Evan Schuman's StorefrontBacktalk

We tend to think of our subscribers as caring about retail technology issues in general. In truth, many do. But for quite a few, they tend to focus on only one aspect, such as security/PCI or E-Commerce. To help out, StorefrontBacktalk is launching five new monthly publications on our most popular topics: PCI/security; E-Commerce; Mobile; CRM; and In-Store (kiosks, POS, digital signage, self-checkout, electronic shelf labels, RFID, etc.).

The Monthly Reports will include content that won't be published anywhere else on the site, including our first direct coverage of new products.

All Stories About That Topic, Updated

With busy schedules, it's easy to miss a key piece or two that published during a deadline emergency. Not only will these monthlies include all of our security or CRM stories, blurbs and columns, but they'll include any updates that happen after the story is originally published.

Exclusive Analysis, Context

An Editor's Note will explore the connections among the different pieces and why they are so significant. We are obsessed with the concept of surprise, in that we want every story, blurb and column to include information that will surprise the bulk of our readers. The Editor's Note will explain the rationale behind the surprises.

Reader Comments

One of the most wonderful parts of the StorefrontBacktalk Reader Community is the generosity of readers who share their thoughts and insights with each other, discussing each story. As far as we can tell, the perspective and commentary that those readers offer is often lost to many other readers because they don't see the comments. Typically, a subscriber will read a story about, let's say, a new Wal-Mart RFID strategy. When they finish reading the story, they have little reason to go back to that page. Therefore, they never see the comments other readers leave in the days after they've read the piece.

StorefrontBacktalk has one of the most strict comment policies in the industry, where no comment runs until an editor approves it. Reasons for a comment to not be approved include: off-topic; self-serving (sales pitch); a personal attack; and an absence of content beyond mere links. This policy generates a much more thoughtful discussion forum, one that respects readers' busy schedules. Although there are fewer comments, those comments are all high quality. Our new Comments feature addresses this problem by bringing together all of the published comments from all stories within that topic (CRM, In-Store, etc.).