Luxury brands respond to tough economic times

Given the worldwide economic decline, the once seemingly recession-proof luxury sector is under siege.

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.

Store closings spell big opportunities for the survivors

March 4, 2009

The Associated Press: Retailers left standing amid the carcasses of their competitors are going after orphaned customers. They're using aggressive mailers…

Blog: All Virgin Megastores to close by summer

March 3, 2009

MSNBC: It's the end of days for Virgin Megastore, a leading business and entertainment blog reports. The Wrap says all five remaining Virgin Megastores in the…

Fashionology lets tweens design their own clothing, online

March 1, 2009

MediaPost: A marketing campaign kicks off today aimed at spreading the word to tweens about an interactive fashion design experience aimed at girls ages 7-1…

Order online, pickup in-store boosts sales

March 1, 2009

Internet Retailer: As competition for retail sales increases, in-store pickup of online orders is emerging as a more important opportunity for multi-channel…

Luxury consumers losing the urge to splurge

March 1, 2009

Jewelers Circular Keystone: It was only last summer that the Wall Street Journal was repeating the conventional wisdom that luxury items had not been affected…

Discounters snag upscale customers, but do they build loyalty?

Newly frugal shoppers may love the savings at discount stores, but they're not loving the experience.

PRN, Retail Entertainment Design announce alliance

February 25, 2009

LAS VEGAS — Premier Retail Networks Inc. (PRN), provider of digital media solutions at retail, and Retail Entertainment Design (R-E-D), an award-winning…

Research: Mobile retail apps have massive growth potential

A new survey reveals that while most online shoppers have mobile phones, only a fraction have used them while shopping.

Phone company upgrades in-store experience with interactivity, signage

February 22, 2009

JEEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — When 200 of retail's top designers, editors and vendors cast their votes for the most influential store designs of 2008, Mobily's use…

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.

Jewelry.com relaunches with broader scope

February 17, 2009

National Jeweler: Jewelry.com has relaunched to feature an expanded retailer directory that covers multichannel national and regional fine-jewelry stores in…

South African retailer uses interactive tech in Store of the Near Future

February 16, 2009

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Shoppers frequenting The Foschini Group stores in South Africa could soon have access to the latest touchscreen technology and…

RadioShack quietly opens new concept store

February 15, 2009

The Dallas Morning News: RadioShack Corp. has quietly opened a new concept store in the Dallas area.

Independent booksellers hold tight to their niche

February 15, 2009

The Daily Herald (Chicago): They've battled the big guys, the Internet, the downward spiral of the economy. Now, in the tradition of all great drama…

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.

Microsoft to open own stores

February 12, 2009

Reuters: Microsoft Corp announced plans on Thursday to open its own chain of stores and hired a DreamWorks Animation executive to run them.

Callison designs 'playground store' for T-Mobile

February 11, 2009

NEW YORK — Designed to transform shopping for technology products into an approachable, personalized activity, the design for the T-Mobile Playground Store…