Solutions

Mobile technology is making it possible for consumers to quickly access digital gift cards from their mobile devices, opening up new sales and promotional opportunities for retailers. Not only are mobile gift cards a great tool for last-minute shopping, but they're also growing as a personal budgeting tool. With the mobile gift card market growing as quickly as it is, retailers need to carefully consider how they can take advantage. Consider these three tips for maximizing mobile gift card sales:

Despite the benefits of a long-tail strategy, numerous challenges exist due to the number of data-related issues that can arise. Therefore, before embarking on a long tail-driven strategy or deciding on whether to create a private marketplace, it's important that retailers pay attention to the most common information challenges:

Ever hear of the saying, "The best offense is a good defense"? Well, your customer loyalty strategy is no exception. When preparing for a busy second half of 2014, you need to be wary of the customer service challenges that lie ahead. A proactive approach is the best way to improve your customer service during…

Seasonal campaigns are a valuable tool for retailers and manufacturers throughout the entire year. Festive-themed displays, packages and products are developed to give brands a swift boost in sales in the weeks surrounding a major holiday. Careful planning is critical for any type of seasonal display, as one poor decision can be the difference between a successful campaign or lackluster results. With fierce competition, budgetary restrictions and constantly changing shopper preferences, it's as challenging as ever to implement an effective seasonal campaign. Consider the following points before jumping into a themed in-store marketing campaign:

Sears has unveiled Connected Solutions powered by Shop Your Way — experiential shops that bring together an assortment of smart, connected home and personal automation products. "With a presence in more than 13 million homes annually, dominance across the appliance, fitness and tools categories, and knowledgeable associates, Sears is uniquely positioned to lead this category," said Jim Pearse, vice president of consumer electronics for Sears Holdings. "We're presenting products ‘up and running,’ enabling our customers and Shop Your Way members to discover and learn how they connect, work and fit into their daily lives."

In today's e-commerce world, getting consumers to shop at brick-and-mortar locations can be very difficult. However, with effective in-store marketing techniques, retailers can easily stay ahead of the game and ensure that their profits stay on point. Here are some ways you can help to improve your in-store marketing efforts:

If retailers want to stay relevant in this ever-changing industry, they need to make sure that their brick-and-mortar locations are as streamlined and modern as possible. Here are some things to keep in mind: 

Even as smartphones, tablets and wearables become ubiquitous aspects of consumers’ daily lives, digital marketers continue to struggle to figure mobile out. Doubtless, you've probably already heard a lot of advice around mobile and the best ways to approach and utilize it. So this post won't list "it's harder to type on mobile devices" or "apps are better for mobile marketing." You already know the former, and the latter isn't always true (but you'll find these ideas on tons of marketing sites anyway). That said, there are things you should strive to know about mobile visitors, and with the right mind-set and tools, they'll allow you to really focus on what matters. 

No retail organization wants to be a target, but the reality within the modern threat landscape is that each and every retailer that deals with credit cards is guaranteed to become the target of cyber threats. Being PCI compliant is the first step in ensuring that a standard security framework is applied throughout all the systems that store, transmit or process critical data. Retailers need a way to ensure that they're protecting their systems adequately while maintaining control over their risk around both compliance and security. There are many steps retail organizations can take to ensure both continuous security and compliance in their fight against modern cyber threats.

Should workers leaving Amazon.com's warehouses be paid for the time they stand in line to go through security pat downs? The Supreme Court will rule on whether a lawsuit to decide the matter can proceed, granting a petition for writ of certiorari on Monday in Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk, which deals with a "claim for overtime pay by workers for the after-hours screening as a measure to prevent workplace theft." The Seattle Times said workers sued in 2010 to receive pay for the time they wait in security screening lines before and after they start their shifts.