The one sentence you should never, ever speak in customer service

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

When a customer contacts you to complain about your service or product, or needs your help in addressing a service-related breakdown — what I refer to as…

Fashion retailer Nicole Miller rolls out NGC software

October 29, 2013

NGC Software today announced that contemporary fashion designer Nicole Miller has rolled out NGC's fashion PLM and Global Sourcing/Supply Chain Management…

Luxury retailer Coach dropping cash wraps in favor of mPOS systems

October 29, 2013

Coach plans to add mobile POS systems and remove fixed cash wraps as it remodels stores, according to Retail Info Systems. The company has seen good results…

Retailers should expect more last-minute shoppers this holiday

October 29, 2013

ShopperTrak, a provider of shopper analytics, predicts that four of the 10 busiest shopping days will occur between Dec. 20 and Dec. 24, and advises retailers…

MarketLive releases holiday 2013 survey results

October 29, 2013

E-commerce platform MarketLive has released its annual online retailer survey and recommendations for the 2013 holiday retail season. Among the many report…

First Data buys mobile loyalty platform Perka

October 29, 2013

The payments processor First Data Corp. has confirmed its acquisition of Perka, which provides a smartphone-based loyalty platform for small and medium-sized…

Walmart shuts down snack delivery service Goodies

October 25, 2013

Last November, WalmartLabs launched an experimental service called Goodies, which shipped subscribers a grab bag of products for a flat $7 monthly fee.

AT&T tests new store design in Oklahoma

October 25, 2013

As the lines between the physical and digital retail worlds blur and consumers turn to their mobile devices and apps to enhance their mobile lifestyle…

Webinar to discuss the 'connected store'

October 25, 2013

On Thursday, Nov. 7 at 2:00 PM EST, Retail Customer Experience will host a live webinar, "The Connected Store: Integrating the customer experience with…

Dollar General edges out Walmart in price point survey

October 25, 2013

For the second year in a row, Dollar General has topped Kantar Retail's opening price point survey, narrowly beating out Walmart Supercenter. 

Disney to debut in China with its largest retail store

October 25, 2013

The mouse is headed to China, according to Fox Business: Walt Disney has announced plans to open its first retail operation in China, and it's doing so in a…

What happens to your customer reward points when you die?

October 24, 2013

None of us wants our dying words to be, "Make sure you redeem all my points and miles." So loyalty consultancy Colloquy suggests shoppers plan ahead.

Retail analytics firm Prism Skylabs announces $15M Series B led by Intel Capital

October 24, 2013

Prism Skylabs, provider of solutions to help retailers understand and optimize offline commerce, has announced its Series B funding round led by Intel Capital.

Ahead of a US in-store launch, apparel retailer Sweaty Betty revamps online presence

October 23, 2013

Amplience, a provider of rich-media solutions, today announced that it helped Sweaty Betty, the women’s active wear fashion retailer, redesign its online…

Neiman Marcus recognized by Luxury Institute

October 23, 2013

As part of its first installment of the Luxury Multichannel Engagement Index (LMEI) survey, the New York-based Luxury Institute asked consumers from households…

NRF applauds Congressional attention on patent trolls

October 23, 2013

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French on the introduction of a…

Charlotte Russe reportedly preparing for IPO

October 23, 2013

Reuters reports that the apparel retailer Charlotte Russe, currently owned by equity firm Advent International, is in the beginning stages of preparing for an…

Forget technology: Retailers need to master the basics first

Tech is great, but retailers first need to master the basics of customer service and user experience.

Senator Chuck Schumer introduces voluntary 'code of conduct' for retail surveillance

October 23, 2013

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, The Future of Privacy Forum and a group of location analytics companies — including Euclid, iInside, Mexia Interactive…

U.K. grocery price-matching schemes come under scrutiny

October 23, 2013

In recent months, leading U.K. grocers Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have been hyping their price-matching programs, promising shoppers the lowest price. But an…