A coffee-making kiosk. Not so strange.

But a pizza-making kiosk? Hmm…

Although informational kiosks have been around for years, retailers are jumping on the service-oriented kiosks, now more than ever.

Consumers are demanding what they want and don’t want to wait. So, retailers are combating the issue with kiosks – machines that take up very little room, leaving room for little human interaction. There’s the immediate gratification: in less time than it takes for an employee to take the order, you can have a “freshly”-made pizza pie coming right up – all with just the push of a button.

Another way stores are finding kiosks useful: loyalty programs, sampling and tracking customer activity.

Just think of it as the “Big Brother” in stores.

Bottom line: Convenient, but a little creepy.

“. . . Not all customers are created equal. Not all customers deserve your company’s best efforts. And despite what that tired old adage says, the customer is most definitely not always right. Because in the world of customer centricity, there are good customers . . .and then there is everybody else.”

- Peter Fader, Author of Customer Centricity

With the average American spending $117 on Father’s Day gifts this year, you’d think the gadgets and ties given to Dads around the country were pretty pricy. And you’d be right – although Mother’s Day spending dwarfed dads’ special day, Father’s Day spending in 2012 increased from 2011 spending by 10 percent.

Check out this infographic on the specifics of Father’s Day gifts. Gifts for massages increased, as well as the internet search for “personalized golf balls” – up 50 percent from last year.

The daily deal site first established in 2008 showed enormous signs of growth and quickly garnered more than 7,000 employees. But, when the company went public in 2011, it’s first earnings release as a public company (in the fourth-quarter of 2011) showed a loss of $9.8 million on an adjusted basis.

And yet, the site is still churning out daily deals.

This infographic takes a closer look at Groupon’s financials, along with the potential problems the company faces.

(via Mashable)

Can the mother of all daily deal sites rebound, or is it time for Groupon to close shop?

We think the root of Groupon’s problem may just be the economy. During the tougher times of the recent recession, many consumers were looking for deals anywhere they could find them– hence the growing popularity of a site that offered a discount of about 50 percent. But, with the economy slowly recovering, consumers aren’t as keen as they once were on discounts.

Regardless, Groupon has pulled in a revenue of $312 million– and we say that isn’t too bad.

More and more brands are encouraging shoppers to log-in via Facebook, Twitter or another social network before shopping. Why? The numbers show the more you share,the more you sell.

Take a look at the infographic below to see the stats on social sharing in relation to e-commerce.

…And they’re raising their expectations.

From coin-operated vending machines to credit cards, brands have been giving more power to the consumer until, well… the consumers are now pushing for more, always more.

With heightening expectations and more brand awareness (substantially supported by social media), it’s no wonder that the consumer-brand dynamic has changed.

Take a look at this infographic that highlights the changes in consumer empowerment through the years.

With the amount of technology available at any consumer’s fingertips, it’s no secret that savvy customers are using technology to help them shop. But the five biggest trends hitting the retail market these days? Have a look.

1. Augmented Reality Apps
The big hit in 2012 is augment reality – everyone’s talking about Google’s glasses, but retailers are cashing in, too. Using augmented reality apps to focus a consumer’s attention on features and benefits of certain brands and products, augmented reality is the newest way retailers are fighting showrooming – creating an experience that can’t be duplicated online.

2. Price Alert Apps
Retailers such as Best Buy have created apps that alert customers when a product they’ve been eyeing goes on sale.

3. Virtual Giving
Remember our blog post about Tweet-a-Beer? Well, the idea has caught on – and not just with beer. The trend is gaining speed and now, mobile users can send virtual gift cards for various retail brands.

4. Tablets as Magalogs
The larger screen size of tablets offers retailers a chance to offer magalogs – a mix between a magazine and a catalog – to a variety of digital consumers, looking for ideas ranging from how to re-decorate a house to interactive cosmetic shopping.

5. QR Codes Offering Instant Store Credit Card Applications
Most mobile phones these days have the ability to read QR codes, and retailers are taking advantage – placing QR codes in dressing rooms for customers to quickly apply for a store credit card – and be approved by the time they get in the check-out line.

(via Daily Finance)

Take a look at this infographic depicting mobile trends in 2012. Five billion mobile devices are in use – and 40 percent are smart phones!

But what does that mean for a brand? Shoppers are increasingly taking to their mobile phones to browse and buy, and eBay’s partnership with Facebook adding fuel to that fire.

Bottom line: If your brand isn’t one of the thousands of brands activating mobile advertising, you better think twice.

More than $86.1 billion was spent on mobile phones around the world in 2011.

A new TV show premiering this week may just be the ticket for retail stores to advertise on television without breaking the bank.

Fashion Star, which debuted on NBC earlier this week, features 14 designers vying for the chance to sell their clothing at Macy’s, H&M or Saks Fifth Avenue. What’s more: The clothes are available in store the day after the episode airs.

Instead of spending up to $200,000 to air a 30-second commercial during the prime-time show, it’s obvious that integrating the retail store into the show is the best bang for the retailer’s buck. Instead of a 30-second ad, these three stores are essentially getting 30 minutes of advertising.

And, who can argue with free advertising? It seems the retailers are not paying to be featured on Fashion Star, but only paying for the clothes they decide to sell in stores.

But, will it come with a price? Critics are saying that Macy’s and Saks have stooped to selling cheap clothing by pairing up with H&M, a retailer with a more affordable reputation. Others are saying the retailers may be skimping on quality if they’re rushing to get the clothing in stores so soon.

Maybe, but we’re sure viewers of Fashion Star will be going to see the winning designers’ clothing first-hand in these three participating stores.

Moving beyond advertising, we like the idea of Fashion Star because it offers a viable option for consumers to purchase the clothing the next day, rather than waiting months to see it in stores.

We’re betting shows like Fashion Star will be the next new reality hit. But, then again, with stars like Jessica Simpson as the designers’ “mentor,” we might be guessing again.

It looks like the economy got a little jolt of love this Valentine’s Day. Consumer spending in 2012 was projected to be more than any Valentine’s Day in the past five years.

Things are looking rose-y.

The National Retail Federation estimated that consumers spent more than $17 million dollars on gifts and cards this year (that’s an average amount of about $126).

Can we bid farewell (with a kiss) to the recession-prone years? We sure hope so.

But not so fast – look where most of the money is going for Valentine’s shopping: discount stores. It looks like the recession taught us one thing. Smart shopping.

(via Monetate)