| News for the retail industry | January 28, 2009 |
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A look back at Retail's BIG Show
NRF's 98th Annual Convention & EXPO |
NRF's 98th Annual Convention & EXPO was held Jan. 11 to 14 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Retailers and vendors came from around the globe to experience, learn and network at Retail's BIG Show. The theme of this year's show was "Inspiration Starts Here," a message that is especially crucial as retailers face the challenges of the economic climate.
The highlight of this year's show undoubtedly was Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott's final public remarks. Scott addressed the critical issues retailers are facing, including the economy, the card-check bill and going global -- and also touched on his legacy at Wal-Mart.
Other BIG Show highlights include the concept stores, new technologies on the EXPO floor, and a diverse selection of educational sessions that focused on topics ranging from global trends to digital retailing to sustainability practices.
To read more about what happened at this year's convention, check out the NRF blog and photographs from the event. Also, many of the convention's handouts are available to download.
NRF SmartBrief's Special Report on the BIG Show offers a look back at the show coverage. |
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| The Customer Experience |  | |
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- Mullin: For shoppers, price is No. 1
Shoppers are counting price as the most important factor in determining what and whether to buy, NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin says. "Factors like quality, selection, store location and customer service are taking a back seat," she notes. Reuters
(1/11)
    
| Sustainability | | |
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- Concept stores test interactive, green ideas
Two concept stores designed for this year's NRF EXPO indicate future retail shops will be more interactive and environmentally conscious. Some of the ideas explored included touch screens, in-store satellite concerts that measure how loud audiences are at various locales, and green electronics that offer paperless receipts or provide environmental footprints of products. NY1 (New York City)
(1/14)
- Will Ander: "Investments in green pay off"
 Will Ander, author of "Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail," presented a session on sustainable retailing at the NRF Annual Convention this month. In this interview, Ander talks about how innovation is speeding up change, the perception that it is expensive to go "green," and how "greentailing" can be good for marketing. NRF Blog
(1/7)
| Global Trends | | |
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- E-retailers look overseas for growth
About half of U.S. retailers are accepting online orders from China and India -- markets that present shipping and payment challenges. Still, as companies look for growth overseas, few are taking payment options popular in the counties they're expanding into. Internet Retailer
(1/2009)
| Branding | | |
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- Ranking puts value on brands
Interbrand Design Forum has ranked the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands, a list that includes only public retailers and not restaurants. Some interesting points to note about the list: Whole Foods is the only grocery retailer on it, American Girl has a brand value of $641 million, and Netflix is one of a few online-only retailers named. NRF Blog
(1/15)
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Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not
reflect actual NRF endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily
reflect the official position of NRF.
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| | Recent NRF SmartBrief Issues:
- Tuesday, January 27, 2009
- Monday, January 26, 2009
- Friday, January 23, 2009
- Thursday, January 22, 2009
- Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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Author Martin Lindstrom told retailers they need to create brands that can stand on their own, instead of relying on logos, often the least powerful tool. This research is based on neuromarketing. 
