Five Tips for Turning Picky Holiday Shoppers Into Buyers

by Carol Tice

You may not want to think about the holiday season before Halloween, but for retailers it's inevitable. Often, merchandise needs to be ordered now to be in stores for December. The trick is figuring out how much to order so far ahead, especially with the economy stuck in sleep mode.

Read tips here
http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/220620

How to Break Into the Big-Box Big Leagues

by Darren Dahl

Do you ever wonder how all those products end up on the shelves of your favorite retailer? Here are some case studies of small businesses who cracked the code.

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http://www.inc.com/guides/201106/how-to-break-into-the-big-box-big-leagues.html?utm_source=running-a-business&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=incid38046week25

Retail Reward Programs no Guarantee of Customer Loyalty

Posted by Douglas Hanna

"...Retailers spend billions of dollars on loyalty programs which are designed to bring customers back for repeat business, but a recent poll by Crossview, an organization designed to optimize consumer experiences, revealed that 66 percent of consumers responding to a survey about loyalty programs do not shop at a particular retailer despite promises of earning points for future purchases."

Read entire post here
http://thesocialcustomer.com/douglashanna/35451/retail-reward-programs-no-guarantee-customer-loyalty

Online Retail: Getting the Right Product in Front of Your Customers

By Vijay Chittoor

Our focus will be around looking at technologies that help consumers find the right product easily as well as help retailers put the right merchandise in front of customers. While most of these technologies trends apply to a wide spectrum of applications, their impact on online commerce deserves a special mention. Many of these technologies have been around for a while, but it's only now that they are gaining wide adoption.

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http://technology.inc.com/internet/articles/201002/chittoor.html?partner=newsletter_Sales