Take your work seriously, don't take yourself seriously

by Harvey Mackay — Author, Mackay Mitchell

"Dilbert," which is carried in 1,100 newspapers, has helped us laugh at the crazy dynamics of the workplace. Now if we could only start laughing at ourselves.

Six retailers who blew it - BIG

When I give presentations, I typically like to use case studies to show customers best practices. However, it is frequently the object lessons of who blew it…

Kroger's prescription for phone relief

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Anyone who regularly goes to the pharmacy knows that the sound of a ringing phone is as prevalent as the rattle of bottled pills. Now Kroger Co. is testing a…

What is an industry leader?

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

"Industry leader" is one of the financial press' favorite phrases, yet how often do they define the term? What makes one company, above all others, the…

When to use customer service games in training

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

Customer service games can add spice to a training program. I ought to know, I wrote the book! Unfortunately, I've seen too many games used just because ...

Why 'Tweets for Treats' must die

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

It was only a matter of time before marketers developed a work-around to avoid the heavy lifting of great social media. Companies like Amex and now retailers…

Loyalty plan: A compelling showroom model

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Recent news stories regarding the trend of "showrooming" have me wondering why more merchants aren't showboating the one feature that distinguishes them from…

Google Glasses: Who is actually going to wear them?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

The video recently released by Google featuring "Project Glass," Android-powered eyeglasses with a real-life, heads-up display, has received nearly 1…

Who's running your business?

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

What would you say if someone told you that they were responding to 600 proposals a year versus 150 in prior years? Who among us wouldn't like to see that…

Stop blabbing about innovation and start actually doing it

by Aaron Shapiro — CEO, HUGE

These days, every established company is at risk of having its industry — and its own business — disrupted by a startup. Cognizant of this, companies devote a…

A conversation about building great retail window displays

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

This weekend, MSNBC's "Your Business" ran a segment on the venerable retail window display, and how the basics of good window design are the same for everyone…

Beating the showrooming blues

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

Today's Wall Street Journal carries an article on what's being called "showrooming." This is a relatively new activity where shoppers go to a local brick &…

Are Best Buy's best days behind it?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

The news that Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn left the company yesterday created quite a stir across Wall Street and the retail sector. It may also have consumers…

Bragability

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

Bragging is usually regarded as a less-than-admirable quality in a person, but I actually enjoy hearing people blow his/her own horn. Excessive self-importance…

JCP's ads don't square

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

When JCPenney announced its new pricing strategy, I was one of the few who applauded the move. After seeing their ads, I'm not so sure I was right in doing so.

Can Penney's squareness lead to loyalty?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Being fair and being loyal are not the same thing. But can one engender the other?

Why consumer confidence deserves much less attention

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

To say things have changed since 1967 is an understatement. Much of the technology we take for granted today was merely science fiction then. National…

The agony and the ecstasy of online product reviews

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Today's xkcd comic is a pretty brilliant illustration of just how frustrating online product reviews have become for consumers.

Sony moves to common pricing

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

Sony's CEO, Phil Molyneux, announced a move to common pricing beginning April 1, 2012. What is common pricing? More importantly, what is the impetus for this…

Undressing an online loyalty trend

by Phaedra Hise — Senior Editor, COLLOQUY

Flash-sales online retailer Gilt recently announced that it would be offering discounts based on users' Klout scores. It's all very sexy, using online media to…