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…

Ingenico launches loyalty solution in Europe

November 2, 2012

Ingenico announced the European launch of its Next Generation Loyalty solution for retailers and quick-service restaurants to interact with digital consumers…

Retail CIOs think industry needs tech overhaul

November 1, 2012

Retail is in serious need of a technology revolution, according to recent research from Virgin Media Business. 

Microsoft allegedly fakes line for Windows 8 launch

October 29, 2012

In a possible move to rival Apple's diehard fanbase, Microsoft is being accused of staging huge lines at some stores for the launch of Windows 8, in order to…

The great digital divide: Natives versus Immigrants

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

If you look at age demographics, there is an amazing stat: 50 percent of the world's population is under 30 years old! No one under 30 remembers typewriters…

Brad Pitt's Chanel ad garners criticism, parodies

October 26, 2012

A Chanel No. 5 ad featuring Brad Pitt has divided the globe, according to an article on businessweek.com. The black-and-white commercial has gone viral, with…

Retail, restaurants drive big business with loyalty programs

by Christopher Hall — w, t

Loyalty programs offer a way to build relationships with customers, and gather mission critical insight into their behavior.

Gen Y the target of Macy's brand expansion

October 19, 2012

Macy's is putting high priority on Generation Y with the retailer's implementation of its Millennial initiative. According to an announcement from the store…

Investor blog discusses retail markups

October 17, 2012

A recent blog on MarketWatch.com highlighted the range of retailer markups and the effects they have on wholesale costs.

The high price of being too clever

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

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." So said…

NRF: Consumer spending surged in September

October 15, 2012

Propelled by solid sales in clothing and electronics stores, growth in retail sales in September offered a promising outlook for the critical holiday months…

RCE Podcast episode 12: How Walmart same-day delivery might impact retail

Walmart announced this week that it is testing same-day delivery in a few select markets. Will this be truly disruptive to other retailers, or is it just a…

South Korean shopping mall implements facial recognition at kiosks

October 12, 2012

South Korea is paving the way for retail use of facial-recognition technology, according to an article on KPBJ.com. The International Finance Center Mall in…