Unhealthy spending habits of some Canadians revealed in BMO report

September 25, 2012

Impulse spending is a financial problem for Canadians, according to a BMO report released today. 

Robo-pricing: The latest pricing game

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

In the July 8, 2012 Financial Times article, "Amazon 'robo-pricing' sparks fear," we get a glimpse at the latest game in pricing. According to the article…

Analytics system offers heat mapping and shopper dwell time to retailers

September 24, 2012

A new interior counting system that delivers shopper dwell times and heat mapping for in-store analytics was announced by Chicago-based ShopperTrak, according…

RCE Podcast episode 11: Is retail any fun anymore?

A study this week suggesting that "retail therapy" isn't a real phenomenon leads to a fascinating discussion about how we feel and how we want to be spoken to…

Opinion: Technology is a must for department store success

September 21, 2012

A blog post on the Australian website The Conversation highlighted the rocky future facing department store retail. 

World Retail Congress highlights consumption slowdown

September 20, 2012

Somber news is coming out of the World Retail Congress in London, according to a report on marketwatch.com. 

Big data: Finding an ant in an avalanche

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

Big data. It's the latest answer to our marketing prayers; the "holy grail" that will deliver the ultimate return for our precious marketing spend. Last year…

Retail 'channel surfing' and its implications for sales, customer service and team morale

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

Never forget: Your customers are likely to use the different sales channels you offer in different ways. Some of your customers may buy exclusively over the…

Consumers still value privacy, survey shows

September 19, 2012

Consumer analytics provider LoyaltyOne has released the findings of a July survey that shows U.S. consumers are still protecting their personal information…

Empowered consumers drive future of retail, study shows

September 18, 2012

This week in London, leading retailers are gathering for the World Retail Congress. At the center of the conversation is how the empowered consumer, or the…

Customer experience management 101: Identifying channels of communication

by Kimberly Nasief — President, Measure Consumer Perspectives

Customer experience management has changed, thanks to the digital age. Social media has changed the way businesses interact with their customers. No matter the…

The new 'super shopper' and the fate of bricks and mortar retail

Despite the mobile boom, 90 percent of consumers still embrace the physical store when making retail purchases.

Ignorance is expensive

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

A construction company complained that while revenues were up over 40%, their profits hadn't grown much at all. When asked who their ideal customer is, they…

Mobile retail lags behind Web-based in customer experience, index shows

September 14, 2012

Customer experience analytics provider ForeSee released yesterday the ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index: Retail Edition, which creates a benchmark for customer…

Back-to-school shoppers boost August sales, slightly

September 14, 2012

According to recent calculations from the National Retail Federation, August retail sales had a boost from back-to-school shoppers.

Showrooming data not yet sufficient, article claims

September 12, 2012

An article in The Sydney Morning Herald regarding the growing discussion of retail showrooming cites the problems with junk research in analyzing the trend.

New customer experience mapping software announced

September 12, 2012

Touchpoint Dashboard LLC announced yesterday the release of its customer journey mapping software that gives companies insight as to how customers interact and…

Why Costco discounts postage stamps ... and why it matters

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

A good equation for value is as follows: Value = Personal Benefit minus Cost and Inconvenience. But the "personal benefit" variable can easily override the…

Report: Retailers still conservative about investing in mobile

September 11, 2012

Retailers remain prudent in their financial investments when it comes to mobile objectives, showing tempered future plans for spending on mobile and tablet…

Fed policy hinders home sales

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

The Federal Reserve governors' decisions to keep mortgage rates artificially low are hindering new home sales. Sound crazy? Isn't it true that lower interest…