Study: Small business outlook bright; customer demand driving growth

October 17, 2010

In spite of continued concerns over the economy, small businesses' hiring plans are stable compared with the spring, with one in four planning to hire over the…

Yes Virginia, Retail Holiday Sales Will Suck... Again!

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Wherever you look from now until the first week of January, there will be one consistent message: retail holiday sales will suck. That's because the evidence…

Reducing Abandoned Shopping Carts with Live Help

Click-to-chat and click-to-call options can help retailers turn shoppers into buyers.

Groupon, The Nuclear Bomb That Kills Retail?

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

  Think of the last time you received flowers.  Do you remember who gave them to you or the florist? Exactly, the person who gave them to you. The person that…

Who Needs Retail Anyway?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Social media and networks have diminished our need for middle-men.  From publishing to advertising, brands and consumers have unprecedented access to one…

Shoe-shopping with Friends in 10 Steps or Less

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Think of it as a virtual shopping trip where all your friends can offer their opinions and advice, even though they are not there.

Is that a banana in your couch, or are you just happy I am shopping?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Supermarkets are wizards at getting us to buy more than we intend. They’ve figured out how to successfully sell diapers to beer customers and pine nuts to…

Nordstrom Integrates Social Media on New Web Site

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Nordstrom's new website is killer. It blends the best of efficiency and design in one site that's easy to use, feels great, and keeps the customer focused on…

Retailers to up IT spend when economy improves

August 12, 2010

According to TalkingRetail.com, the latest IT in Retail report of the top 100 companies, surveyed by Martec International, suggests that retailers' investment…

Consumer research firm launching airport retail study

August 12, 2010

According to Duty-Free News International, consumer research firm Shopping Behaviour Xplained (SBXL) are set to start a study of major airports and top brands…

MyRegistry.com partners up with Birthday Calendar Facebook app

August 10, 2010

Online gift registry site MyRegistry.com recently announced a new partnership with Birthday Calendar, a division of Big Dates Solutions Inc., the birthday…

How iPads are Going to Change the Face of Retail

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Tablet computing and inexpensive apps, similar to the Apple iPad platform, bring a host of new opportunities to interact with customers. Here are a few 

German publisher Taschen defying expections with high-end bookstores

August 9, 2010

According to the Los Angeles Times, German publisher Taschen is making its mark with high-end bookstores, even in the midst of a down economy.The publisher has…

Report: Shoppers expected to be more mobile, social and green this holiday season

August 9, 2010

According to MediaPost News, Experian Marketing Services' new 2010 holiday marketer report says brands can expect an increasingly mobile, social and green…

Smart phone carriers going after credit cards

August 8, 2010

A Bloomberg report indicates that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are joining forces to challenge credit card companies by enabling consumers to pay for their…

Intel digital signage concept shows the changing face of retail

August 8, 2010

According to Digihub.com, Intel’s Intelligent Digital Signage Concept, shown off recently at the Digital Signage World convention in Sydney, could change the…

Rebuttal to Mary Hunt in Woman's Day Magazine: Retailers Don't Trick Customers

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Mary Hunt takes aim at retailers by telling Amiable personalities they are all wrong and should become like her, an Analytical. I hate this type of X-files…

If the Culture Fits

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

In the humorous commercials from California’s Milk Advisory Board, viewers are told that "great cheese comes from happy cows." Whether or not cheerful bovines…

Card Sharps: How Hallmark reinvented its loyalty value proposition

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

Hallmark is an American classic, a nearly 100-year-old, third-generation family-owned company with deep roots in Kansas City, Missouri. But even long-standing…

Wasting Time with Walmart

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

I have to run an errand to Wal-mart today and I’m dreading it.