Smartphone apps could be retailers' No. 1 ally

May 9, 2012

Smartphone apps could be the magic bullet of marketing for retailers, according to a December 2011 ABI Research survey of U.S. consumers. The study, "Mobile…

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…

AT&T releases mobile checkout app for retailers

May 8, 2012

AT&T is helping retailers shorten their checkout lines with its newest product, VeriFone GlobalBay Solutions, that allows associates armed with mobile…

Why small retailers must work harder on customer service

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

This is a tale of two retailers, one of them a single-location local boutique shop, the other a major multinational corporation. One of them recently gave me…

How to help shoppers increase spend this Mother's Day

Mother's Day shopping can be big bucks for retailers, but there are still a few ways to get shoppers to spend even more.

NCR's Silver is 'more than a mobile POS solution'

NCR is confident that independent retailers will quickly adopt its new "total retail solution."

TheFind launches Glimpse social shopping app

May 1, 2012

TheFind, a mobile, social and tablet commerce provider and shopping search engine, announced it has launched Glimpse, a new Facebook shopping app that uses…

Loyalty plan: A compelling showroom model

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Recent news stories regarding the trend of "showrooming" have me wondering why more merchants aren't showboating the one feature that distinguishes them from…

CGS releases merchandise planning module

April 23, 2012

Computer Generated Solutions has released its BlueCherry Multi-Channel Merchandise Planning (MCMP) solution designed to improve individual retail, wholesale…

Study: Only 17 percent of specialty online retailers offer dedicated mobile site

April 23, 2012

Software provider Briteskies today released the results of a study evaluating the mobile e-commerce offerings of 75 online retailers, including Petco, Sunglass…

What retailers should know about Google Glasses

Retail experts and techies debate the technology's feasibility and why retailers should care.

Bike seller bridging e-commerce, brick-and-mortar gap with build-a-bike kiosks

April 18, 2012

According to the Fort Collins (Colo.) Coloradoan, Fort Collins bicycle retailer Big Shot Bikes is using build-a-bike kiosks to bridge the gap between…

Study: Only 7 percent of e-commerce sites offer one-page checkouts

April 18, 2012

The average number of checkout pages required to complete an order on e-commerce sites was three, and only 7 percent of merchants surveyed offered one-page…

Unlike Apple's walled content garden, Amazon is 'building forests'

The online retailer's deal with J.K. Rowling might hint at its digital retail dominance.

Macy's embracing technology to mirror online shopping experience

April 13, 2012

The success of its online sales is inspiring Macy's Chief Executive Terry Lundgren to make some changes to the in-store shopping experience, according to a…

Gucci unveils mobile POS program

April 12, 2012

Gucci sales associates at select U.S., Europe and Asia locations are equipped with personal Apple iPhone 4S devices to provide shoppers with a more convenient…

Beating the showrooming blues

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

Today's Wall Street Journal carries an article on what's being called "showrooming." This is a relatively new activity where shoppers go to a local brick &…

Are Best Buy's best days behind it?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

The news that Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn left the company yesterday created quite a stir across Wall Street and the retail sector. It may also have consumers…

Self-checkout kiosks: Love 'em or leave 'em?

April 9, 2012

It seems self-checkout is either loved or hated. While Walmart and CVS are adding more self-scanning lanes, at least two grocery chains — Albertson's and Big…

Kony explains its mobile application platform

Mobile Payments Today spoke with Chris Dean from Kony at the recent Retail RAMP conference in Chicago. Chris talked about the company's mobile application…