Bill Hanifin

There are clear benefits to using an internal social network for retailers. Why wait until the Christmas party, the employee summer beach party, etc., to get people together?

More importantly, why restrict communications to formal channels such as email which can be imperfect at times?

Using the network medium...

If the transgression had been put forth by an online retailer other than Amazon, I might say "no." Since Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world and has made reviews such an important part of the stream of content for each item, the answer is a resounding...

I don't think we need to see an explosion in the number of cause related businesses for this to become a trend. There only need be a handful of sincerely planned and well executed efforts to serve the needs of the Millennial generation and others who care about the...

The suggestions made in the article are a very good start to connecting brick and mortar merchants with their customers in the social world.

I would add consideration of geo-fencing to be able to connect "in the moment" deals with consumers actually in store.

I would also use QR...

Two variables seem important to me.

1. Does a retailer create a mobile application or enable the mobile web, i.e. make their web site work well on a small screen?

2. Is there a significant difference between targeting future hopes on smartphones or tablets?

To me, optimizing the mobile...

Target is on to something, bringing some shiny objects to lure customers in to the store. Hopefully there is identified brand affinity for the "Shops" that Target is bringing in and therefore sales will ensue.

In any event, one would hope that increased foot traffic will yield more sales...

Taking the vending machine to another level is logical and in settings like a college campus seem to be the best place for trial of the concept.

More impressive than the machine and its technology would be the wisdom in selecting which products are available through the device.

I...

I'm not sure I understand the term "like-gate," but think it refers to requiring customers to "like" your page in order to access the promotion.

If so, this behavior dilutes the value of a "Like" over time and speeds us to the day where consumers don't even think about what...

On the surface, the question here might evoke a response that selling the Nook business makes sense as it is a tall task to compete with Amazon, Apple and even makers of notebooks in this space.

Reading, however, that Nook has grabbed about a quarter of the U.S. e-book...

As a consumer, part of the demand for Apple products is created through counter intuitive means. One factor is they can be hard to find and purchase in the brick and mortar world.

By aligning with Target while limiting its relationships with other retailers, Apple sends a more clear...