Speakers, agenda announced for Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit

The third annual event is set to convene at Hotel Sax in Chicago on August 6-8, 2012.

You're hot and you're cold ...

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

American retailers have been accused of being obsessively consumed with acquiring new customers, but negligent when it comes to retaining existing customers.

Study: 'Racioethnic consistency' between retail employees, customers boosts profit

February 28, 2012

According to a new study from Temple University, retailers can significantly increase their revenue and profitability by better mirroring the "racioethnic…

SearchDex unveils online shopper behavior analytics tool InferClick

February 28, 2012

Digital marketing company SearchDex has announced the release of InferClick, a new solution that it says empowers online retailers with actionable insights…

Eight ways retailers can leverage Pinterest

The new social sharing site is seeing explosive growth, and retailers are taking note.

Study: Shoppers don't think m-commerce is secure

February 27, 2012

Only a limited number of shoppers are using mobile technologies to buy their goods, despite ongoing investments in a multi-channel approach from retailers…

Flash sale sites lead to full-price purchases

Research suggests that many new luxury consumers are entering the category via flash sales sites.

High-end retailers doing better than big box stores

February 22, 2012

High-end retailers had more to celebrate this holiday season than their box box counterparts, judging by the results of four major retailers who reported…

Is this the end of Facebook commerce already?

With a few notable exceptions, it just doesn't make sense to invest in a Facebook storefront, according to one expert.

Study: Retailers must engage employees to please shoppers

February 22, 2012

Employee engagement in the U.S. retail sector has sunk to its lowest levels since 2009, according to a new study claiming that employee engagement is directly…

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…