Jane Phare tours the markets and malls of Kuala Lumpur to snap up bargains, drool over designer labels and hunt for a scooter.

And so the smile and sell, smile and sell marathon starts.

New Zealand's first full-time shopping channel has kicked off, but there were a few small teething problems - and a complaint about a bad taste banana joke. Add your comments here.

St Petersburg's main street is one long, fabulous distraction, writes Susan Buckland.

Fashion retailer Hallenstein Glasson hopes to build on gains in tough times by adapting to its consumers.

It's a tough retail environment across NZ, as new spending stats show weak spending, especially on discretionary items.

It's no longer reserved for the rich and famous, darlings; all kinds of Kiwis now hire experts for style advice. Rachel Grunwell lets a stylist work her magic in a spring makeover.

Have you bought a pretty frock, or maybe some designer boots, online recently? You may well be driving other New Zealanders out of business. But should you be feeling guilty about it, or celebrating the joys of internet shopping? Viva investigates.