Want to be good at customer service? Be mediocre.

by Kimberly Nasief — President, Measure Consumer Perspectives

It's not too hard to rise above the competition these days. When you're out and about doing your errands or eating at a restaurant, how often do you walk out…

If the only discernable difference between you and Amazon is the sales tax, you never had a chance in the first place.

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

The recent launch of Amazon's price check app was greeted with everything from retailer outrage to government sabre rattling! Some even called it evil! Really?

Re-assuring the assurance factor: Why smiles and happy faces aren't enough

When providing customer service, courtesy is not a substitute for competence and skill.

Teamwork Retail using iPads to manage stores

December 29, 2011

Employees in Teamwork Retail stores are using iPads to ring up purchases and look up product info on the retail floor,

3 things shoppers care more about than price

December 28, 2011

American consumers were less concerned with costs during the 2011 holiday shopping season than last year, according to the Foresee E-Retail Satisfaction Index…

Amazon's deadline extended! Quick, what thought pops into your mind?

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

I just received an email from Amazon. In big, bold letters it said "FREE Super Saver Shipping Deadline Extended." Quick, what thought pops into your mind?

UK report defines retail's male 'hunter-gatherer'

December 26, 2011

A new type of male shoppper has emergerd, according to MyWardrobe.com, a U.K. online designer-led boutique.

Hold onto your wallets: Mobile payments seeing slow adoption

December 26, 2011

Although several major retailers from Gap to Toys R Us are partnering with banks, payment processors and Google to allow shoppers to pay via smartphones, the…

IBM survey shows increase in Christmas Day m-commerce

December 26, 2011

If you received a shiny new mobile device from Santa, according to IBM the chances are good you used it to do a little online shopping.

Study: Consumer spending up this year

December 21, 2011

Consumers are spending more than last year, responding aggressively to holiday promotions, according to First Data's SpendTrend reports. The electronic…

It's Amazon's world, we're just living in it

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

It doesn't seem like all that many years ago when Amazon.com was touting itself as the "world's biggest bookstore." I remember listening to its radio ads in…

Six trends that will cause brick-and-mortar retailers to lose sleep in 2012

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

It's customary to look ahead at the retail trends that will shape 2012 and the buzz, profits and challenges to profitable retailing. Here then are the good…

Old-school security cameras tracking customer behavior

December 19, 2011

Polling customers to track shopping behavior is out; security cameras with tracking software are in.

Epic Retail Fails of 2011 [Infographic]

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

It’s been a rough couple of years for retail, but it’s been especially bad for some. Here are seven particularly startling “retail fails” from the past year.

NRF upgrades holiday forecast, expects sales to rise 3.8 percent to $469.1 billion

December 14, 2011

With just 10 days until Christmas, the National Retail Federation has revised its holiday forecast upward, expecting holiday sales to rise 3.8 percent this…

"I hate coupons!"

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

This from a woman who's been clipping coupons most of her life. What raised this angry cry?

Parents playing with the idea of Netflix-style toy rental

Is toy rental by mail a fad, or is it here to stay?

NRF: Most consumers have most of their gift shopping left to do

December 13, 2011

It's the final countdown. Over the next few weeks, millions of Americans will visit stores and websites in droves – some for the first time all holiday season…

Luxury spending is up

December 13, 2011

The 99 percent may still be struggling, but luxury spending is up, according to the Boston Globe, which reported that some retailers are even reporting that…

Prepaid cards see largest increase in activation dollars in 4 months

December 13, 2011

First Data Corporation, a provider of electronic commerce and payment processing, today released its First Data SpendTrend Closed-Loop Prepaid Cards analysis…