Inserts more influential than TV ads

February 11, 2008

BALTIMORE — Vertis Communications announced the tenth anniversary of its proprietary Vertis Customer Focus study, which has been analyzing the key trends…

More companies realize customer experience will be critical in 2008

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 11, 2008

Forrester Research has just published "Obstacles to Customer Experience Success, 2008," which distills the results of a survey of 287 customer experience…

Adidas unveils new store design

February 10, 2008

DNR: Adidas unveiled a new store design for its Adidas Originals boutique in Soho on Feb. 2. The refashioned store also serves as the U.S. launch pad for the…

Putting the 'world' in Wincor World

by Tracy Kitten — Editor, AMC

Steady growth, innovation mark German firm's annual self-service show.

Old Navy recasts image, aims younger

January 31, 2008

Advertising Age: Old Navy, a division of the struggling Gap Inc., is trying to shake off its traditional discount image with a new logo and marketing campaign…

Shoe stores need new format to compete, says study

January 29, 2008

Design Week: Footwear retailers are suffering from high levels of competition from clothing chains, and should develop new store formats to catch up with…

Brand-sponsored events boost purchase intent

January 28, 2008

BrandWeek: A new survey shows in-person events can boost purchase intent by as much as 52 percent. According to the report, released this month by the…

Interactivity 'the future of customer service'

January 22, 2008

Nikki Baird with Retail Systems Research identified three areas of investment that retailers have eyes on for the coming year: cross-channel care, mobility and…

NRF 08: emphasis on 'green'

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Retail's Big Show saw a major emphasis on the environment.

German retailer testing RFID for apparel sales

January 20, 2008

New York Times: In the men's department of a Galeria Kaufhof department store in Essen, Germany, every clothing item except the shoes — about 30,000 in all …

Ben Stein speaks at NRF

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Actor/economist gives state-of-the-economy address to retailers.

NRF board calls for economic stimulus

January 15, 2008

NEW YORK, N.Y. — The National Retail Federation Board of Directors has called on Congress and President Bush to enact legislation to stimulate the nation's…

Study: Pricey products trigger happy responses in consumers

January 15, 2008

MSNBC: The more we believe an item is worth, the happier we are with our purchase — at least for a short time, says a study released in Proceedings of the…

L.L. Bean No. 1 in customer service, according to NRF

January 15, 2008

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Satisfaction guaranteed is a mantra many companies live by, but customers say that none demonstrate that practice more than specialty retailer…

IBM unveils results of new retail loyalty survey

January 13, 2008

NEW YORK — IBM unveiled a new survey of 19,000 U.S. consumers which found that across multiple retail segments, only 21 percent of consumers are advocates for…

ARTS releases SOA blueprint for retail

January 13, 2008

NEW YORK — The Association for Retail Technology Standards, the standards division of the National Retail Federation, announced the release of the SOA…

NRF 2008 opens in New York

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

January 13, 2008

NEW YORK — The National Retail Federation's 97th Annual Convention & Expo opened this morning at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Approximately 60…

Wincor Nixdorf bringing retail IT platform to the U.S.

January 10, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas — Wincor Nixdorf, supplier of IT solutions for the retail and banking industries, announced the U.S. introduction of its TP.net software…

Marketers experimenting with digital signage

January 9, 2008

Promo: Borders is not the only retailer discovering what behemoths like Wal-Mart already know: In-store TV is a smart way to talk to customers. The networks…

IBM unveils new retail software architecture

January 9, 2008

ARMONK, N.Y. — IBM announced the IBM Retail Integration Framework, an enterprise software architecture designed to help retailers accelerate the…