Survey: Online and mobile sales will make this a positive holiday season for retail

October 27, 2011

The sluggish economy and rising household expenses are casting a chill over consumer confidence, but not enough to bring back the ghost of recessions past…

Michigan retailers expect good holiday sales

October 27, 2011

Nearly nine of 10 Michigan retailers expect a holiday season as good as or better than last year, with more than one in three projecting their sales will rise…

What terrible advertising looks like

by Paul Flanigan — Founder, The Preset Group

One of the key changes with advertising is that the customer has two things that, in previous decades, were never even considered:

AT&T's 'clever' new ad

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

"I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." - Oscar Wilde

Online retailers preparing for promotion-heavy holiday season

October 24, 2011

Online retailers have plenty to be joyous about this holiday season as new research shows companies are adjusting their holiday plans based on expected growth…

Commentary: Why low prices kill brand loyalty

Are low prices to blame for disappearing brands?

Desperate times, desperate measures?

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Earlier this year, Kristy Reynolds, marketing professor at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Commerce, indicated that methodical shopping, or…

How Foursquare can help you unlock a new customer experience

With 35,000 new users every day, foursquare is emerging as a powerful marketing tool for retailers.

Hyundai's Buyer Safety Net: Real protection, or another marketing gimmick?

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

Hyundai recently announced a trade-in guarantee. Buyers of a new Hyundai will know immediately what trade-in value they'll receive on their next purchase.

Oracle acquires Endeca

October 18, 2011

Oracle announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Endeca Technologies, Inc., a provider of unstructured data management, web commerce and…

A week later, we're still thinking about Steve

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

It's been a week since the world lost Steve Jobs. That sounds like a typical, dramatic and overblown statement from the media, but this is the rare case in…

How smart is PetSmart?

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

According to Dow Jones newswire today, PetSmart Inc. raised its third-quarter and full-year guidance, citing better-than-expected same-store sales growth.

Is gathering your competitors' pricing information a worthwhile endeavor?

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

Conventional wisdom is that you need to know your competitors' pricing. My question is, "Why?"

Toys"R"Us to donate $1 to Make-A-Wish Foundation for every wish list created

October 11, 2011

Toys"R"Us today announced that through November 5, for every Wish List created in-store or online, the company will donate $1 in Toys"R"Us gift cards, up to…

LevelUp adds mobile payment feature, expands its footprint

October 11, 2011

In a press release brimming with cheek, LevelUp, a start-up from Cambridge, Mass.-based SCVNGR, announced that it's doubling the number of cities where the…

Survey: Online advertising lifts in-store CPG sales

October 10, 2011

Online metrics company comScore Inc. and brand consultancy dunnhumbyUSA have released results of multiple studies measuring the offline sales impact of online…

Paycloud brings mobile loyalty and gift-card tech to smaller retailers

by James Bickers

The mobile marketing app lets consumers aggregate loyalty programs and special offers on their smartphones.

Oh no, we forgot the children! Let's re-discover our precious Millennials.

by Mark Murray — Director, The Store Channel

Last week my daughter texted me – "I think grandma sent me a check. What do I do with it?" For the record, she only texted me after her friends threw their…

Lies, damn lies and statistics

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

A recent article in CPG Matters relates new findings from Campbell Soup Company that 80 percent of buying decisions are made before a shopper ever gets to the…

Survey: Retailers need to prepare for 'precision shoppers' this holiday season

October 9, 2011

Seventy-two percent of U.S. consumers expect their holiday spending to be "careful" or "controlled" in 2011, according to Accenture's annual consumer holiday…