Can 'digital associates' create a personal experience online?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

In my last blog, we discussed a major difference between e-commerce and retail stores. Online retail is very effective and efficient IF you know WHAT you want…

Study: Consumers want a seamless shopping experience

April 15, 2013

New research from Accenture's Seamless Retail Study found that as online shopping continues to grow as a consumer preference, there is a mutually beneficial…

A new tablet dedicated to retail

April 11, 2013

Retail technology provider Omnico Group announced the launch of the Digipos Freedom Tablet, a dedicated tablet POS device that the company said readies…

Catalog Spree app expands to iPhone platform

April 11, 2013

Catalog Spree, a mobile and Web application that enables users to shop from various catalogs, announced its expansion to the iPhone platform, giving what the…

Infinite scrolling feature could increase shopper browse time

April 10, 2013

Brazilian internet retailer MuccaShop is increasing its revenue with the help of an infinite scrolling browsing feature, according to an announcement.

CVS iPad app offers a virtual shopping experience

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

The new virtual storefront app caters to the tablet-using shopper and capitalizes on the popularity of mobile retail.

Google pilots same-day delivery in San Francisco

April 3, 2013

Google opened its Google Shopping Express same-day delivery service to a test market in San Francisco last week.

Kate Spade, Zappos fight showrooming with iPad kiosks

March 29, 2013

ArmorActive's iPad kiosks are taking aim at showroomers. The company behind the enclosures announced that its products were recently deployed at Kate Spade…

Babies 'R' Us announces partnership with parenting website

March 28, 2013

Babies"R"Us and Heidi Murkoff's pregnancy and parenting website today announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to offer expectant moms…

Shopper turned delivery person? Walmart considers crowd-sourcing

March 28, 2013

Walmart may soon be crowd-sourcing shoppers for delivery services. According to an article on nbcnews.com, Walmart shoppers could tell the retailer where they…

Amazon's VP of mobile shopping stresses importance of speed

March 27, 2013

Amazon's Sam Hall wants shoppers to go from "wanting to buying in 30 seconds." As the Internet giant's VP of mobile shopping, Hall is in charge of a growing…

Walmart announces plans for in-store lockers, expanded fulfillment network

March 27, 2013

Walmart Stores Inc. said on Tuesday it would start using its stores to get Internet orders to customers faster, as the world's largest retailer faces…

Walmart's secret sauce: How the largest survives and thrives

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Amazon and omni-channel are sexy topics that grab a lot of retail press. But at the end of the day, Walmart is the largest retailer on the planet, and the…

Aussie store fights showrooming with $5 'just looking fee'

March 26, 2013

A specialty food store in Brisbane, Australia, has come up with a way to combat showrooming, and a photo of its strategy has gone viral on Reddit. 

Americans won't pay for same-day delivery ... or will they?

New research reinforces the premise that online shoppers expect free shipping.

Oscar de la Renta brings True Fit to online shoppers

March 21, 2013

Oscar de la Renta is refreshing the customer experience on its e-commerce site by offering personalized shopping and fitting profiles with True Fit technology…

Amazon gets the press, but Alibaba and Asia are surging in online sales

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Come and meet Chris at this year's Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit! Registration is now open, and early-bird pricing is in effect.

Insights from eGain to lead multichannel strategy at JD Williams

March 20, 2013

Customer engagement solution provider eGain announced today that it was chosen by U.K. retailer JD Williams to lead its multichannel strategy. JD Williams…

Walmart CFO announces plans for fulfillment centers

March 19, 2013

During a presentation at last week's Bank of America Merrill Lynch Consumer and Retail Conference, Walmart's CFO Charles Holley said developing a "next…

Cali store using robotics to compete with online retailers

March 19, 2013

For former Amazon executive Nadia Shouraboura, jeans and robotics are proving a successful combination. An article in the Seattle Times features Shouraboura's…