First look: Inside the Microsoft retail store

A visit to the first Microsoft store reveals that comparisons to Apple are like apples and oranges.

E-tail Clinic: BestBuy.com

The electronics retailer's site has properly integrated in-store pickup, but less-than-relevant cross-sell intelligence.

Five things any retailer can learn from Apple

While most retailers can't lean on Steve Jobs for help with reinvention, there are lessons that all can learn from the Apple/Disney partnership.

Barnes & Noble Nook raises questions about digital-only products

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Technology has made it possible to deliver music, movies, books and more without a physical product. But is that good for shoppers or retailers?

Customers are buying down, and opportunities are rising, part 3

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Customer-centric experience design is explored in this final installment of "Where's the Opportunity?"

Smart retailers fight walk-aways at the checkout

An average of 1.6 percent of customers leaves the checkout queue — and the store — without completing a purchase.

Freakonomics co-author to speak at NRF 2010

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Journalist Stephen Dubner has been added to the roster of "retail's big show," taking place this January in New York.

ISME: Design of the Times 2009 award winners announced

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

At this week's In-Store Marketing Expo, a panel of 100 experts picked the year's best retail marketing initiatives in 16 categories.

Top 10 brand and marketing trends for 2010

A new definition of value, growing consumer expectations among the things brands and retailers will need to watch for.

Opinion: The difference between clerking and selling

The Retail Doc explains why in-store staff should be moved beyond low-hanging fruit and into real selling.

Great customer service: Remembering the little things

Tough times mean retailers need to squeeze all the value they can out of their assets, and that includes the small touches that can make a big difference.

Making the case for custom point-of-purchase content

A core factor of the retail customer experience is advertising. But how we speak to a potential customer versus a customer at the point of purchase are not the…

Designing a new experience — and putting fun back into retail

Now is a great time to design and launch a new customer experience — especially for brands feeling the pinch of commoditization.

Driver's license scanning reduces fraud, but may alienate shoppers

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

In an effort to fight return fraud and abuse, a growing number of retailers are using a service that keeps a database of return activity — and feels like an…

Discounting while preserving the brand

Why retailers need to focus on intelligent promotions, rather than across-the-board discounts.

Hands-on review: Best Buy's Twelpforce

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The electronics retailer is using Twitter to connect customers to an army of tech experts. How well does it work?

Breaking retail's addiction to discounting

When retailers emphasize price above all else, everybody loses. Author Kate Newlin offers some alternatives to "okay, available and cheap."

Thinking beyond traditional retail packaging

How retailers are mixing packaging with interactive technology to connect with consumers.

Why good customer service is like billiards

Retail Doc Bob Phibbs explains why customer service staff need to scatter around the customer, like pool balls reacting to the cue.

Opinion: Why customer satisfaction surveys don't work

With 95 percent of our cognitive processing handled by the subconscious, how much value is there in surveys that probe the other five percent?