Amazon gets the press, but Alibaba and Asia are surging in online sales

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Come and meet Chris at this year's Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit! Registration is now open, and early-bird pricing is in effect.

Five ways to raise your retail associates' conversion rate

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Brick and mortar retail stores face the daunting challenge of getting their retail associates to convert customers who are lookers into ones who are buyers.

Learning from Oprah's roller coaster ride

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

Tanya Young Williams offers great insights into Oprah Winfrey’s recovery after a near disastrous start of OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Whether they’re accurate…

The five ways retailers can beat showrooming

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

The term "showrooming" is the new buzzword in the dictionary of retail. It refers to the act of consumers literally shopping on their smartphones while in the…

How to apologize to customers without alienating employees

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

In customer service, the key to an effective apology is to convey to the customer at the outset that you’re willing to take his side and share his viewpoint. 

Making a 'value play'

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

My wife and I were in an electronics store. Neither of us are big on electronics. Our TV is 17 years old which gives you an idea of our interest in the latest…

Five fundamentals required for 'ME-tailing' success

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

It's the "Age of the Consumer." That's not news. The lead articles on retail are chocked full of stories about how consumers are now empowered through their…

Retail survival will require both consumer and product centricity

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

The term "consumer-centric" has been bandied about in retail a lot recently. What does it really mean to be a consumer centric retailer? Obviously, it means to…

Overlooked benefits of price analysis

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

A common misconception about pricing is that it’s all about establishing the price. In a recent project my client and I improved their margin by 56 percent…

Do your customers say they love you?

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

Are customers saying they love you?  At yelp, epinions, Twitter and hundreds of websites every day, customers who are treated well are not bashful about…

Customer service will transform your business ... starting today

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

Customer service–exceptional, consistent, customer-centered service–can transform your business more quickly than nearly any other advantage.

The future of the retail store

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Retail is dead! At least, that’s how Marc Andreessen sees it. The entrepreneur and tech investor was recently quoted saying that all physical retail stores…

Giving shoppers what they don't know they want

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

The National Grocers Association and Supermarket Guru released some teaser facts from their Consumer Panel Survey that will be released at the annual…

The single greatest miss in retail store metrics: Footfalls

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Online retail knows everything about you, but stores are not even sure you were there.The old saying is "build it and they will come." One of the greatest…

To bundle or not to bundle?

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

Business owners can’t seem to win. If they bundle their offerings, customers ask for itemization of the various components with the price of each clearly…

Is strategic pricing dead?

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

Given the accessibility of pricing information today, is it possible to be strategic in pricing your products and services? Or are we, all, trapped by the…

Retail Social Media Top 10 [Infographic]

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A look at how some of the top U.S. retail brands stack up on social media.

The Retail Revival has begun!

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Cookies and the key to success in retail

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

For the holidays I took my friends, clients and business colleagues cookies. I bought them from a small coffee house and bakery in Toronto called Le Gourmand …

Outhouses and QR codes: Never assume the norm

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

New research from the NPD Group shows that nearly 100 million people (or about half of Internet users) listened to music online in the past three months. No…