Politics, religion and sex

by Harry Friedman

I admit it right here in the first paragraph. I am not really going to talk about sex. Too easy, a lob shot. So in this year of presidential hopefuls popping…

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…

Maponics offers geofencing to mobile developers

May 12, 2011

Maponics, a provider of location-based data, announced a new offering that includes the geographic boundaries of more than 3,000 shopping malls, districts…

Report: Consumers influenced by a retailer's physical appearance

More than two-thirds of consumers say they have avoided a store based on its external appearance.

Study says $16 billion worth of loyalty program rewards go unredeemed each year

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Americans accumulate approximately $48 billion in rewards points and air travel miles annually.

If nobody complains, is everything okay?

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Heck no!

Aetrex Worldwide opens its first retail footwear store

May 11, 2011

Aetrex Worldwide Inc., a designer and manufacturer of footwear, has opened its first retail concept store in Englewood, N.J. The 2,400 square-foot store will…

What recent events in Japan will mean for luxury brands

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Before the news about Bin Laden, people were talking a lot about the effects from the tragic events in Japan. Of course there is a human side which we are all…

Red Chariot announces collaboration with Hera Lighting

May 10, 2011

Red Chariot, located in Minneapolis, Minn., provides retailers and consumer product companies with brand, product and shopper insights to create a compelling…

Walmart To Go – Will it Stay?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

For all of those consumers who would never go to Walmart, the hyperchain has found a way to come to you.The world's largest retailer is testing a home-delivery…

Barnes & Noble College launches social commerce platform

May 5, 2011

Barnes & Noble College, an operator of campus bookstores and a wholly owned subsidiary of the bookseller Barnes & Noble, Inc., has announced the launch…

Three ways packaging can impact, improve the retail experience

Brands are increasing their focus on more distinctive packaging that attracts a loyal customer base.

Online grocer utilizes BI to deliver customer service promise

May 4, 2011

According to STORES.com, FreshDirect, a New York-based online grocery delivery company, uses business intelligence (BI) strategies and technologies to help it…

Red Chariot retail immersion center to open in June

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Services are aimed at reinventing the shopping experience post-recession.

Social Vending from Pepsi

by Jim Joseph — President, Lippe Taylor

My friend Stan Phelps turned me onto this little marketing innovation from Pepsi. It's actually pretty cool -- they've reinvented the vending machine and…

5 Questions Companies Must Tackle To Attract & Retain Customers (Part 1)

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

The best leaders in my life asked more questions than they gave answers. Too often we jump to prescribing. We feel we know what customers want. We believe we…

NRF: Retailers increasing mobile, search efforts

May 2, 2011

In an effort to better serve multi-touchpoint, always-on, and empowered consumers, a growing number of retailers are experimenting with mobile and social…

Survey: Consumers will pay a premium for good service

U.S. consumers also tell twice as many people about bad service compared to good service.

Kidlandia opens shop inside FAO Schwarz

May 2, 2011

According to DDi Online, Kidlandia, a San Francisco-based company that lets kids personalize fantasy maps to create their own "kingdoms," has opened its first…

Pricing patterns are predictable. Use them to your advantage.

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

It's fascinating how predictable pricing is, especially during changing economic times. During economic downturns the vast majority of companies discount…