Low prices and drug shortages

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

"Essentially all of the drug shortages that occur in the U.S. arise in the generics market, where profitability is fairly low," Greg Conko, of the Competitive…

Neiman Marcus makes over 'Art of Fashion' campaign

February 3, 2012

Susan Sarandon and her daughter, Eva Amurri Martino, are part of Neiman Marcus' Spring 2012 Art of Fashion campaign that includes 14 portraits of mothers and…

Study examines purchasing decisions of c-store customers

January 30, 2012

Mars Chocolate North America recently conducted a study in partnership with a national c-store retailer, hoping to understand the way consumers make purchase…

Is the deal finally done for daily deal sites?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

One short year ago, the hype around daily deals was electric. In the analyst community, you could barely get through a day without hearing something about…

Target leads fight to stop 'showrooming'

Will other retailers follow Target's lead in asking vendors to create in-store-only products?

Fresh off Navajo controversy, Urban Outfitters stock plummets, CEO exits

by Jon O'Barr

Retailers need to tread lightly when co-opting cultural identities.

Time Warner opens brand laboratory in New York

January 26, 2012

Time Warner Inc. today announced the opening of a state-of-the-art Medialab for research and development at its worldwide headquarters in New York City. The…

My rich best friend, Apple

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Apple Inc. posted its largest quarterly profit ever on Jan. 24. So good, in fact, that it places the iPhone maker among an elite group populated by very few…

JCPenney unveils plans for drastic overhaul

January 25, 2012

At an event this morning in New York, J. C. Penney Company Inc. revealed its "plans to become America's favorite store."

Survey says: 51% of shoppers seek online access via in-store kiosks

January 24, 2012

More than half (51 percent) of shoppers in the United States seek out in-store kiosks for access to the retailer's website, according to a recent survey from…

Do higher prices drive customers away?

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

Higher prices = lost customers. That's a common belief among business owners. Is it true?

Procter & Gamble seeking way to scan coupons to phones

January 23, 2012

Coupons are coming to consumers' phones, according to Procter & Gamble, who just signed a deal with a Silicon Valley start-up to find a way to scan coupons…

First Insight to provide predictive analytics for Pac Sun

January 23, 2012

First Insight recently created a partnership with Pacific Sunwear to provide the retailer with consumer-driven analytics to help it make faster and more…

Marks & Spencer, NCR bring online fashion in-store

January 23, 2012

Marks & Spencer is working with NCR Corporation to trial new multi-media zones in its stores that combine digital touchscreens, video walls and displays of…

Opinion: Why Nordstrom's loyalty program is so effective

Loyalty marketing is, and should always be, much bigger than just points, thresholds or incentives.

The world would like to buy a Coke

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Might as well keep that Coca-Cola on ice. The tallies are in, and the Real Thing is the real deal when it comes to world's best brand – again.

Digital Screenmedia Association to present webinar on location-based marketing technology

January 16, 2012

The Digital Screenmedia Association (DSA) will host a free one-hour webinar at 1 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 24 entitled "Using Location-Based Marketing Technology to…

Knock-knock-knocking on loyalty's doors

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Never take for granted the mere act of a customer walking through your door. Every time it happens, it symbolizes the passage across many thresholds to…

How price increases led to whopping revenue growth for Kraft

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

A November 2, 2011 Barron's article reports that Kraft Foods' third quarter net revenues grew 11.5 percent in part due to a 7 percent price increase.

Digby launches Localpoint location-based marketing platform

January 15, 2012

Digby announced today the launch of Digby Localpoint, a mobile platform that enables location-based marketing, analytics and commerce for top brands.