Loyalty programs and brand loyalty

Branded goods, and stores themselves, need to find new ways to engage and connect with shoppers.

Stores offer alcohol, movies to keep men shopping

April 2, 2009

The Wall Street Journal: On a recent afternoon, customers at Lost Boys in Washington, D.C., sipped cold beers and watched "Casino Royale" on a giant…

New retail kiosks offer virtual clothing, hair colors

March 29, 2009

New York Times: Sales clerks still ask customers, "May I help you?" on the floors of many department stores, but some shoppers may soon choose to be served…

The retail power of suggestion

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A carefully worded farewell can often subliminally impact shoppers into coming back for more.

Digital shopping assistants

In the next five years, shoppers will increasingly rely on themselves - and the opinions of each other - to make purchasing decisions rather than wait for help…

The psychology of color at retail

Cultural, demographic differences play crucial roles in color design for the retail environment.

Basket-at-once scanning technology exists, but retailers aren't biting

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

RFID-based scanners can massively speed up checkout and cut wait times, but supply chain challenges have prevented adoption.

Opinion: 12 ways to maximize the customer during a recession

The author of Retail Business Kit for Dummies weighs in with tips on how to get more out of each customer interaction and drive repeat business.

Tough times drive retailers back to basics

The economy is prompting a number of retailers to drop their experimentation with millennial marketing.

Teen retailers shut down concept stores, focus on main brand

March 12, 2009

Wall Street Journal: As recently as last year, retail concept stores were all the rage in the teen apparel business. These shops, offering the feel and prices…

Queue management targets the last stage of the purchasing process

Discipline blends design, engineering and technology to maximize efficiency and reduce walk-aways.

iCongo version 8 adds dynamic catalog creation, enhanced merchandising

March 4, 2009

MONTREAL — iCongo, provider of e-commerce and cross-channel systems, today announced a set of new features to its retail e-commerce and cross-channel system.

Store closings spell big opportunities for the survivors

March 4, 2009

The Associated Press: Retailers left standing amid the carcasses of their competitors are going after orphaned customers. They're using aggressive mailers…

Fashionology lets tweens design their own clothing, online

March 1, 2009

MediaPost: A marketing campaign kicks off today aimed at spreading the word to tweens about an interactive fashion design experience aimed at girls ages 7-1…

Order online, pickup in-store boosts sales

March 1, 2009

Internet Retailer: As competition for retail sales increases, in-store pickup of online orders is emerging as a more important opportunity for multi-channel…

Discounters snag upscale customers, but do they build loyalty?

Newly frugal shoppers may love the savings at discount stores, but they're not loving the experience.

Research: Mobile retail apps have massive growth potential

A new survey reveals that while most online shoppers have mobile phones, only a fraction have used them while shopping.

Putting your best customers to work for you

The best retailers don't just serve their customers — they put them to work, on behalf of the organization.

South African retailer uses interactive tech in Store of the Near Future

February 16, 2009

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Shoppers frequenting The Foschini Group stores in South Africa could soon have access to the latest touchscreen technology and…

Five ways retailers can use Microsoft Tag today

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Redmond's new mobile barcode app offers some incredible flexibility for creative marketing — and it is available and ready to use right now.