Nielsen: Affluent shoppers more likely to be heavy coupon users

September 8, 2009

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — In today's economy, more U.S. consumers are using coupons when purchasing consumer packaged goods (CPG) items with 1.6 billion coupons…

RetailWire Discussion: Guys join the 'get out of shopping' club

Where does the shopping-averse and fashion-challenged male go for help? One answer is Trunk Club, a new online personal shopping service.

Grass-roots marketing: Retailer mails hand-written thank you notes to shoppers

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

September 7, 2009

In Palm Springs, Calif., one retailer is going back-to-basics for customer service, reviving the art of the hand-written thank you note.

Making the case for custom point-of-purchase content

A core factor of the retail customer experience is advertising. But how we speak to a potential customer versus a customer at the point of purchase are not the…

Designing a new experience — and putting fun back into retail

Now is a great time to design and launch a new customer experience — especially for brands feeling the pinch of commoditization.

NRF's RAMA and Shop.org announce Retail Innovation and Marketing Conference

August 30, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NRF today announced the creation of the Retail Innovation and Marketing Conference. The inaugural event, March 2-4, 2010 in San Francisco…

Sears re-introducing full-service beauty departments

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 30, 2009

Sears got out of the full-service beauty business eight years ago, and now appears to be re-entering it: The company announced in a press release that Sears…

Mobile brain-scanning device tracks, measures shopper emotions

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 26, 2009

Retailers and marketers that wish they could get into the minds of their customers are a little bit closer to having that wish fulfilled, thanks to some…

Jeweler draws in shoppers — with a fully stocked bar

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 25, 2009

Jeff Weiss and his partners have launched an unusual jewelry store in Albany, N.Y., where the emphasis is on more than just buying gems. The 7,000-square-foot…

Reader Q&A: How do I drive more traffic into the store?

A legendary retailer asks for advice on getting shoppers into the store, and Kate Newlin responds with some practical tips.

Luxury retail at a crossroads

Shattered by heavy discounting, luxury retailers now need to focus on two distinct customer types - those looking for branded items at a lower price, and the…

Discounting while preserving the brand

Why retailers need to focus on intelligent promotions, rather than across-the-board discounts.

Customers still want organic, but are skeptical of claims

August 20, 2009

HARRISBURG, Pa. — When it comes to all natural and organic foods, today's consumers are wiser to the differences than most marketers might think and eager to…

Breaking retail's addiction to discounting

When retailers emphasize price above all else, everybody loses. Author Kate Newlin offers some alternatives to "okay, available and cheap."

Thinking beyond traditional retail packaging

How retailers are mixing packaging with interactive technology to connect with consumers.

Walmart emphasizing 'endcaps on steroids'

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 11, 2009

Retailers are reclaiming their endcaps, traditionally used by brands to merchandise their products in thematic fashion. Recent months have seen a greater…

Best Buy turns Sunday circulars into interactive 3D demos

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 6, 2009

Electronics retailer Best Buy has quietly unveiled a new interactive domain, www.BestBuyin3D.com, which turns the company's Sunday circulars into impressive…

Luxury brands extend their names to non-luxury items — and consumers buy it

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 4, 2009

An article in the latest issue of Time magazine is fodder for retail skeptics everywhere. It rehashes the results of an upcoming study in the Journal of…

Study: Customers want simpler, easier-to-understand food labeling

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 4, 2009

Progressive Grocer reports on a new survey from Guiding Stars Licensing Co., which suggests that grocery shoppers are getting fed up with arcane, hard-to-read…

Intelligent online marketing boosts purchases by 25 percent

Marketers must employ direct digital marketing strategies that demonstrate an understanding of how consumers use technology to make purchases.