Retailers focus on convenience, self-service to fight online

April 28, 2008

Brand Republic: Retailers are planning to introduce fresh store concepts to counter competition from the Internet by making shopping more convenient. According…

Retailers experiment with new loyalty programs

April 27, 2008

Wall Street Journal: Rising food and oil prices combined with a downward spiraling economy have spurred consumers to spend less time shopping and more time…

Blockbuster tests cappuccinos, children's play areas

April 24, 2008

Display & Design Ideas: Dallas-based Blockbuster Inc. has begun testing new concepts, including the option to buy a cappuccino or fountain drink, offering…

Retail designers emphasizing local connections, customer amenities

April 23, 2008

CoStar: Architect Tipton Housewright says today's retail designers are placing emphasis on having their environments blend in with local culture. They're also…

Best Buy benefits from axing loyalty card fees

April 10, 2008

Forbes: When Best Buy removed annual fees from its Rewards Zone bonus card program, the company yielded about 10 times the number of shoppers opting to sign…

Consumer needs to be the central focus of multi-channel retail

April 9, 2008

Retail Week: Multichannel retailing should be about allowing customers to access your services in whatever form they find easiest, while continuing to act as…

Escalate releases Customer1 version 4.0

April 7, 2008

SAN DIEGO — Escalate Retail announced the availability of Version 4.0 of its Customer1 point of service software application. The upgraded version of…

North American consumers demand more self-service

April 7, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. — A growing legion of North American consumers use self-service in their everyday lives, and the latest research from NCR Corp. shows an…

Shopatron rolls out in-store pickup solution

April 7, 2008

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Shopatron, a provider of e-commerce solutions for consumer goods manufacturers, directs orders from manufacturers' Web sites to…

Inaugural Customer Experience Summit announced

April 6, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The inaugural Customer Experience Summit, co-hosted by RetailConnections and by Cathy Hotka & Associates, will take place August 17-19…

Chockstone initiative turns credit cards into loyalty cards

March 30, 2008

Media Daily News: Starting this week, consumers will be able to turn their credit cards into loyalty program cards at retailers, eliminating the need for a…

Macy's explores local focus

March 25, 2008

Advertising Age: Peter Sachse, like many marketers before him, is doing a tricky balancing act: trying to find the perfect mix of national and local. Some 1…

Retail application for Microsoft Surface unveiled

March 24, 2008

SEATTLE — Accenture and Avanade announced the availability of their first retail showcase application for Microsoft Surface, a 30-inch surface-computing…

Ikea experience builds extreme brand loyalty

March 23, 2008

The Spokesman Review: Of all the home furnishers out there, none offers a comparably multifaceted experience to Ikea. Inexpensive bedding, tables and kitchen…

Email is the worst channel for customer service

March 23, 2008

SME Web: Email is officially the UK's worst channel for customer service, according to research. eService provider Transversal's third annual Multi-channel…

Apparel retailer benefits from cross-channel integration

March 23, 2008

Internet Retailer: Title Nine sells women's sports apparel online, in stores and through a catalog, and two years ago had three separate systems for…

Think globally, sell locally

March 19, 2008

Cultural sensitivity can attract ethnic customers.

Study: U.K. retailers not embracing multi-channel

March 19, 2008

LONDON — A new study by Foviance and RXPerience reveals that only a handful of retailers are managing to integrate their various sales channels effectively…

Hiring time

March 18, 2008

Experts say a recession is the perfect time to build your team.

GlobalShop: Day 1 news roundup

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

March 17, 2008

CHICAGO — Today was opening day for GlobalShop 2008, the 16th installment of the trade show devoted to store design, visual merchandising and in-store…