Gift cards a bright spot for retailers

April 14, 2009

Progressive Grocer: Shopping survey experts National Research Network (NRN) and leading consumer anthropologists The Hartman Group have announced data results…

NRF: March retail sales disappoint as retailers wrap up first quarter

April 13, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Several months of stronger-than-expected retail sales provided hope that the industry was poised to bounce back, but March retail sales…

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.

Checkpoint introduces source-to-store merchandise visibility solution

April 7, 2009

THOROFARE, N.J. — Checkpoint Systems Inc., a supplier of shrink management solutions, has announced the release of its Merchandise Visibility Solution, which…

Maritz, Welcome Real-Time announce POS-based marketing and loyalty program

April 6, 2009

ST. LOUIS — Maritz and Welcome Real-Time have announced a partnership to launch a new loyalty solution in the United States and Canada. The offering, Maritz…

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.

Stores offer alcohol, movies to keep men shopping

April 2, 2009

The Wall Street Journal: On a recent afternoon, customers at Lost Boys in Washington, D.C., sipped cold beers and watched "Casino Royale" on a giant…

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.

NRF: Easter retail sales expected to fall 14 percent

March 22, 2009

Bizjournals.com: Expect consumers to spend less on the Easter holiday this year. The National Retail Federation, in its 2009 Easter Consumer Intentions and…

Circuit City: What went wrong?

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

As the once-great electronics retailer winds down, experts weigh in on what mistakes were made.

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.

Tough times drive retailers back to basics

The economy is prompting a number of retailers to drop their experimentation with millennial marketing.

ShopYourWay merges Sears, Kmart multichannel experiences

March 15, 2009

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings Corp. announced the unification of its multichannel services under an initiative dubbed ShopYourWay. Both Sears and…

Queue management targets the last stage of the purchasing process

Discipline blends design, engineering and technology to maximize efficiency and reduce walk-aways.

Jeweler lets shoppers share their personal stories online

March 9, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas — Bazaarvoice, provider of hosted social commerce applications, today announced that Zale Corp., a leading specialty retailer of fine jewelry in…

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.