Is Walmart losing customer trust?

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

In her Entrepreneur.com article "Seven Ways to Avoid Competing on Price," Carol Tice cites a WSL/Strategic Retail study that shows that "86 percent of…

NRF: More Americans serious about saving tax returns this year

February 22, 2012

Whether they're putting it aside for a rainy day or a big getaway, a recent survey finds more Americans this year plan to save — not spend — their tax refunds.

On Target

by Phaedra Hise — Senior Editor, COLLOQUY

It will be interesting to see if Target's business falls off or increases in the wake of the recent New York Times coverage of their personalized marketing…

Study: Online shoppers content with service

February 21, 2012

Online shoppers are happy with service, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's annual e-Commerce report.

Report reveals 'potential game-changer on the retail horizon'

February 21, 2012

Retail is evolving at a dizzying pace, according to Colliers International's annual U.S. Retail Highlights: 2012 Outlook, a 13-page report that chronicles…

Target may not be 'Wu-ing' shoppers with scarcity tactics

Jason Wu for Target merchandise lands on eBay instead of in shoppers' carts.

E-commerce shoppers have mobile security worries

February 20, 2012

About 60 percent of smartphone users believe that their security could be compromised if they use it for e-commerce transactions, according to Affinion…

Prices up, profits down

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

A recent Washington Post/Bloomberg Business article stated that Hormel Foods' fourth quarter 2011 profit slipped 3 percent. Price increases were blamed for…

Study shows that retail 'showrooming' is reality

February 16, 2012

A new study has substantiated the predictions of brick-and-mortar retailers who fear that shoppers are using their stores as "showrooms" and then purchasing…

Boomers buying more online products than Gen Y

February 10, 2012

Shoppers ages 50-54 lead the charge when it comes to purchasing health and beauty products online (52 percent), and shoppers ages 45-49 are purchasing more…

Shopping cart abandonment rate set to rise again in 2012

The shopping cart abandonment rate reached a new all-time high of 72 percent by the end of the year.

Good selling is good service; Good service is good selling

Sales and service are not separate functions. They are two sides of the same coin.

Consumers create the basis for growth strategies: Retail predictions for 2012

Once again, in 2012, there is a clear recognition that the omnichannel consumer is in charge.

Low prices and drug shortages

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

"Essentially all of the drug shortages that occur in the U.S. arise in the generics market, where profitability is fairly low," Greg Conko, of the Competitive…

Study: Young adults' use of technology when shopping is overstated

February 6, 2012

The use of technology for shopping by 18-25 year-olds is overstated, according to a survey done by a group of LIM College students and in conjunction with the…

European retail sales declined in December

February 3, 2012

Unemployment at a 14-year high and government spending cuts have zapped consumer demand and caused European retail sales to take an unexpected nose dive in…

Retailers reporting mixed sales for January

February 2, 2012

Retailers are reporting mixed sales results for January, according to Thomson Reuters.

Pew: In-store mobile commerce is growing

February 1, 2012

More than half of adult cell phone owners used their cell phones to help them with purchasing decisions while shopping in stores during the 2011 holiday…

Sears' Valentine's Day survey reveals gifting trends

February 1, 2012

About 40 percent of the men and women in relationships expect to get engaged on Valentine's Day this year, according to a survey conducted by Sentient Decision…

NRF 2012: The ins of visual in-store customer analytics

Andy Talbot, CEO of LightHaus Logic, talks about the functionality of visual analytics--those of systems generally as well as those of LightHaus--in this…