For retailers and brands "the moment of truth" has already passed

Seeta Hariharan, GM and group head, TCS Digital Software & Solutions Group, explains why 'the moment of truth' in retail has passed and been replaced by the…

Brick-and-mortar stores aren't dead: They just need a digital makeover

Gil Larsen, VP Americas at Blis explains why retail success is all about inviting consumers in for a visit and ensuring you engage them once they come in.

6 best practices for thriving in the 'post-human' customer service age

Anand Subramaniam, SVP worldwide marketing for eGain, offers up insight on how retailers can avoid frustrating potential customers and only only survive but…

Can you beat Amazon this holiday season? An omnichannel approach to making it happen

Andrew Fegley, president of Remarketable, outlines innovative ways to keep driving revenue this holiday retail season through next-generation remarketing.

What retailers should consider before the holiday returns rush

Amit Sharma, founder and CEO of Narvar, explains why retailers need to understand emerging customer returns trends long before the return season arrives.

Staffless. Cashless. Gapless. Is this the future of shopping?

by Christopher Hall — director, ICX Association

ICXA Managing Director Christopher Hall muses about customer experiences that are cashless, staffless and have no gaps in covering customers everywhere they go.

The new face of disruption: Retail in the digital age

David Rosen, digital transformation technologist and strategist,TIBCO Software, shares how industry leaders, like Amazon, are laser focused on innovating the…

Why is everyone so freaked out about automated customer service?

Nick Francis, CEO of Help Scout, shares how automation, if done well, can lead to higher customer satisfaction and a better experience. Instant gratification…

Reward or no reward? That is the retailer's question

Narina Sippy, CMO of Stellar Loyalty, offers up insight on how to design a loyalty program that actually makes customers more loyal, spend more per visit, and…

Understanding the why and how of the analytics plan

Tom Schoen, president and CEO, BTM Global, explains how there is often a gap between what a retailer wants to know and what's truly important to operations and…

Delivering great customer service with a minimal customer support team

Scott Voigt, co-founder and CEO, FullStory, offers up best practices to keep customer support quality high and costs low while delivering a great customer…

Brick-and-mortar retailers' secret weapon: Conversion rate optimization

Mark Ryski, CEO and founder of HeadCount Corp., wonders why conversion rate optimization isn't a retail obsession given the difficult business conditions…

Why personalization is key for retail customer experiences

Jim Dicso, CEO of SundaySky, explores how retailers can personalize engagement in an entertaining, valuable and non-creepy way and create superior customer…

Kagan: Will Walmart win with Jet.com private label?

by Jeff KAGAN — Wireless Analyst, Telecom Industry Analyst

Jeff Kagan wants Walmart and Walmart.com to be successful, but he believes the level of success will come from respect for the customer. The big question is…

Impulse service on steroids

by Chip Bell — Customer Loyalty Consultant/Author, Chip Bell Group

Chip Bell explains how products involved in an impulse buy usually have some "eye catching" feature and are smartly positioned where a roving eye cannot miss.

Great expectations: Recalibrating retail as we know it

Evan Magliocca, brand marketing manager at Baesman Insights & Marketing, explains why the in-store experience must be new, exciting and something nothing ever…

'New wave' retail is starting to crest

by Christopher Hall — w, t

For many analysts, observers and pundits, the Sears story serves as a kind of moral or object lesson to Amazon. But ICXA Managing Director Christopher Hall…

Alibaba one-ups Amazon by building a mall for retailers

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Chris Petersen writes on how Amazon and Alibaba, two great disruptors of traditional bricks and mortar retail, are focused on creating new models that will…

Why B2C marketers must strike a better balance between customer acquisition and retention

Eric Keating, vice president of marketing at Zaius, explains why ecommerce retail marketers should spend more time and resources turning existing customers…

5 lessons restaurants can learn from Uber, Amazon

by Shyam Rao

Uber and Amazon have bridged the gap between digital and physical experiences in a way that has reset consumer expectations for how they interact with all…