Saying goodbye to Borders … on Facebook

An analysis of the late bookseller's social media stats provides some interesting insights.

Make smart merchandising choices to avoid discounting

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Retailers are trying to keep up with the price-cutting frenzy of competitors, extreme couponers and daily deal sites.

Retail readies for advent of tight pockets at Christmas

by Laurel Tielis — Author and Professional Speaker, Laurel Tielis & Associates

It's not a fashion statement, but an economic one. According to a survey commissioned by the London-based global news agency Reuters, American shoppers will…

Why dynamic pricing is a trap you must avoid

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

Last week we discussed the airline industry's use of dynamic pricing and its impact on us, as consumers. Two other well known organizations, Ticketmaster and…

Customer satisfaction with personal computers, appliances and electronics hits a wall

September 19, 2011

Customer satisfaction across three durable goods industries stalls in 2011, with the majority of companies staying almost exactly where they were in 2010…

Netflix to split into two separate companies. Wait, what?

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

I awoke this morning to a friendly, "personal" email from Reed Hastings, the co-founder and CEO of Netflix. "I messed up. I owe you an explanation," he says…

Verint expands its retail video BI suite

September 18, 2011

Verint Systems Inc. has announced the launch of key enhancements to its Nextiva Video Business Intelligence (VBI) solution, part of the Nextiva IP Video…

Missoni for Target line sells out, raises questions

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The partnership with the Italian fashion house moved a lot of product in a short time, but may have alienated shoppers.

The perils of dynamic pricing: Lessons learned from the airline industry

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

I was just introduced as a pricing guy to an airline consultant when he said "Our dynamic pricing model is working very well." What is dynamic pricing?

Millennials' brand preferences shift due to household structure

September 14, 2011

Marketers and brand managers faced with the challenge of marketing to Millennials should look to the dynamics of household structure for effective ways that…

Empathica's GoRecommend celebrates two years, 65 million shares

September 14, 2011

Empathica Inc., a provider of Customer Experience Management solutions to more than 200 of the world's most respected brands, has announced that its…

Consumer grocery store survey reveals satisfaction and brand preferences by geography

September 14, 2011

Empathica Inc., a provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions to some of the world's most respected brands, announced that its Consumer Insights…

New online shopper study shows the value of Facebook, Twitter, Google

Fewer shoppers come from Twitter than anywhere else, but they spend more per order than anyone.

NRF: August retail sales remain flat as spending stalls

September 13, 2011

August retail sales showed strong year-over-year growth but modest month-to-month gains, signaling a slight resistance from consumers who may be exhibiting…

Family Dollar launches ShopperGauge Learning Lab for shopper behavior analysis

September 12, 2011

RockTenn and BVI Networks, Inc., have announced the opening of the first large format ShopperGauge Retail Learning Lab at Family Dollar Stores. The goal is to…

Pricing news vs. media theater

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

It seems that news media feel that they have a God-given right, if not a responsibility, to add even more anxiety to our already fragile psyches. The media…

Three tactics for reducing shopping cart abandonment

Shipping-to-value ratio, critical price points have a big impact on why online shoppers back out of a purchase.

The future of product innovation for retailers

Data assets that didn't exist ten years ago are changing the innovation game.

Consumers ready, but merchants see complications with mobile payments

by James Wester — Editor 1, Mobile Payments Today

As mobile payments develop, consumers may be ready, but some merchants see headaches and costs.

The retail generation gap is killing premium brands

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

As the keynote speaker last month at the Retail Customer Executive Summit, I focused on the humanity needed in retail. That's because, just like at the NRF…