Brick-and-mortar store experience worse than washing dishes for many consumers

January 19, 2017

One third of consumers would rather wash dishes than hit a retail store and 40 percent view shopping in a brick-and-mortar retailer as a chore.

Customer success is the key to business growth

Typically the responsibility for customer service is split amongst various in-house teams and there is no overarching coordinated system to manage it. A…

Samsung: King of the IoT?

by Will Hernandez — Editor, NetWorld Media Group

Samsung did its part last year to bring IoT into more U.S. homes, particularly with the introduction of the "Family Hub" smart refrigerator. However, at the…

Most gift recipients lie about liking gifts, survey reveals

January 17, 2017

If you think grandma really loved that sweater or Dad was truly happy about the new slippers, think again.

Bluecore taps ex-Oracle data cloud guru as COO

January 16, 2017

Rob Holland, formerly Datalogix and Oracle general manager, is now the first chief operating officer for Bluecore, a real-time interaction management platform…

UX university: 4 retailers getting the user experience right

Customer loyalty requires more than offering a customer a free coffee every time they buy 10. There’s no middle ground any longer as user experience is key for…

Holiday trends report reveals online growth, greater ecommerce traction

January 13, 2017

Total holiday season spend in 2016 beat out 2015 with growth jumping from 1.8 percent in 2015 to 4.7 percent in 2016, according to First Data’s updated Holiday…

ICX Association looks to ‘elevate’ the state of customer experience with annual awards

January 13, 2017

Nomination deadline for the association's annual awards is March 15, 2017.

Staging an experiential marketing encore, the Bloomingdale's, Brooks Brothers way

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

There's no business like show business, and retailers are vying to get in on the act. More merchants are turning to Broadway in their ongoing play for…

Macy's kicks off cost efficiency, streamlining strategy

January 12, 2017

In a quest to boost cost efficiency and streamline its store portfolio, Macy's will close about 100 locations by August of this year, according to a press…

Omnichannel retailers big winners in holiday season

January 12, 2017

Retailers with an omnichannel strategy enjoyed a robust return-on-investment this holiday season as consumers spent 16 percent more on holiday purchases in…

5 key success factors for 'omnichannel as the new normal'

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Chris H. Petersen explains why assorting the hottest products is not enough to win today's consumers.

McDonald's looking to create Starbucks experience with kiosks, digital menu boards

January 10, 2017

McDonald's is looking to upgrade its McCafe espresso machines with the McBarista. This upgrade will feature $12,000 espresso machines, sweets, seasonal coffee…

Limited shuttering all U.S. stores, 4,000 jobs cut

January 10, 2017

The new year brings the closing of a well-known women's apparel retailer as The Limited is closing all of its 250 U.S. stores and laying off 4,000 workers.

Under Armour aims to go beyond retail

January 10, 2017

Athletic apparel, footwear and gear maker Under Armour has plans to advance beyond retail and just signed a 10-year deal to provide uniforms for Major League…

Disney Magicband-style experience coming to Carnival cruises

January 10, 2017

Princess Cruises, a global cruise line and tour company, announced last week at CES in Las Vegas that it will be the first Carnival Corp. brand to feature the…

IoT, customer-facing robots and VR among topics to be discussed at 2017 ICX Summit

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

The annual conference, which draws hundreds of customer experience leaders and innovators, is June 5-7 in Dallas and features a range of interesting sessions…

Kate Hudson's Fabletics is enjoying fabulous growth

January 6, 2017

Activewear brand Fabletics, co-founded by actress Kate Hudson, plans to launch 12 new retail locations this year.

Amazon makes meal reordering easier than ever

January 6, 2017

Amazon Prime members can now voice-order restaurant orders via Amazon Restaurants on Alexa-enabled devices, including Amazon's Echo and Dot. Customers can…

2016 in review: Top retail customer experience stories

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

The year 2016 was one of technology, big changes and big steps by retailers aiming to boost and hone the customer experience. Here's a look back at the big…