When Ron Johnson took over as CEO of JCPenney in January, his mantra was "no more coupons." But since the retailer switched to a model of everyday low prices without constant promotions, comparable-store sales have fallen 20 percent, and JCPenney has started to backtrack.
Facebook dipped a big toe into the group-buying waters on Tuesday, launching a test of its Deals on Facebook service. But though it's coming late to the game, analysts and merchants say they won't be surprised if the social networking titan soon poses a viable threat to market leaders Groupon and LivingSocial.
Verizon Wireless stores were braced for a crushing wave of customers seeking the newly available Verizon iPhone Thursday. But thanks to a strong pre-order campaign, the crowds were lighter than expected, and happy shoppers got their phones quickly.
U.S. retailers are planning store expansions and increased initiatives to monitor and serve their customers -- with a heavy focus on the Web and social media -- as they work to accelerate their growth in 2011.
Knowing customers' likes and dislikes is about as basic as it gets in retailing. But for years, national department stores got it wrong. More concerned with controlling costs, big retailers focused on sameness. Not anymore.
America is in a group-buying frenzy. The rapidly growing craze sparked by website Groupon has spawned hundreds of clones and threatens to overwhelm people's e-mail boxes with Daily Deals. But businesses that use them risk resetting their customers' ideas of what a fair price is.
