer? Obviously, it means to…

Overlooked benefits of price analysis

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

A common misconception about pricing is that it’s all about establishing the price. In a recent project my client and I improved their margin by 56 percent…

NRF: Voice feedback tool from Saygent

February 21, 2013

At this year's NRF show, representatives from Saygent were demonstrating their new voice feedback tool, which aims to capture customer sentiment and feedback…

Commentary: The impact of checkout time on customer service perception

The time a customer spends waiting in line can dramatically impact their perception of the service they receive on the whole.

Do your customers say they love you?

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

Are customers saying they love you?  At yelp, epinions, Twitter and hundreds of websites every day, customers who are treated well are not bashful about…

NRF: Foresee talks about the importance of multichannel

February 19, 2013

At this year's NRF show, Larry Freed, president and CEO of Foresee discusses the increasingly multichannel behavior of shoppers, including some findings from a…

Customer service will transform your business ... starting today

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

Customer service–exceptional, consistent, customer-centered service–can transform your business more quickly than nearly any other advantage.

The future of the retail store

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Retail is dead! At least, that’s how Marc Andreessen sees it. The entrepreneur and tech investor was recently quoted saying that all physical retail stores…

How to use customer data to plan store layouts

Consumer data can give insight on how to boost the bottom line with simple store design improvements. 

Mood Media to rebrand retired Muzak

February 13, 2013

Muzak, the music service that gets piped through the speakers at shopping malls and office buildings, will undergo a rebranding effort by its parent company…

Study: Retail experience hinges on new technology

February 11, 2013

A recent study by The Control Group reveals new details about the evolution of retail technology. As agbeat.com reported, retail technology "will drive…

IBM study says showroomers should be targeted

Although the notorious showroomer makes up only 6 percent of all buying traffic, they're young, active and influential.

Giving shoppers what they don't know they want

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

The National Grocers Association and Supermarket Guru released some teaser facts from their Consumer Panel Survey that will be released at the annual…

Social media not significant sales driver, study finds

February 6, 2013

While digital technology continues to reshape the way companies and consumers interact, social media is not replacing the in-store shopping experience…

The single greatest miss in retail store metrics: Footfalls

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Online retail knows everything about you, but stores are not even sure you were there.The old saying is "build it and they will come." One of the greatest…

To bundle or not to bundle?

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

Business owners can’t seem to win. If they bundle their offerings, customers ask for itemization of the various components with the price of each clearly…

NRF: Foresee talks about the importance of multichannel

At this year's NRF show, Larry Freed, president and CEO of Foresee discusses the increasingly multichannel behavior of shoppers, including some findings from a…

NRF forecasts 3.4 percent increase in retail sales for 2013

January 28, 2013

The National Retail Federation released its 2013 economic forecast today, projecting retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and…

Commentary: When driving customer loyalty, less is more

Overloading a program with benefits is not the most effective approach.

M-commerce still small as retailers focus on the basics

January 21, 2013

A new report by Forrester Research for trade group Shop.org shows that smartphones generated only a small portion of online sales last year — about $5 billion…