Events

Zappos.com took top honors in the sixth annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers' Choice Survey, whose results were released at the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention and Expo in New York City. The survey, conducted by BIGresearch, is designed to gauge consumer attitudes toward retailers' customer service and provide a list of the retailer that offer the best customer service (as judged by consumers).

The Top 10 retailers in the ranking were:

The use of mobile phones in retail is increasing dramatically, according to a survey released at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo in New York City. The study, conducted by ForeSee Results and entitled “Explosion in Mobile Retail Provides Huge Opportunity for Retailers,” found that shoppers are using mobile phones to access websites and apps more than ever before.

The National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo kicked off  at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday, Jan. 9, with a lineup of power speakers and plenty of buzz. It is the 100th anniversary of  annual event, which attracts retailers from around the world.

This year, the four-day NRF show featured more than 600 exhibiting companies, new retail technology pavilions, and presentations from a stellar line-up of top-tier retailers. Total attendance was estimated at more than 18,500, with representatives from 70 countries.

More than one-third of the world’s 250 largest retailers suffered a decline in sales in fiscal 2009 (encompasses June 2009 through June 2010), according to the Global Powers of Retailing 2011 report, whose results were revealed at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo in New York City. The annual report, from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, identifies the largest 250 retailers around the world, provides an outlook for the global economy and an analysis of market capitalization in the retail industry.

New York City -- A retail industry expert presented research Monday at the National Retail Federation convention in New York City that showed shoppers will continue to spend more this year, spurred by a slowly improving job market and an uptick in income.

However, Ira Kalish, director of global economics for Deloitte, added that enough shoppers are still struggling with their finances that any increase will be modest.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Kronos said Monday that fashion accessory retailer Charming Charlie has selected Kronos’ end-to-end workforce management solution to sustain growth, increase productivity and improve employee retention.

Charming Charlie selected the time and attendance, forecasting and scheduling, hiring, labor analytics and human resources and payroll applications from Kronos.

NEW YORK — Fujitsu on Monday unveiled its latest checkout technology at the National Retail Federation trade show.

According to the company, the new technology boasts reduced time on lines and a customer-friendly checkout experience. Fujitsu also said that supermarket giant Kroger currently is evaluating the new technology in a limited number of its stores to boost the retailer's Advanced Checkout areas.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Target -- or at least what the company was willing to share with CNBC camera crews -- will be available for viewing in a few days. The financial network is set to air the one hour show, “Target: Inside the Bullseye,” on Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. EST and again at 10 p.m., 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. The program will also re-air on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Can’t wait until Thursday to watch the show? Here’s a few clips:

New York City -- At the National Retail Federation Convention in New York City on Monday, Fujitsu announced the unveiling of a new checkout technology that is designed to significantly reduce checkout times, improve customer experience and reduce operational costs.

The Kroger Co. is currently evaluating the new technology, called the Advantage Checkout System, in a limited number of its stores, according to Fujitsu. The team said they will demo the product live at the convention Jan. 10-13.

New York City -- The 100th annual “Big Show,” the National Retail Federation’s annual event in New York City, launched at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday, Jan. 9 with a lineup of sessions and plenty of buzz.

One of the most talked-about topics? Facebook has a booth at NRF this year, representing the power that social media does, and will, play in the retail industry.