E-tail clinic: The new CircuitCity.com

The electronics retail brand has been revived online by Systemax — so what is it like for customers?

Retailers can weather economy by focusing on basics

Trusted brands and an enlarged pool of skilled workers provide leverage.

Eight tips for better retail brand messaging

A New York City ad agency lays out a process to ensure retail communications reach their full potential.

Opinion: Retailers need to cut their SKUs

Increasingly, less is more. Here are some tips on shaving your product assortment down to a more manageable, profitable size.

Loyalty segmentation needs to extend into the store

When front-line employees are left out of the loyalty process, points programs miss the point.

Five underutilized features of the modern POS

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Today's point-of-sale systems are sophisticated business tools, but many retailers are still using them as glorified cash registers.

RetailWire Discussion: Most loyal customers aren't profitable

A recent Harvard Business Journal article suggests that few customers are profitable — and of the ones that are, most are not loyal.

Five viral marketing mistakes to avoid

There's a lot of buzz surrounding viral marketing — but retailers need to make sure to avoid these common missteps.

The financial discipline of customer experience

For the retail CFO, customer experience needs to shift from a "nice to have" to a "must have."

Solving the player-to-screen puzzle

How to make the right networking and connectivity choices when planning retail digital signage.

Opinion: Retailers giving lip service to customer service

Noted retail trainer and author discusses how the concept of customer service has been watered down by many retailers.

Satisfying the customer whose credit has been denied

The retail credit scene is tough, but retailers don't have to bear the brunt of rejection.

Is price the only 'P' that matters?

Convenience-based value propositions are losing their appeal as people are repricing their free time.

Finding the financial value of the customer

When making customer service decisions, consider the lifetime revenue each customer provides — and their potential for sending referrals.

Opinion: Loyalty is more than points programs

Building a perfect loyalty program requires a delicate balance between reward and customer effort — and online retailers are leading the way.

Microsoft's Retail Experience Center: It's all about connectedness

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The Redmond giant's retail test lab focuses on connecting all the moving parts of a retail enterprise, right down to the customer level.

New research initiative to measure qualitative effectiveness of in-store marketing

7-Eleven, Ahold, Frito-Lay North America, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages, Walgreens are among the research participants.

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.

Digital signage lessons from GlobalShop 2009

Best Buy's in-store video producer reflects on what he learned during Digital Signage Day at GlobalShop 2009.