Who is the master of your company's destiny?

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

Who's controlling your business's destiny? Here are some simple questions to assess how much control you have over your business.

Hybris study finds consumers prefer to purchase direct from retailer, instead of via social media

October 3, 2012

The communication software provider Hybris announced the results of its U.S. 2012 Social Media and Shopping Survey which analyzed U.S. consumers' attitudes…

What every retailer must know about Gen Y, part 1

Millennials live two lives: one in real time and the other in an edited virtual world.

NRF forecasts 4.1 percent growth in holiday sales

October 2, 2012

Tempered by political and fiscal uncertainties but supported by signs of improvement in consumer confidence, holiday sales this year will increase 4.1 percent…

Unmetric's Top Retailer Report shows social media showdown

Target is the clear leader on Twitter, while Walmart leads in Facebook presence.

A customer service solution (soul-ution, actually)

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

When I boarded the commuter ferry on Saturday, it seemed unusually crowded. A crew member explained: "We have a capacity crowd — about 2,500 souls — aboard…

The iPhone 5: Our best bet for clipping and saving trust?

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Of the many features the newly released iPhone 5 can offer, one of the most compelling for the consumer is this: It eliminates the clip-and-save.

Latest tech pair-up brings retailers detailed shopper data

September 27, 2012

Irisys Inc., which specializes in thermal technology, and WirelessWerx, which specializes in in-store behavioral analytics, have announced a partnership and a…

Holiday sales predicted to increase

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Deloitte recently shared their forecast that holiday sales are expected to increase between 3.5 percent and 4 percent as the economy and the presidential…

ICSC forecasts holiday chain store sales to increase by 3 percent

September 26, 2012

With the holiday season right around the corner, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is forecasting a 3.0 percent sales increase for the…

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…