Study: Consumers want choice of manned, self-service checkout

May 31, 2012

Consumers want a choice of service options with manned checkout (60 percent) and self-service (21 percent), according to a recent survey conducted by TNS on…

You had me at hello, but: What neuromarketing and Big Data miss

I'm a geek. I love big data and ferreting out patterns. Nothing fascinates me more than the burgeoning field of neuromarketing.

Can pricing build trust?

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

As business owners, we instinctively know that trust is essential to our success. The day we lose our customers trust is the day we lose their business. Game…

Staying on your customer's friends list

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Many of us strive to be No. 1, but when it comes to social circles, the first task is to make it into the 150.

Commentary: Building a proximity marketing strategy that protects customers

Consumers are wary, rightly so, of any attempt to use their personal information to gather data and sell products.

Study: Consumers name Giant Food, ShopRite as favorite grocers

May 24, 2012

Giant Food is consumers' favorite grocer, followed closely by ShopRite and then Walmart, according to a new consumer study by Market Force Information, a…

The spectacular marketing fail of JC Penney

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Ron Johnson, Penney's CEO, said last week that "coupons were a drug."

Government-controlled pricing

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

A May 7, 2012 article in the Bankgok Post, "The price of ignorance can be high," highlights the folly of government interference in pricing. Why are…

NRF: Retailers leveraging tablets to elevate brand, boost sales

May 23, 2012

With more than 60 million Americans forecast to own a tablet computer by the end of this year, retailers say tablets are driving an increasingly larger share…

Social media has the power to kill pink slime

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Bettina Siegel is the poster child for what a blog can do.

Why customers seem scarce - part 3

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

In the previous two segments (1, 2) we learned how industry overcapacity, a dying industry and a perception that our competitors' offerings are superior cause…

When choosing means losing time

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

On a recent trip to a popular local pottery shop – the kind of place where everything is made on the premises by hand – I was faced with an unexpected dilemma…

Q&A with Bryan Pearson, author of 'The Loyalty Leap'

Pearson discusses the importance of relevance when it comes to building a loyalty program that people will care about.

NRF: Retail marks 22 consecutive months of growth

May 15, 2012

Unseasonably warm weather in February and March and an early Easter holiday shifted consumers' spending appetite last month, though retailers in April still…

Research reveals behaviors of cost-conscious grocery shoppers

May 15, 2012

A new research report sponsored by MaxPoint Interactive revealed the changing behavior among cost-conscious grocery shoppers as they move through the path to…

Is Walmart losing out on deeper loyalty by not offering loyalty cards?

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Walmart remains one of the few giant retailers which does not yet offer a customer loyalty card. In the new book, Walmart: Key Insights and Practical Lessons…

Another nail in the coffin of big box stores?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

You don't need to look very far to see another article on the growth of online retailing. The phenomenon of online shopping is truly worldwide. While Amazon…

Why customers seem scarce - part 2

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

Last week we discussed how to grow your revenues, profits and customer bases when facing the challenges of industry overcapacity or a dying industry. Both…

Ingenico, Saygent solution to help retailers engage shoppers at POS

May 9, 2012

Ingenico, a provider of payment solutions, and Saygent, a company specializing in mobile voice feedback, are partnering to give merchants on Ingenico's new…

Abandoned shopping carts need love, too

May 9, 2012

Findings from the e-tailing group Annual Merchant Survey and the 14th Annual Mystery Shopping Study revealed mixed findings but agreed that abandoned carts…