Seeking Social Skills

For today’s retailers, the question is no longer whether to use Facebook, but whether Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr are being used as effectively as possible. Smart stores realize social…

Flash Dance

Out of the Great Recession came a fun twist on e-commerce: flash sale sites, which combined the art of the deal with wallet-friendly prices – and consumers flocked in droves.…

Luxury Redux

The Great Recession and the coinciding explosion of smart phones and tablets persuaded even high-end luxury labels to become tech savvy. But open access to once-exclusive merchandise has led some…

Retail’s Shrinking Waistline

Real estate may be all about “location, location, location” – but when it becomes a drain on the bottom line, it may be time to rethink strategy.  That is why…

Marketing to Men

As men have spiffed up their wardrobes in order to be taken more seriously in the workplace, retailers and manufacturers have responded by adopting creative methods to reach this re-discovered…

Fair Weather Trends

Warmer weather brings out bursting flowers, chirping birds and… consumers?  The last one may be a little harder to gauge. Balmy weather in the first quarter of 2012 had people…

The Discount Deluge

Off-price retailers have been readily embraced by American consumers, but they still face fierce competition for the discount dollar. And while some in this sector are flourishing, others are struggling…

A Bridge For Brick & Mortar

With nearly half of all American adults (46%) owning smartphones — a jump Pew Research says is up from 35% last May — the mobile retailing market is only poised…

Rising Standards

A few years ago when jobs and incomes took a hit, consumers became obsessed with getting the lowest price possible when shopping for clothes.  But then “frugal fatigue” set in,…