Solution to help retailers of 'any size' offer digital coupons

July 24, 2012

With more than 55.7 million American consumers using online coupons each year, retailers of all sizes are looking to provide shoppers with easy ways to obtain…

Macy's novel approach to rolling out mobility in 800 stores

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you'll know that showrooming is one of the hottest topics in retailing. Consumers are increasingly using their…

Five ways to lose your Facebook business page fans

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Creating a Facebook business page for your small business and then growing your fan base has become a focus for many businesses and has the potential to be a…

4 retailers with hot summer marketing tactics

Retail experts discuss how to incorporate summer into marketing plans.

RCE Podcast episode 4: Mobile retail marketing and Walmart's innovative approach to back-to-school

The mobile phone brings with it an almost infinite array of possibilities for retail marketers, but new innovations bring new concerns about ethical marketing…

Forecast: Women's clothing sales, online chatter about discounts to surge in Q3

July 19, 2012

In-store sales of women's clothing are expected to see a 9.2 percent increase in the third quarter of 2012, according to a just-released IBM analytics-based…

Macy's, shopkick instantly launch mobile rewards program

July 18, 2012

Macy's is the latest retailer to fully roll out shopkick, a location-based shopping app that rewards shoppers for walking into stores and interacting with…

Loyalty means never having to say, "Eat that second doughnut"

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Smart marketers know that the key to winning customer loyalty is through using personal data in a way that benefits both the company and the consumer.

Do customers control your pricing?

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

The CEO of a staffing firm asked what I did for a living. When I told him that I help companies get higher prices regardless of what their competitors or the…

Survey: Average US consumer will spend $300 on back-to-school

July 17, 2012

The back-to-school shopping season is already underway with one-third of households reporting that they have begun to shop, according to a special ICSC-Goldman…

Why don't the old customer service ways work anymore?

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

"Why don't the old ways work with customers anymore?" I hear this question frequently when I'm speaking at a business event or starting a new customer service…

Report: Mobile retail commerce rises in second quarter, social shopping drops

July 16, 2012

Mobile shopping rose while social media sales fell, providing an indication of where U.S. retailers may invest in order to capture the attention and loyalty of…

Meet your new gift registry: Pinterest

I'm planning a party for my younger sister. Usually, I flip through magazines or ask friends for ideas. However, this time I went straight to Pinterest.

Tokyo toy co testing augmented reality kiosks

July 16, 2012

A Tokyo toy company is testing kiosks with augmented reality capabilities to allow shoppers to interact with toys even when they're still in packaging.

Klout: More social influence equals a better customer experience?

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

I was very interested to see that organizations are starting to provide a better customer experience to people that have more social influence. You may have…

The customer-centric retail pricing zone

Analyzing shopping patterns across multiple stores allows for a more profitable pricing-zone strategy.

There's no room for revolutionaries on Wall Street

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Several months ago, JC Penney CEO Ron Johnson and his newly formed executive team made some significant changes to the pricing and promotional structure for…

What would happen if all the store signs were removed?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Ever look around a store and notice all the signs? At least in technology stores you can't miss them. There seems to be a plethora of signs touting the latest…

Market-driven pricing

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

A May 9, 2012 Bloomberg Businessweek article, "Macy's 1Q profit jumps 38 percent," attributes the company's success to its ability to tailor its fashions to…

RCE Podcast episode 3: Why (most) retailers shouldn't worry about showrooming

July 6, 2012

New survey data reveals that most retailers have nothing to fear from the mobile-enabled consumer, and on today's call our panel discusses why that is - and…