Best Buy: Why in-store analytics are critical for survival

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Best Buy is a case study unfolding before our eyes. It is quite literally a test of how today's omnichannel consumers will behaviorally respond to radical…

AT&T retail chief explains 'The Store of the Future'

by Carmine Gallo — President, GCG

As consumers shift many of their purchases online, will physical retail stores even have a reason to exist? That’s the difficult question AT&T retail…

How in-store navigation impacts customer experience

by Jeannie Walters — Chief Customer Experience Investigator, 360Connext

Few phrases conjure up more anxiety than "we're lost."

Walmart's secret sauce: How the largest survives and thrives

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Amazon and omni-channel are sexy topics that grab a lot of retail press. But at the end of the day, Walmart is the largest retailer on the planet, and the…

The single greatest miss in retail store metrics: Footfalls

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Online retail knows everything about you, but stores are not even sure you were there.The old saying is "build it and they will come." One of the greatest…

How retailers can attract more male customers

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

In RCE podcast #8, Kim Nasief, CEO of Measure CP, and I were asked if there is a way to attract male shoppers to stores. The generally held and widely accepted…

Here's why retailers should put up their Christmas displays before Halloween

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

It's that time of the year ... time for the leaves to change, corn mazes to sprout up, pumpkin spice latte demand so strong Starbucks has shortages. And of…

Axiom's secret sauce for customer experience in Dubai

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Last stop on my around the world tour of retail was Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In a land of perpetual heat, it is easy to understand why consumers…

The Walmart whale is making waves in South Africa retail

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

It is one thing to read about international retailing, but quite another to experience it firsthand. I've visited South Africa several times on safaris, but…

Samsung's stores missing a page from Apple's playbook

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

My grueling travel schedule does not permit me to get out and see retail stores in Seoul. But since South Korea is the home of Samsung, I thought it would be…

Around the world in 30 days, 7 retail stops along the way

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

I'm convinced that you don't plan an around the world trip ... they just happen. I get an amazing opportunity to deliver IMS Retail University workshops around…

How to save the center of the store

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

The New York Times recently ran a piece exploring the shift in traffic from center store to perimeter in a typical supermarket. While the article was…

Putting romance back into retail

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Retailing has changed more in the last 3 years than in the past 3 decades. Actually, it is the consumers who have changed. They are shopping 24/7/365 anywhere…

Riding the Marrakesh Express to the roots of retail

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Understanding retail's 'third shelf'

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

There have always been two "shelves" in retail. The first can be found in the retail store and is where the product is most often evaluated and ultimately…

To beat showrooming, change the showroom

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Almost every other retail headline is about the growing tide of online sales and the rise of mobile shopping. CEA just forecasted that more shoppers will shop…

Lessons learned from the Transit of Venus

by James Tenser — Principal, VSN Strategies

Recently I attended an event that will never be repeated in your or my lifetime. It was a viewing of the transit of the planet Venus across the face of the…

The seven reasons independent retailers go broke

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

When I was first starting my retail consultancy business back in the 90?s, independent retailers dreaded the arrival of retail super chains like Walmart in…

Brazil: Retail lessons from the land of beef

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

While in much of the world economies and retail are still in recovery mode, Brazil is a bull of an economy. Brazil is bold, brazen and the land of where "beef…

Making the right choice ... for your customer

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

Retailers make subconscious choices between making things easier for themselves or delivering the best experience for their customers almost every day. We…