What green can mean for a retailer's image

Properly leveraged, green initiatives can make customers feel better about shopping at certain stores.

Loyalty programs and brand loyalty

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

Item out of stock? Many shoppers won't buy a substitute

April 2, 2009

CSP: Call beverage consumers fickle, if you must, but their likelihood to leave a store without making a purchase if their preferred drink is hard to find or…

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.

Coinstar named top performer in prepaid category by retailers

March 26, 2009

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Coinstar E-Payment Services, a subsidiary of Coinstar Inc., has been named a top prepaid performer in the 2009 Convenience Store Decisions…

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.

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.

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.

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.

Retail architect: Meet the new consumer

February 10, 2009

Jeffrey Hutchison, The Huffington Post: The current financial crisis has ushered in a new retail era which spells the end of shopping as we have known it…

Globalshop 2009: The changing face of in-store marketing

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Next month's event will focus heavily on new trends in fixtures, screens and the store as media marketplace.

United Oil president eyes unique, unconventional store designs

February 4, 2009

Convenience Store News: Ron Appel, president of United Oil, could be called a dreamer. He is constantly imagining an array of highly creative and individually…

Wincor World focuses on service, automated checkout

by Tracy Kitten — Editor, AMC

Wincor Nixdorf says its latest innovations are enhancing the shopping experience for both retailers and consumers.

Move over TJX: Heartland data breach may be biggest yet

With literally tens of millions of card transactions at risk, malware found on the server of Heartland Payment Systems may make history.

Village Pantry revamps employee training system

January 25, 2009

Convenience Store News: Indianapolis-based Village Pantry sought to revamp its on-the-job training with a solution that provided consistent, high-quality…

NRF: Stu Armstrong on in-store digital media

At retail Big Show, the president of the Digital Signage Association delivered 11 reasons to deploy in-store media.

Loyalty 360, PCATS announce partnership

January 19, 2009

ALEXANDRIA, Va., and CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS) and Loyalty 360, the Loyalty Marketer's Association…

New research reveals the best retail customer experiences of the year

January 19, 2009

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Retail Customer Experience magazine announced the publication of its inaugural Best Retail Customer Experiences report, a comprehensive…