The high price of being too clever

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

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." So said…

RCE Podcast episode 12: How Walmart same-day delivery might impact retail

Walmart announced this week that it is testing same-day delivery in a few select markets. Will this be truly disruptive to other retailers, or is it just a…

Fine jewelry retailer revamps web approach

October 12, 2012

Fine jewelry brand Ritani has a new retail scheme designed to pair the best parts of fine jewelry e-commerce sites and brick-and-mortar stores in the form of…

South Korean shopping mall implements facial recognition at kiosks

October 12, 2012

South Korea is paving the way for retail use of facial-recognition technology, according to an article on KPBJ.com. The International Finance Center Mall in…

'Sudden' interest in everyday low prices

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

An article by Ely Portillo at CharlotteObserver.com indicates that Lowe's is the latest company to try everyday low prices. This comes on the heels of failed…

McCormick spice company flagship store deploys digital signage to 'bring flavors to life'

October 11, 2012

HP announced today that McCormick World of Flavors, the spice company's flagship 3,800-square-foot complex at the Baltimore Inner Harbor, will deploy 42-inch…

Customer experience management makes for good marketing

by Kimberly Nasief — President, Measure Consumer Perspectives

Customer experience management can be the difference between good marketing and bad marketing. As every business owner knows, a happy customer is the best form…

What every retailer must know about Gen Y, part 2

Thrift is the new shopping; they call it thrifting. In this way, Millennials resemble their grandparents' Silent Generation.

Your favorite retail 'store' might just be your pickup locker

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

The growth of ecommerce is literally old news. Pure e-tailers and traditional retailers with online sites are increasingly winning the hearts and wallets of…

Boston menswear boutique serves booze with custom suits

October 8, 2012

At the soon-to-open Boston store Alton Lane, men can enhance their shopping experience by sipping bourbon at the in-store bar.

Tesco to deploy 'scan as you shop' at more locations

October 5, 2012

The U.K. chain store Tesco is planning a national rollout of scan-as-you-shop devices after a successful trial, according to a recent article on…

Survey: retail CFOs not concerned with showrooming

October 3, 2012

An annual poll by financial consulting firm BDO shows that the majority of retail CFOs are not concerned with the showrooming phenomenon. 

What every retailer must know about Gen Y, part 1

Millennials live two lives: one in real time and the other in an edited virtual world.

Axiom's secret sauce for customer experience in Dubai

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Last stop on my around the world tour of retail was Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In a land of perpetual heat, it is easy to understand why consumers…

RIP customer experience: Seven reasons why customer experience is in danger of dying

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

I am becoming increasingly concerned that the focus on improving the customer experience is heading the same way as CRM, into failure. I fear this as I am…

Nike's Chicago flagship reopens

October 2, 2012

Last week, Nike re-opened its Chicago flagship store after remodeling and expanding the retail space, according to an article on ballerstatus.com.

LightSpeed offers retailers omnichanel reach with latest platform

October 1, 2012

The Canadian software company LightSpeed today announced the release of its 3.7 Apple-based core platform. The software enables retailers to interact with…

A customer service solution (soul-ution, actually)

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

When I boarded the commuter ferry on Saturday, it seemed unusually crowded. A crew member explained: "We have a capacity crowd — about 2,500 souls — aboard…

Build-A-Bear targets tech savvy kids with updated stores

September 27, 2012

Build-A-Bear Workshop stores will try to capture more technologically adept young shoppers with new store formulas that increase interactivity, according to an…

Isaac Mizrahi New York app brings printed content to life

September 25, 2012

The latest augmented reality retail app from Xcel Brands and Aurasma makes those moving photos from Harry Potter seem like a real possibility. The companies…