Connecting with conversational marketing

From "friending" to "tweeting" — social networking at retail.

Leveraging loyalty

November 2, 2008

Key ways you can use data to create an unforgettable experience

Four out of 10 shoppers influenced by social media

October 28, 2008

SEATTLE — Four out of 10 consumers have made a purchase based on advertising they saw on a social media site, and 76 percent welcome advertising on social…

Retailers get hands-on with new tech

Attendance at KioskCom, The Digital Signage Show up from fall.

NRF, Retail Customer Experience announce pavilion partnership

October 14, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — NetWorld Alliance, publisher of Retail Customer Experience magazine and RetailCustomerExperience.com, and the National Retail Federation…

Foot Locker sued over gift card dormancy fees

October 13, 2008

Associated Press: A New Jersey man is taking on athletic apparel giant Foot Locker over the store's gift card policies, charging in court papers that they…

KioskCom Europe: Lines blur between digital signs, kiosks

Integrated touchscreens, networked signage hint at convergence.

ATMs to dispense Amazon gift cards

October 5, 2008

MESA, Ariz. — According to a news release, Better ATM Services has reached agreements with Automated Cash Management Systems and APTUS Financial to dispense…

Opinion: Most loyalty programs use the wrong incentives

September 22, 2008

Wall Street Journal: The biggest problem with loyalty programs, according to two professors of management science, is that most retailers adopt a…

Customers want to personalize gift cards, study finds

September 7, 2008

Brandweek: Gift cards continue to gain favor as a practical gift-giving alternative. But to attract buyers, more retailers need to provide the option to…

Expert: Shoppers can't afford to be loyal

August 10, 2008

The Globe and Mail: Shoppers cannot afford to remain loyal, according to retail guru and "true-life sixties-era Mad Man" Don Watt. "They will remain loyal if…

Retailing to the digital native

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A new type of shopper requires a new level of engagement.

Thirty-six million Americans now print online coupons

August 3, 2008

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The number of people turning to the Web for coupons has soared to 36 million in 2008. That's an increase of 10 million people from…

Report sheds light on value of loyalty programs

July 29, 2008

ATLANTA — Vesdia Corp., provider of loyalty marketing and merchant network services, announced it has underwritten the research report, "Responsive Customer…

PayGo adds new features to cloud-based POS

July 22, 2008

BUFFALO, Minn. — Christian James Inc. announced an update to its cloud-based retail service for independent retailers. The most significant changes to the…

Shoppers want retailers to show how green they are

July 21, 2008

Boston Business Journal: A retail business may be green and sustainable, but unless those details are clearly communicated to shoppers, the store might not be…

Tracking customer analytics breeds loyalty

July 20, 2008

Destination CRM: A recently published report by Aberdeen Group finds that best-in-class retailers are five times as likely as laggards to be tracking, storing…

Customer experience and IP

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Protecting crucial aspects of an in-store experience against imitators.

British shoppers choose bargains over brand loyalty

July 13, 2008

International Herald Tribune: Shoppers are more footloose than ever before with the retailers they use, seeking out bargains in the economic downturn and…

Loyca retail loyalty system now available in U.K.

June 25, 2008

BELGIUM — Databac Group has announced that its loyalty system Loyca, a card-based solution that enables retailers to respond in real-time to marketing…