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…

Webinar: Connecting contact center, social and web interactions to create superior customer service

It’s not about product price, it’s about customer relationships. It’s about every interaction you have with your customer during their life cycle. And, with an…

Sunrise MarketPlace launches redesigned website

March 23, 2011

Sunrise MarketPlace, a Citrus Heights, Calif., retail and business district, has partnered with Mallfinder, a developer and provider of integrated marketing…

Aggregator site launches commitment-free coupons program

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Services like Xferral offer an easy way to browse deal-a-day sites like Groupon and others.

Apple sues Amazon for use of term 'App store'

March 22, 2011

According to Bloomberg.com, Apple Inc. is suing Amazon.com Inc., claiming the retailer’s use of the term “App Store” is trademark infringement.

Study: Personalization key to retail growth

In-store technologies can boost customer satisfaction, according to two new consumer reports.

Globys announces data-driven customer experience solutions suite

March 20, 2011

Globys, a provider of data and analytics solutions for the telecommunications market, has announced a comprehensive customer-experience suite of solutions that…

Organization engagement: Five key steps to aligning around the customer

Retailers might think they're customer-centric, but many customers experience the opposite.

Mobile Monday: Home Depot app

The app makes shopping easy, and makes customers better shoppers with tools that help avoid extra trips to the store.

Marketing and 'the wrong hero'

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

Marketing messages must be great stories ... about the true hero.I wish I could remember the source of this elegant language for the person certainly deserves…

Honor What Customers Care About

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

CustomInk is a $70 million T-shirt shop that prints custom T-shirts for family reunions and group and business events. Because actual people at CustomInk…

A sweet rewards program

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

I'm not a big fan of traditional loyalty programs although I do belong to multiple grocery and drugstore programs. And that's exactly why I'm not a fan. If…