Austin, Texas

Joe Keenan is the executive editor of Total Retail. Joe has more than 10 years experience covering the retail industry, and enjoys profiling innovative companies and people in the space.

Neiman Marcus rocked the house at last year's SXSW-and the luxury retailer returns to Austin, Texas, this year as part its "Make Some Noise" initiative, celebrating women who "rock" in their respective fields. The program, which runs March 18-20, will feature panel discussions by day and performances from cutting-edge artists by

"Table commerce" (or perhaps "t-commerce") isn't a widely recognized channel of customer engagement, but The Neiman Marcus Group just may change that. Neiman Marcus is piloting three interactive tables from T1Visions in its Austin, Texas, Chicago, and Topanga, Calif., locations. The retail tables, prominently displayed in each store's shoe salon, feature a 32-inch Ultra HD 4K touchscreen, covered by a single continuous pane of glass that's customized in color per Neiman Marcus' specifications. The touchscreens are powered by T1Visions' OneShop application that allows shoppers to browse and filter Neiman Marcus' in-store and out-of-store inventory.

In its latest brand-positioning shift, struggling consumer electronics retailer RadioShack is emphasizing one of its longtime core tenets: customer service. A new national advertising campaign called "Do It Together" aims to show how RadioShack and consumers can collaborate to solve technological problems like connecting today's many devices, said Jennifer Warren, the retailer's chief marketing officer. Four 15-to-30 second ads, plus two more ads targeted specifically to the Hispanic market, will roll out beginning in early February during primetime and sporting events; radio, print, digital, social and in-store marketing will support the campaign. 

Philadelphia -- Teen and tween retailer Five Below will open 60 stores this year, including its first-ever locations in Texas. The retailer said it will open four to five stores in Austin, Texas, and 10 to 12 stores in Dallas by late summer, with the...

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