MARKETING

Some studies indicate that Cyber Monday and other web promotions have taken customers out of line on Black Friday.

Beginning well before midnight on Thursday, in malls throughout the nation, the lifeblood of the American economy – the consumers – will start queuing up outside the locked entrances of various retail stores, forming longer and longer lines, clutching ads and lists and coupons, sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stomping their feet for warmth, exciting each other with anticipatory chatter, and waiting, waiting for the clock to strike the appointed hour, the clerk to open ...

comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR), an internet marketing research company, said it expects online shopping to increase by 11 percent this holiday season.

Operating capabilities are the X factor when it comes to success in the volatile software industry.

British pubs group Fuller Smith & Turner reported a 11 percent rise in its first half pretax profits as occupancy improved and food sales grew strongly at its Managed Pubs and Hotels segment.

As “Black Friday” approaches next week, U. S. retailers are expecting a strong holiday season – at least, compared to the dismal performance of the past two years.

Here’s a list of retailers luring Black Friday shoppers with tempting deals

Several Hollywood studios, including Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Disney, Universal and Fox, have filed a lawsuit against DVD sanitizer Family Edited DVDS, Inc. and are seeking a permanent injunction to stop the company from altering movies to be free of objectionable content and distributing them to consumers as family-friendly.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which was set up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center in May 2000 to monitor and prevent cyber crime, recently logged its 2 millionth consumer complaint.

Tech websites are abuzz with talk about Google preparing to launch its own e-commerce site and upgrade its shopping services to emerge as a force to reckon with in the multi-billion dollar online shopping business.

The arrival of foreign tourists in India in October 2010 saw an upsurge by 9 percent against the arrivals over the same period last year. The figure is a strong indication of the tourist inflow from overseas will further increase in the coming years.

Scientists have developed a device that can prevent several road accidents and save thousands of lives due to drivers falling asleep while driving.

The number of U.S. homes listed for sale in September rose from the previous month for the 9th straight month, according to data released by real estate brokerage ZipRealty.

Swiss watch brand Hublot is planning to double up its stores in the promising Asian market especially China. The soccer World Cup time keeper has already plans to open at least 15 stores by next year.

Marking the country's importance as luxury buyer's market, Hermes has introduced a new brand Shang Xia, and opened its first boutique in Shanghai, China.

Louis Vuitton tops the list of 100 Best Global Brands, according to Interbrands annual listing. Interbrand, a major brand consultancy firm announced its results this week. A subsidiary of LVMH, Louis Vuitton was ranked 16th among brands of all category.

24/7 Customer is launching a new genre of career options with its 'intelligent interactive chat services' that will open up new career opportunities within the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

Tour operators in the Philippines believe that the global tourism industry has shrugged off last month's hostage crisis in the country and will flock to this Asian destination in the coming months, an apex body of travel agents said.

The luxury market which has so far been dominated by the West is facing stiff competition from China. Top global luxury brands like Burberry and Coach are trying to affirm supremacy in market by pouring funds in multi-billion dollars and function on their own instead of running on a franchise basis.

The recession hit US economy had forced the rich spenders go a little tight on their shopping spree, affecting most high end companies. However, there is good news coming as some top luxury brands are already hitting the recovery path.

Retailers posted better-than-expected sales in August as consumers sought out bargains during the key back-to-school selling season.