Opinion: the shopping experience can be more important than the product

February 24, 2008

Advertising Age: Nordstrom executives long have made it their business to do whatever is necessary to please the consumer — everything from stocking every…

Some Wal-Marts going upscale

February 24, 2008

Austin Business Journal: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is going high-end. In some markets, such as the Dallas area, the retailer is upgrading its image to more closely…

Blog: recession will be helped by 'reproduction mania'

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 21, 2008

Heather Strang, blogger for Retail Design Diva, isn't particularly worried about the effect a possible recession would have on retail. No, she says, there are…

Analyst: as belts tighten, customers choose Wal-Mart over Target

February 21, 2008

Associated Press: Citi Investment Research analyst Deborah L. Weinswig said Wal-Mart's "low-price message" resonates with consumers who are trying to scale…

Customer satisfaction down overall, up online

February 19, 2008

Medill Reports: Another explanation for lackluster consumer spending emerged Tuesday when the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index…

Public still wary of retail health clinics

February 19, 2008

Wall Street Journal: The public's still pretty wary of the retail clinics cropping up in Wal-Marts and drugstores around the country. But there are enough…

Quebec grocer eliminates plastic bags

February 12, 2008

MONTREAL — The Maxi & Co store located in the city of Sherbrooke has become Loblaw Companies Limited's first grocery and general merchandise store in…

Software-as-a-service for in-store digital signage

February 11, 2008

The distribution model is one of the most important aspects to investigate when selecting digital signage software.

Inserts more influential than TV ads

February 11, 2008

BALTIMORE — Vertis Communications announced the tenth anniversary of its proprietary Vertis Customer Focus study, which has been analyzing the key trends…

More companies realize customer experience will be critical in 2008

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 11, 2008

Forrester Research has just published "Obstacles to Customer Experience Success, 2008," which distills the results of a survey of 287 customer experience…

Wal-Mart countdown clocks mark the minutes to digital TV deadline

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

February 10, 2008

On February 17, 2009, analog televisions in the United States will no longer be able to pick up over-the-air signals. Research done by the Nielsen Company says…

Healthnotes program shown to increase shopper satisfaction, drive sales

February 6, 2008

PORTLAND, Ore. — Healthnotes announced results of an in-store test conducted by an independent firm showing that the company's "Fresh Ideas" program drives…

Wal-Mart launches online shopping tool for Valentine's Day

February 4, 2008

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart has introduced HelpaChickPick.com and re-introduced HelpaGuyBuy.com, online shopping tools that help customers identify the gift…

Survey: grocery shopping can be enjoyable, sometimes

February 3, 2008

Progressive Grocer: For the folks who craft the myths and messages of a brand — professional marketers — grocery shopping can sometimes be significantly…

Retail clinics a symptom of change in patient demand

February 3, 2008

The Tennessean: The medical profession should not be surprised that small, convenient retail clinics are popping up as popular destinations for patients. The…

WINCOR WORLD: 360-degree scanning will speed check-out

January 30, 2008

The Real 360 works when a shopper places no more than 1 item each on its segmented conveyor belt. Merchandise then is sped through a tunnel of…

Brand-sponsored events boost purchase intent

January 28, 2008

BrandWeek: A new survey shows in-person events can boost purchase intent by as much as 52 percent. According to the report, released this month by the…

Tesco plans department-style stores

January 23, 2008

Reuters: Tesco has plans to open multiple-level stores, revealing a new threat to store owners like Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. "Where land is premium we…

Green shoppers drive larger baskets

January 22, 2008

Progressive Grocer: A new study, performed by Catalina Marketing in conjunction with the FMI Sustainability Task Force, found that when one nonfood green…

Whole Foods to get rid of plastic bags

January 21, 2008

USA Today: Whole Foods will announce plans to stop offering disposable, plastic grocery bags in all 270 stores in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom…