NRF: Broad gains seen in retail sales in September

October 30, 2013

While government statistics released this week show a slight decrease in retail sales in September, driven by the automobile sector, the National Retail…

Survey: Good customer service drives customer loyalty this holiday season

October 30, 2013

PriceGrabber, a distributed e-commerce platform and shopping site, just released additional results of its Winter Holiday Shopping Survey, revealing that 6…

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…

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…

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. 

Is ShopThis another nail in the coffin of traditional retailers?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Before the proliferation of digital media, a primary way of learning about new products was through magazine articles and ads. To remember the cool stuff or…

Report: U.S. becoming a 'switching economy'

October 23, 2013

Despite having more data and insights into consumer desires and preferences, companies in the U.S. have failed to meaningfully improve customer satisfaction…

Shopgate e-book offers tip to help m-commerce sites grow holiday sales

October 22, 2013

Retailers who want to increase holiday sales should consider launching a mobile shopping website or app, according to the mobile commerce solutions provider…

Survey: Because of the economy, shoppers are expecting discounts

October 21, 2013

PriceGrabber, a distributed e-commerce platform and shopping site, has released results of its first Winter Holiday Shopping Survey for 2013. The survey…

How to handle a retail customer complaint in 6 steps

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Have you ever tried to make a customer complaint but been unable to?

Is early Christmas marketing naughty or nice?

Does "Christmas creep" really help retailers make more silver and gold? Or does it just make customers see red? Here's what some shoppers think about the…

Accenture study finds webrooming tops showrooming

October 17, 2013

Move over, showrooming — a new survey by Accenture found there's a new phenomenon in town. It's called webrooming, and it's happening at a higher rate than…

5 steps to personalize the in-store experience

A focus on the customer journey will improve your shopper's experience on their path to purchase.

Study: Social media for brand conversations on the rise

'Word-of-mouth champions' are twice as likely to recommend a brand via digital.

Report: Teens experiencing spending fatigue

October 11, 2013

Investment bank Piper Jaffray & Co. has released its 26th semi-annual "Taking Stock With Teens" consumer insights project, which pointed to a sequential…

Five ways you are losing retail customers

by Gary Edwards — Chief Customer Officer, Emathica

Customer loyalty is the backbone of every successful retail business. Although it is important to attract new customers, the real gauge of the brand's health…

The end of the beginning of e-commerce

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Global e-commerce is set to top 1.2 trillion dollars this year. And if that doesn’t seem astonishing, then consider that the figure represents a 19 percent…

When does personalization become an invasion of privacy?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Without realizing it, you are creating a digital trail of your behaviors with every click and tap that you make. E-commerce has been using our cookies to track…

Holiday 2013: How to translate fewer days into more revenue

This year's holiday calendar is unique, and it will create some equally unique challenges for retailers.