Nov. 18 - An interactive endcap display for Fisher-Price's Smart Cycle toy won the "Best of the Times" award in the Institute's annual Design of the Times contest. The display was designed and produced by Darko Inc., Twinsburg, OH.

Nov. 12 - Costco has extended its relationship with digital media provider Premier Retail Networks.

Pink again coated the merchandising landscape this fall as retailers and manufacturers ran cause-marketing efforts to support October's designation as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

While the Web changes how electronics shoppers shop, brands and retailers leverage shopper insights to adapt in stores.

More than two-thirds of packaged goods shoppers make purchase decisions within the store, where they are influenced by a variety of marketing vehicles, according to research conducted by OgilvyAction.

Research by The Nielsen Company and the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) finds that shoppers leading "lifestyles of health and sustainability" spend more money in warehouse club stores than in any other channel.

In a presentation from the In-Store Marketing Summit, Coca-Cola director of shopper marketing insights Claire Quinn explains how results from a landmark shopper study are leading the company toward a "shopper-segmented merchandising" strategy that seeks to make retail execution a store-by-store process.

The proliferation of warehouse clubs, dollar stores and other specialty channels has created a need for special package designs tailored to specific environments. In a presentation from last April's In-Store Marketing Summit, James Peters discusses five key tactics necessary for survival in a diverse marketplace. He also explores how the issue of environmental sustainability is beginning to impact design.