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…

Swiss coffee company opens boutique in Macy's

June 12, 2012

Switzerland-based Nespresso has opened its first "Boutique-in-Shop" at the Macy's Dadeland Mall in Miami.

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…

New guidelines released to help apparel industry transform supply chain

June 11, 2012

Major American retailers, brands and technology providers have agreed on a set of guidelines for assigning serialized identification numbers to individual…

Digital tool provides retailers 24/7 visibility into competitors' product offerings

June 11, 2012

Retailers can track assortment changes at competitors' websites in real-time and adjust their own product-mix accordingly when using Upstream Commerce's latest…

U.S. retailers spending the most on remodeling since the recession

June 8, 2012

Retailers might be opening fewer stores, but they're spending money improving their existing locations — more than they've spent on remodels since the…

How to design your own solar-powered QR codes

A step-by-step on how to pull off your version of Emart's innovative marketing campaign.

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…

FujiFilm testing NFC-enabled photo kiosks in UK stores

June 6, 2012

FujiFilm has integrated NFC technology into its SmartPix kiosks and is testing them in about 15 retail locations in the United Kingdom. SMARTRAC N.V., a…

Coinstar's coffee kiosks have a name -- Rubi

June 5, 2012

It's official: Coinstar coffee kiosks are coming to market. It's not exactly news, considering the company previously discussed the business venture with us…

Updated guide to digital signage software published

June 5, 2012

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Digital Signage Today, the Internet's leading news and information portal for the digital signage industry, today announced the publication…

NYC Reebok deploys photo kiosks for hockey fans

June 5, 2012

National Hockey League fans shopping in New York City's Reebok store now have access to photo booth kiosks from TouchTunes Interactive Networks, an interactive…

Ikea consumers to shop via TV remote controls

June 5, 2012

It seems it was only a matter of time before consumers were able to buy products via remote control while watching TV. What's perhaps surprising, however, is…

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…

Modell's ups its online game with new e-commerce provider

May 31, 2012

Modell's Sporting Goods has chosen e-commerce provider Shopatron as the order management solution to deliver sports gear to fans via Modells.com. Modell's will…

Retail catalogs surviving the Internet Age

May 29, 2012

Many may think that the catalog is on its way out as online spending continues to increase, but in fact, the opposite is true.

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…

When choosing means losing time

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

On a recent trip to a popular local pottery shop – the kind of place where everything is made on the premises by hand – I was faced with an unexpected dilemma…

Two tales of retail showrooming

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

By now most folks have heard about "showrooming," the relatively new activity where consumers visit a brick and mortar store, look at a product they are…

Technology upgrades helping Victoria's Secret exceed sales expectations

May 7, 2012

Doubling its technology infrastructure investments on inventory management and point-of-sale systems may have helped Limited Brands, owner of Victoria's Secret…