Research points to puny layaway figures

December 3, 2012

Retailers may have been excited about the potential benefits of revamped layaway policies, but according to an article in the Houston Chronicle, several recent…

Google grabs coupon start-up Incentive Targeting

November 29, 2012

The retail coupon technology company Incentive Targeting has been acquired by Google, the company announced. Incentive Targeting, at just five years old, had…

Is this the end of marketing?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Imagine a world without marketing. No really… imagine a world where no one tries to sell you anything. Not because they don’t want to but because attempting…

Thanksgiving and Black Friday spending round-up

This year's average ticket price spiked, thanks to less aggressive discounting.

Multichannel and showrooming helped retailers that did it right

November 27, 2012

Booz & Co. chief retail analyst Thom Blischok said Monday on CNBC that retail companies did well if they successfully integrated their online and…

New survey app rewards consumers as it tracks their behavior

November 27, 2012

TrendSource Inc., a market research company, announced the launch of an interactive mobile survey app, wINput (Win By Giving Your Input), which is now…

The allure of low prices

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

I missed the irony on my first read of the email in which a marketing firm talked about pricing. The second reading left me laughing. It never ceases to…

Report: For mobile shopping, personalization outweighs privacy concerns

November 19, 2012

Nearly three out of four (72 percent) of consumers aged 20-40 in the United States and the United Kingdom use mobile devices while in-store to compare prices…

Economist: 2012 will end with a disappointing holiday season

November 19, 2012

Retailers will not be getting a lump of coal during the 2012 holiday shopping season, but Santa won't be stuffing their stockings full either, says a Ball…

Four in ten retailers offering free shipping on Cyber Monday

November 19, 2012

Shoppers won't have to go too far to find great deals Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday; in addition to the plethora of in-store promotions, many companies…

The 'NeoFace' of window shopping

November 15, 2012

Facial recognition technology is making its way from retailers in Japan to North American shopping malls, according to an article on cba.ca.

I Saw Mommy Googling Santa Claus [Infographic]

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

U.S. holiday retail sales are expected to reach $586 billion in 2012. Online and mobile sales will account for larger portion of those sales than ever before.

NRF: 147 million shoppers expected for Black Friday

November 15, 2012

Not since 2007 has Thanksgiving come this early, but the calendar creep won't keep millions of eager holiday shoppers from visiting their favorite stores and…

Bad marketing and bad leadership to blame for JCP troubles?

November 14, 2012

An article on forbes.com pointed out the unfortunate outcome J.C. Penney has seen since the current president Ron Johnson took the retail helm — and noted that…

Beating the Black Friday blues

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

The term “Black Friday” is a familiar part of the holiday shopping season, with retailers going to great lengths to capture shoppers’ attention right after…

Australian retailer deploys Lyris to grow lead generation

November 12, 2012

Lyris, Inc., a global provider of digital marketing solutions, today announced that the Australian retailer Harvey Norman has selected and deployed Lyris…

Price cuts plague Carrefour sales

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

That is the title of a recent Financial Times article. But is it true?

How important is mobility marketing? Follow Mom's lead.

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

There has been a lot of research on "crossing the chasm" and how technology moves from early adopters to mainstream consumers. With previous technology devices…

Are your QR codes gathering dust?

Retailers need to use QR codes to deliver something of value to consumers.

Mattel, Walmart test virtual pop-up store in Canada

November 6, 2012

To help Torontonians celebrate the holiday season, Mattel and Walmart Canada have launched the first pop-up virtual toy store in Canada, providing a QR…