The Discount Economy and its Implications for the Future

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

We’ve been in a discount economy for several decades. There are a number of factors contributing to this reality:

Social media for retailers: Focus on Facebook

A study of 10,000 online shoppers reveals where retailers should focus their social media efforts.

Placecast launches location-aware retail marketing tool

February 24, 2010

Placecast announced the availability of ShopAlerts, which delivers location-triggered mobile messages when shoppers enter "geo-fences" that can be created…

Rethinking retail in the age of the grounded consumer

New research from a cultural anthropologist offers timely advice for retail.

Opinion: Michelle Obama is saving retail

February 9, 2010

BNET blogger Lydia Dishman spells out the many ways the fashion-savvy First Lady is boosting the bottom lines of apparel retailers and brands. She starts with…

Why Generation Y isn't buying your products

A Gen-Y marketer offers three tips for reaching the most demanding, most technologically savvy demographic yet.

Green Room Retail CEO chimes in on pop-up shop phenom

February 3, 2010

Provider of retail solutions including retail design, point-of-purchase, shop-in-shop and flagship store design, Green Room Retail founder and CEO Richard Ash…

What the iPad means for booksellers

Apple's new iPad device could shake up the book market. Here are five ways to sell more traditional books during the upcoming e-book wave.

Retailers target younger shoppers with mobile coupons

February 1, 2010

Recent tests of mobile coupon programs from J.C. Penney, Target, 7-Eleven and other retailers are attempting to reach younger shoppers where they live — on the…

Study: Valentine's Day spending to hold steady

February 1, 2010

Despite the general perception that the economy is slowly recovering, most consumers anticipate spending a similar amount on their significant other this…

Five great uses of social media at retail

Retailers are struggling to figure out how to fit social media into their holistic strategy. Here are five retailers that are doing it right.

Tesco entering the movie business

January 27, 2010

When Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy told this year's NRF attendees to "follow the customer" for new business ideas, he might have had this in mind: AdAge reports…

Study: Loyalty programs are failing to connect with customers

January 24, 2010

As more marketers turn to loyalty and rewards programs to spark business growth, a new report from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council indicates that…

The Lost Art of the Loss Leader

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

Traditional strategies for promotional discounting are being ignored, and retailers are losing revenue as a result.

Food Lion, Bloom pay customers to buy private-label products

January 20, 2010

Grocers Food Lion and Bloom are getting aggressive with their private-label products, says Progressive Grocer. In a marketing campaign that runs through Feb.

NRF: Epicor extends mobile marketing capabilities for retailers

January 10, 2010

Epicor Software Corp., a provider of enterprise business software solutions to the mid-market and Global 1000 companies, has introduced Epicor Retail Mobile…

Ed Hardy uses YCD video, interactive mobile technologies in Australia, U.K. stores

The lifestyle brand used digital signage as part of an integrated shopper marketing strategy used to boost customer experience.

Target takes on warehouse clubs

January 4, 2010

Over the weekend, Target stores launched a new seven-week marketing blitz called "The Great Save," which aims to position Target as a sort of hybrid of its…

Retailers tackling 'mountains of data'

January 3, 2010

A new report in the New York Times discusses the "mountains of data and whiz-bang technology" that today's retailers are wrestling with, in their ongoing…

Report: Loyalty to nationally advertised brands is falling

December 28, 2009

Loyalty to nationally advertised brands has been falling over the past two years.   Decision Analyst's "Anatomy of the Recession" report, based on a survey of…