Australians demand technology-based shopping

June 5, 2011

Nearly three quarters of Australian consumers wanted their shopping experiences to have some type of technology, including in-store kiosks, mobile phones and…

Tesco still fighting uphill battle in the United States

Tesco's Fresh & Easy keeps pushing along in the U.S. as the chain recently announced plans to open its first two stores in San Francisco.

Four essential steps for acquiring and retaining today's connected customer

Globalization and technology are transforming retail customers at a velocity never before experienced.

Putting on the Charm: A Look at Charming Charlie

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Charming Charlie is becoming the darling of shopping malls as it expands the number of store units nationwide.  The secret of Charming Charlie’s success is its…

Retailers' venture into F-commerce is an uphill battle

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Overcoming security and privacy issues and defining value are major challenges. 

Price gouging: Is it possible?

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

There have been reports of price gouging on sales of the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf with dealers charging $10,000 or more over the manufacturer's suggested…

NRF: Father's Day spending jumps considerably this year

May 30, 2011

Faced with tough budgeting decisions, consumers have put Father's Day on the back burner for years, but this year Americans seem intent on showering dad with…

Create customer engagement through relevant assortment

Customer-first retailers approach product assortment as a form of storytelling.

New study evaluates consumer behaviors, attitudes toward social commerce

Though many retailers use social media to build their brand, companies may also be able to monetize these channels.

Moms and loyalty — the power of the I-Network

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

I read this blog post about Moms and loyalty with great interest: The post noted new consumer research that shows that many consumers value the ability to…

Lessons from the 'Shark Tank'

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

I was channel surfing when I stumbled across the program 'Shark Tank.' For those of you who may not have seen it, entrepreneurs present their business ideas to…

Wowing Customers Doesn’t Come With A Groupon

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

I was reading a blog about using Groupon for a restaurant and a posted comment stood out, "... the key is adding value, so that when they use their Groupon at…

American Express Social Currency

by Jim Joseph — President, Lippe Taylor

I've been speaking a lot lately about how social media can transform a brand. Either give it a voice for the first time, give it thought leadership status…

Guy Kawasaki on enchantment in retail

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

I caught up with author, speaker and investor Guy Kawasaki to discuss his new book Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions. Specifically, I…

Survey says 60 percent of factory outlet shoppers are "cross shoppers"

May 19, 2011

Due to increased interest recently in the factory outlet segment of the industry, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs (GS…

Survey reveals diverse online shopping personalities

May 18, 2011

According to a survey by SteelHouse, an eCommerce solutions company, Americans’ online shopping personalities and buying behaviors are both diverse and…

At Kroger, Shoppers are Bananas for Loyalty

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Fun fact: Americans are just as likely to have bananas in their kitchen as a Kroger loyalty card in their wallets.

Better Pricing / Better Living

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

The most recent 2011 Store Openings list (a list obtained from credible published sources available to the general public, updated 3/24/11) reveals that store…

Deloitte Consumer Spending Index slides in April

May 15, 2011

The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index fell significantly in April, showing the largest single month decline since November 2007. The Index tracks consumer cash…

Consumers rank social networks better than online businesses for ability to protect personal information

May 12, 2011

ThreatMetrix, a provider of cloud-based fraud prevention solutions that do not require personally identifiable information (PII), has announced that a joint…