In-Store Atmosphere

Back in February, J.D. Power and Associates released their 2012 Study of the Wireless Purchase Experience. The study found that a key advantage to buying and activating a phone in-store (versus over the phone, for example) is the salesperson's ability to describe a service or device and complete the transaction in a timely manner.

According to 9to5mac.com, Apple will drop the Google Maps app on iOS 6, in favor of a completely in-house maps application.

"The application design is said to be fairly similar to the current Google Maps program on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, but it is described as a much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience," wrote 9to5mac.com.

OK, OK, so for weeks now, the bloodthirsty business media have been reporting on Best Buy's woes (marked recently by the resignation of CEO Brian Dunn), and our blog has been no exception.

The commonly accused drain on Best Buy's business has been "showrooming," a phenomenon by which online retailers (Amazon especially) capitalize on physical stores and mobile price-check apps to poach sales in real-time.

We've been flogging the "future of retail is omnichannel" message for some time now, but for good reason. It's true.

In case you weren't yet convinced, eMarketer makes a pretty compelling case, in a new infographic published in Adweek.

With the rise of e-commerce over the past decade, following web analytics related to sales conversions has become a standard practice. Similarly, brick-and-mortar retailers have long used different methods of tracking foot traffic into their stores, comparing that data with sales figures to come up with appropriate staffing strategies.