Macy's, JC Penney head back to court

April 8, 2013

The case between retailers Macy's and JC Penney is heading to court after the failure of mediation attempts. The companies are scheduled to appear in New York…

Positioning and pricing

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

Pricing goes well beyond merely establishing a price. Indeed, there are some industries in which there’s little, if any, ability to adjust price. The health…

Lululemon can avoid sheer 'Luonacy'

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

You'd think a yoga outfitter would afford its customers a little more flexibility.

Americans won't pay for same-day delivery ... or will they?

New research reinforces the premise that online shoppers expect free shipping.

Millennials the target of Aeropostale's new store prototype

March 14, 2013

Teen retailer Aeropostale is shedding its formerly logo-heavy brand and working to boost sales through increased engagement with millennials. An article on…

Learning from Oprah's roller coaster ride

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

Tanya Young Williams offers great insights into Oprah Winfrey’s recovery after a near disastrous start of OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Whether they’re accurate…

Control Group creates 'immersive' experience for Kate Spade flagship

March 12, 2013

The NYC-based technology and design firm Control Group today unveiled its work with the newly launched Kate Spade Saturday brand. The concept highlights the…

ShopCube gamifies the online retail experience

by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

The e-commerce platform attempts to create a new category of online retail that caters to the casual gamer.

Target drops Shops, focuses on design partnerships

March 11, 2013

Target has decided to close the door on Shops. According to an article on startribune.com, the Minneapolis-based retailer said it has no plans to bring back…

How Walmart gets marketing right

by Jeff Fromm — Executive Vice President, Barkley

I believe that one of the reasons that Walmart has been so successful is its ability to think creatively about marketing. A case in point: Walmart recently…

Make love not war: Tips on how to embrace showrooming

by Christopher Hall — writer, self

A customer experience expert discussed his showrooming strategy at DSE13. 

Making a 'value play'

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

My wife and I were in an electronics store. Neither of us are big on electronics. Our TV is 17 years old which gives you an idea of our interest in the latest…

Five fundamentals required for 'ME-tailing' success

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

It's the "Age of the Consumer." That's not news. The lead articles on retail are chocked full of stories about how consumers are now empowered through their…

As Amazon battles to dethrone Walmart, Google plans own attack

February 26, 2013

The evolution of retail has seen the rise and fall of companies clamoring for the top spot. According to a recent article on Wired, it was only a little more…

The Children's Place sends hyper-personalized emails with CQuotient

February 25, 2013

CQuotient today unveiled its algorithm-based technology that enables retailers to send digital communications to individual customers. By harnessing big data…

Retail survival will require both consumer and product centricity

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

The term "consumer-centric" has been bandied about in retail a lot recently. What does it really mean to be a consumer centric retailer? Obviously, it means to…

Overlooked benefits of price analysis

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

A common misconception about pricing is that it’s all about establishing the price. In a recent project my client and I improved their margin by 56 percent…

Retailers experiment with Vine video app

February 20, 2013

Retailers are discovering that Vine, Twitter's six-second video-sharing app, is a new way to interact with customers. According to an article on…

IKEA's Valentine offer: Free cribs for babies born 9 months from now

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 15, 2013

Here's a retail marketing campaign with a real sense of humor: On Valentine's Day, IKEA ran ads in Australian newspapers offering a free crib to any baby born…

Mood Media to rebrand retired Muzak

February 13, 2013

Muzak, the music service that gets piped through the speakers at shopping malls and office buildings, will undergo a rebranding effort by its parent company…