Digital gift cards proving popular with shoppers this holiday season

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

A First Data study reveals e-gift card usage is on the climb, driven by those ages 18 to 34. The biggest card buyers are those ages 35 to 54. The main reason…

IoT revenue on the rise

December 15, 2016

Internet of Things revenue is projected to spike big time next year, growing 116 percent and hitting the $2 billion dollar mark.

Pizza Hut intros voice ordering via Alexa

December 15, 2016

Pizza Hut is giving its customers the ultimate in passive pizza ordering via Alexa Voice Service on Amazon Echo, Amazon Tap, Echo Dot, Amazon Fire TV and Fire…

Data analytics and the changing world of retail in 2017

If there’s a word that described the retail space in 2016, it’s change. Change in technology, tools and best practices. And, (no surprise), 2017 promises more…

Report: Consumer-centric marketing can boost customer satisfaction

December 14, 2016

A customer-first marketing strategy can go a long way toward boosting customer satisfaction.

Despite stress and strife, presidential election not hurting retail

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

By all accounts, this year’s presidential election will go down in history for many reasons, most notably for being one of the most unsettling. The good news…

Royal Bank of Canada first to deploy video service to small retail clients

December 13, 2016

Royal Bank of Canada clients can now tap video to connect real time, face-to-face, with bank service personnel.

Study: Committing to digital dramatically boosts odds of gaining market share

December 12, 2016

Bain & Co. and Red Hat, a provider of open source solutions, have released the results of research aimed at gauging the correlation between an…

The changing face of merchandising and what retailers need to do to succeed

The changing face of retail merchandising requires retailers to go beyond tried and tested tactics.

Credit card use on the rise among young adults, study finds

December 9, 2016

Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. consumers now own general purpose network-branded credit cards, up from 61 percent in 2015, according to "U.S. Consumers…

Ashley Furniture taps VR, AR to deliver an innovative customer experience

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

The national brand is rolling out a consumer augmented reality app and an in-store virtual reality experience come 2017.

3 tips to engage retail customers as they wait

by Neil Rieger — Director, Creative Services, SIGNET

Waiting time in the retail world is almost inevitable. However, it's also an opportunity for businesses to engage and connect with their audience through tools…

Watch out Twitter, Instagram is big love for marketers

December 8, 2016

Next year more marketers will be tapping Instagram over Twitter and marketers' love of Facebook will continue to climb in 2017.

Security vulnerabilities, potential hack attacks demand greater attention

December 8, 2016

Hackers have more opportunity to infiltrate retailer networks, according to a SecurityScorecard report, and that means retailers need to shore up security…

UPS holiday buying report: Tech gifts a top seller

December 8, 2016

High-tech lovers shopping for gifts are using their smartphones more than ever to buy tech gadget gifts and are more active in following retailers' social…

Study: Upsell fails lead to lost retail revenue

December 7, 2016

A new SkillSurvey reports a need for better customer service and sales as the lagging 'upsell' effort is resulting in lost revenue for retailers.

Shoppers expect to spend more this holiday, exceed budgets

December 7, 2016

Retailers will be happy to hear this news: nearly 60 percent of Americans expect to exceed holiday budgets by an average of $155, an 11 percent spike over…

Branded mobile pay bodes big promise for retailers

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

Check out a webinar presentation featuring an IBM expert that offers up terrific insight and knowledge regarding the branded mobile payment solution now…

Social media ROI, loyalty and the customer experience

While marketers know in their gut that social media is important as customers are clearly there and sharing, they often lack the return on investment to prove…

How entrepreneurial employees boost profit, customer service during holiday season

For national chains a drive toward community presents the opportunity for front-line employees and local store managers to drive sales and profits. However, to…