PlaceWise expands Shoptopia launch to include Madison Marquette

April 20, 2011

Madison Marquette is the next shopping center developer and operator to join Forest City Enterprises in the launch of the Shoptopia Network, PlaceWise Media…

Visa launches mobile coupon program with Gap

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April 20, 2011

Credit card brand Visa Inc. announced it is moving into mobile coupons and is working with retailer Gap to deliver real-time discounts and promotions to…

Imitating your competitor's prices? Here's why that's a bad idea.

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

How do you decide what price to charge? How well is that working?As I sat down to write this post the lyrics of an old Johnny Lee song, "Lookin' for Love,…

Scan This! QR Codes Are History

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Google recently announced that it is ending both its development and support of QR (Quick Response) codes. QR or 2-D barcodes as they are sometimes called…

How Wet Seal created customer engagement

by Laurel Tielis — Author and Professional Speaker, Laurel Tielis & Associates

Want to engage your customers? One way to do it is with a contest. But how do you create a successful contest, one that pulls customers?

Your merchandise is NOT like fine wine

by Lynn Switanowski — President, Creative Business Consulting Group

Like most retailers, you probably have a consistent strategy in place for pricing products when they come in. But do you have the same consistent strategy in…

Danger: Strong Economy Ahead

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

Is the recovering economy a blessing, or a potential minefield for retailers?Most business owners are breathing a sigh of relief; they're emerging alive and…

In Canada, loyalty a good aim for Target’s bullseye

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

It looks like Canada is not only going to bring home the bacon for Target Corp., but chances are it will deliver some loyalty, as well.

'Extreme Couponing' should give retailers, brands and tech providers nightmares

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

I'm normally loathe to go anywhere near reality television — and has there ever been a more dishonest or inaccurate label for a genre than that one? — but I…

How to sell luxury products without discounting

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Do you have a luxury product to sell? I'm not talking a good or better version of something you could find at some dollar store. I'm talking the best.Selling…

NRF: Spending on food, gifts and apparel expected to increase this Easter

April 6, 2011

Not since 1943 have Americans seen an Easter fall this late in the calendar, but it seems the delayed holiday won't impact consumers' eagerness to spend on…

Buying customer loyalty: Does it ever work?

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

Can we really buy customer loyalty? If not, what are we really buying?To answer these questions we need to define loyalty. Loyal customers:

Opinion: Forget about selling on Facebook for now

One expert suggests that the market for retailers on the social network is actually miniscule.

Domino's UK teams up with eBay Advertising

April 4, 2011

Domino's Pizza U.K. has partnered up with eBay Advertising to target consumers within specific delivery zones via geo-targeting.

Luxury Isn't Social

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

I've read a number of articles recently commenting on the conspicuous lack of social marketing in the luxury sector. While it's also true that participation in…

GlobalShop: Reinventing retail design to fit a multichannel environment

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

The future of retail will be "smaller, flexible, personal and intensely linked."

Online coupon sites offer increasing opportunities for retailers

Two out of three consumers have reported downloading and printing coupons from the Internet.

Is it Time to Drop the 'e' from e-Commerce?

by Jason Goldberg — VP Marketing, MTI

Most e-commerce executives are focused on online sales, even though their actual contribution to the organization is far broader. In order to maximize the…

GlobalShop: Paco Underhill discusses recession realities and lessons

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Retail guru says the U.S. is 'over-stored' by 15 to 20 percent.

Discounting in the off season: Good strategy or slippery slope?

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

In one of my earlier blogs I dealt with the folly of discounting during peak selling season. I guess it was inevitable that I was asked, "What about the off…