Buyers behave irrationally

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

Ruti Levy, in her Haaretz.com article "Building blocks of high prices," cited the fact that Israelis are paying 3 to 3.5 times what they would online for…

Commentary: Lessons learned from mystery shopping

Mystery shopping has helped c-stores protect their bottom lines by ensuring attentiveness to the shopper.

Mobile check-in kiosks to drive store sales

May 31, 2012

Software designer Solekai Systems has partnered with a mobile solutions start-up called Raging Mobile to develop a prototype for a mobile phone check-in kiosk…

You had me at hello, but: What neuromarketing and Big Data miss

I'm a geek. I love big data and ferreting out patterns. Nothing fascinates me more than the burgeoning field of neuromarketing.

Commentary: Building a proximity marketing strategy that protects customers

Consumers are wary, rightly so, of any attempt to use their personal information to gather data and sell products.

The spectacular marketing fail of JC Penney

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Ron Johnson, Penney's CEO, said last week that "coupons were a drug."

Target kickin' it with Shopkick

May 24, 2012

Target has partnered with shopkick, an app that allows consumers to earn points for shopping (at participating stores) that can then be redeemed for a variety…

Kiosks help IKEA track customer loyalty

May 21, 2012

IKEA's new kiosk-based loyalty program IKEA FAMILY has already attracted more than 1.6 million members since its launch a few months ago.

Q&A with Bryan Pearson, author of 'The Loyalty Leap'

Pearson discusses the importance of relevance when it comes to building a loyalty program that people will care about.

Is Walmart losing out on deeper loyalty by not offering loyalty cards?

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Walmart remains one of the few giant retailers which does not yet offer a customer loyalty card. In the new book, Walmart: Key Insights and Practical Lessons…

Brick-and-mortar's inherent advantage: In-store relevance

Smart retailers make customers feel that their preferences, wants and needs are a priority from the minute they walk into the store.

RedFin Network, TenderCard partner for Gateway compatible gift cards

May 3, 2012

RedFin Network Inc., a provider of mobile transaction solutions, POS software and hardware, is partnering with TenderCard, a provider of stored value card…

Loyalty plan: A compelling showroom model

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Recent news stories regarding the trend of "showrooming" have me wondering why more merchants aren't showboating the one feature that distinguishes them from…

Retail Pro upgrades software to help retailers 'improve customer retention'

April 19, 2012

Retail Pro has released 9.2 Revision 5 with new functionality in the area of Customer Loyalty and UPC Reuse, as well as some reworking and enhancement of some…

44Doors, QR codes and the art of mobile marketing

Tim Hayden, the CMO for mobile marketing company 44Doors, spoke with Mobile Payments Today at the Retail RAMP conference in Chicago. Hayden discussed how…

Can Penney's squareness lead to loyalty?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Being fair and being loyal are not the same thing. But can one engender the other?

Grocers launching mobile, digital couponing system

April 4, 2012

After a one-year pilot study of its in-store digital coupon system that uses Bluetooth technology to offer value and savings to consumers, Savvy Penny is soon…

CETW12: Loyalty program uses tablets, smartphones for easy adoption

RewardMe makes it easy for retailers and consumers to embrace loyalty programs.

Undressing an online loyalty trend

by Phaedra Hise — Senior Editor, COLLOQUY

Flash-sales online retailer Gilt recently announced that it would be offering discounts based on users' Klout scores. It's all very sexy, using online media to…

Digital payments: Can't generate loyalty without making change

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Remember the quaint old days when retail competition merely meant vying for a portion of the consumer's wallet? Well today that competition is literally over…