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…

'Sudden' interest in everyday low prices

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

An article by Ely Portillo at CharlotteObserver.com indicates that Lowe's is the latest company to try everyday low prices. This comes on the heels of failed…

What every retailer must know about Gen Y, part 2

Thrift is the new shopping; they call it thrifting. In this way, Millennials resemble their grandparents' Silent Generation.

Taylor Swift Stores opening inside Walgreens, Duane Reade

October 9, 2012

Starting this week, Walgreens and select Duane Reade stores will launch the "Taylor Swift Store at Walgreens," that will feature branded merchandise like…

Augmented reality: A growing force in retail

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

From cereal boxes to lingerie, augmented reality is cementing its place in retail.

Benefits of One-to-One Marketing for Digital Signage Using Customer Recognition

How customer-identification technology can increase content targeting accuracy and ROI.

Who is the master of your company's destiny?

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

Who's controlling your business's destiny? Here are some simple questions to assess how much control you have over your business.

What every retailer must know about Gen Y, part 1

Millennials live two lives: one in real time and the other in an edited virtual world.

NRF forecasts 4.1 percent growth in holiday sales

October 2, 2012

Tempered by political and fiscal uncertainties but supported by signs of improvement in consumer confidence, holiday sales this year will increase 4.1 percent…

The iPhone 5: Our best bet for clipping and saving trust?

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Of the many features the newly released iPhone 5 can offer, one of the most compelling for the consumer is this: It eliminates the clip-and-save.

Holiday sales predicted to increase

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Deloitte recently shared their forecast that holiday sales are expected to increase between 3.5 percent and 4 percent as the economy and the presidential…

Total Wine announces plans to expand social media marketing

September 26, 2012

Total Wine & More, an independent retailer of wine, beer and spirits, announced a partnership with Dialogue Marketing to help support its social media…

ICSC forecasts holiday chain store sales to increase by 3 percent

September 26, 2012

With the holiday season right around the corner, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is forecasting a 3.0 percent sales increase for the…

Facebook's sharing of user data raises concerns

September 25, 2012

More issues are being raised about Facebook privacy and the social networking site's practice of sharing user data.