How Wegmans, Apple Store and Ritz-Carlton empower employees to offer best-in-class service

One simple secret behind their success is so simple, so basic, that most brands and businesses fail to grasp its importance.

Are you creating value?

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

Three calls is all that it took to identify a futile effort and how wasteful the investment in an innovation effort had been.

Did you just spell your customer's name wrong?

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

"They spelled my name wrong again!" sings Loudon Wainwright III, the incomparable (if hard-to-spell) singer-songwriter.

Lowest-price e-commerce hurts shopper loyalty

December 21, 2012

The rise of e-commerce and the hunt for the lowest prices is causing once-loyal shoppers to abandon allegiance to certain stores, according to an article on…

The 2012 holiday shopping windows of New York

Is there anything that says Christmas like the retail windows of New York?

NRF announces award recipients for 2013 Big Show

December 20, 2012

The National Retail Federation announced that Amazon, Crocs, Kohl's and lululemon are the recipients of its annual awards.

Mobile self-service apps could be a must for businesses

December 20, 2012

As mobile self-service apps become more commonplace with consumers, it is up to businesses to determine how best to use the tools to their advantage, according…

Study shows the right sounds and smells will make shoppers spend

December 19, 2012

Retailers can start factoring in shoppers' senses when figuring out how to increase dwell time. A new study by Washington State University researchers has…

Amazon's FreeTime Unlimited geared toward kids with Kindles

December 19, 2012

Amazon has lured in adults with its Amazon Prime subscription service and is now setting its sights on children. FreeTime Unlimited is "part streaming media…

Leverage others' experience instead of wasting time on pure invention

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

From the first days of school, we are taught that "copying others is bad." In the process of teaching students to think creatively, we create a lifetime…

Guess? CIO discusses benefits of in-store iPads

December 18, 2012

In a recent Q&A on openforum.com, Guess? Chief Information Officer Michael Relich admitted that two years ago, the fashion retailer had a bit of a…

UK mall hangs 'largest LCD video wall in Europe'

December 18, 2012

Scala Inc. today announced the installation of more than 350 digital signage screens at Britain's third-largest shopping center, Westfield Stratford City. The…

Analyst: Microsoft's retail strategy 'absolutely stinks'

December 17, 2012

Over at The Street, Rocco Pendola isn't pulling punches when he talks about visiting a pop-up Microsoft Store in Times Square this weekend, which he said was…

Report: Social integration drives consumer engagement, trust

December 17, 2012

Research firm Mass Relevance has released a new research study that quantifies the impact of social integration on customer engagement, brand preference and…

NPR discusses the future of retail

December 14, 2012

National Public Radio's Audie Cornish has been exploring the evolution of the American shopping experience and recently interviewed retail architect M.J.

The trouble with facial recognition technology

December 14, 2012

While the use of facial recognition technology for marketing purposes is attractive for retailers, an article on independent.co.uk discusses how the process…

The retailer 'race to the bottom' brings pricing conundrums

December 11, 2012

As retailers become tangled up in price confusion in what a Forbes blogger calls a "race to the bottom," the consumer now has quite a few pricing styles to…

Hotel retail ditches the towels in favor of oddities

December 4, 2012

Hotel retail helps create an experience, according to an article on usatoday.com. While retail doesn't play a major role in revenue for hotels, unique retail…

Opinion: C-store retailers need convenient loyalty programs

December 4, 2012

An opinion piece on csnews.com explains the importance and benefits of loyalty programs for c-store retailers. The author cited a recent study from the NPD…

Indoor mapping gives power to retailers

by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

In-store navigation systems appeal to retailers looking to gain shopper insight and boost customer engagement.