Blockbuster Express kiosks coming to New England grocery chain

August 26, 2009

NCR Corp. has announced the chain-wide deployment of its Blockbuster Express DVD-rental kiosks in Big Y grocery stores throughout Massachusetts and…

Pan-Oston releases new Utopia self-checkout model

August 25, 2009

Bowling Green, Ky.-based Pan-Oston has introduced the newest model in its Utopia line of self-checkout products.   According to a news release from Pan-Oston…

Discounting while preserving the brand

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

Customers still want organic, but are skeptical of claims

August 20, 2009

HARRISBURG, Pa. — When it comes to all natural and organic foods, today's consumers are wiser to the differences than most marketers might think and eager to…

Sam's Club installs coupon kiosks in 600 stores

August 19, 2009

Warehouse club retailer Sam's Club has installed kiosks in more than 600 of its stores nationwide as part of its eValues program, a paperless coupons and…

Thinking beyond traditional retail packaging

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

Walmart emphasizing 'endcaps on steroids'

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 11, 2009

Retailers are reclaiming their endcaps, traditionally used by brands to merchandise their products in thematic fashion. Recent months have seen a greater…

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.

Study: Customers want simpler, easier-to-understand food labeling

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 4, 2009

Progressive Grocer reports on a new survey from Guiding Stars Licensing Co., which suggests that grocery shoppers are getting fed up with arcane, hard-to-read…

How to catch male shoppers: Market to women

The men's grooming market is set to explode, and retailers can reach it more directly by marketing to women.

Coinstar continues '09 march with Kroger deal

August 2, 2009

Despite this year's challenging economic environment, Coinstar Inc. has had a monumental 2009, so far. In the past two months, the company has announced the…

NCR self-checkout wins IDEA award

July 30, 2009

NCR Corp. announced its SelfServ Checkout solution has won a bronze award in the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards, or IDEA, competition. According…

Private label: The prestige brands of tomorrow?

Retail expert and author Kate Newlin says the only odd thing about private label brands is that they've taken so long to win shoppers over.

Tesco accused of misleading ads

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 28, 2009

The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority has a problem with recent ads from mega-retailer Tesco, which claim lower basket prices than competitor Asda.

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?

Self-checkout and alcohol: A dangerous mix?

New research about minors, alcohol and self-checkout may prompt legislation in California.

Cub Foods adding color-coded nutrition info program

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 15, 2009

Cub Foods, a part of the Supervalu family of grocery stores, is implementing a new program designed to make it easier for shoppers to make intelligent choices…

StoreNext to offer the LaneHawk shrink-prevention system

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 14, 2009

StoreNext Retail Technologies, a division of Retalix, announced that it will distribute the LaneHawk bottom-of-basket scanning system. The company will offer…

Retailers can weather economy by focusing on basics

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

Safeway online coupon program coming to all stores

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 13, 2009

Drug Store News reports that Safeway is expanding its couponLink program, an interesting and innovative take on online coupons.