3 key strategies for driving loyalty enrollment

Jeff Sopko, president of Baesman Insights & Marketing, offers tips and insight on how retailers can hurdle the many barriers to entry for loyalty programs. As…

The human touch: Why mobile can't replace in-store associates

Unlike customer-facing mobile apps and websites, in-store associates and managers have insider knowledge and the ability to use in-store tools to their…

Chip Bell: You can't automate theatre

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

Is your customer experience plain vanilla, leaving absolutely no imprint at all on your customer's memory? How would your customers' stories about your…

How AI can connect customers to your brand

Dr. Anil Kaul, CEO and co-founder of Absolutdata, writes that as AI becomes a part of daily living, brand leaders are realizing the potential the technology…

Back-to-school spend will hit $83.6B, claims report

July 21, 2017

A confident consumer base and increasing school enrollment will likely drive back-to-school spending to the second top spending level in history, according to…

Walmart aims to monitor shoppers' facial expressions

July 21, 2017

Walmart is reportedly building new technology that will help it identify unhappy consumers standing in check-out lines.

Shoppers moving to mobile: Where retailers fall short with m-commerce experiences

Dan Carney, senior vice president of operations at Limelight Networks, explains how mobile devices are having broad implications across the retail landscape…

Clothing retailer drives mobile shopping forward with Shopgate app platform

July 20, 2017

Texas Humor, a clothing brand focused on state pride, is using Shopgate's mobile commerce platform to build an enhanced mobile shopping app for customers.

Pet retailer deploys IBM MobileFirst to simplify purchase journey

July 20, 2017

The U.K.-based Pets at Home is launching Sales Assist, an IBM MobileFirst for iOS app for iPad, to drive a simpler purchase process across its 440 stores.

Chatbots gaining popularity with consumers, especially millennials

July 19, 2017

One quarter of U.S. consumers are using a chatbot on a daily basis, and that figure spikes to 40 percent among the millennial generation.

A few changes coming in back-to-school shopping season

July 19, 2017

Mass merchants will benefit most during this year's back-to-school shopping season, and department stores will likely see a decline in consumer traffic…

To compete with Amazon, retailers must focus on mobile experience

The beverage alcohol industry in particular might fall victim to Amazon's takeover of Whole Foods.

Why you need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes…or pants…or jackets

Denise DeSisto, VP, marketing automation and product innovation at Customer Portfolios, says every retailer's goal must be to keep customers at the center of a…

Voice-controlled devices playing bigger part in consumer purchasing

July 17, 2017

Just about one in three shoppers will make a purchase through a voice-controlled device in the next year, and nearly one in five, 19 percent, made a voice…

How to clean your dirty data and why quantity isn't a substitute for quality

Gil Larsen, VP, Americas at Blis, explains why in the geolocation business, accuracy is paramount. As he shares, it's all too easy to fuel an otherwise perfect…

Amazon both friend and foe to retailers

July 14, 2017

While Amazon has long been described as the traditional retail killer, competing retailers view the ecommerce giant as both a foe and a friend — the latter…

Neiman Marcus, HMSHost, b8ta talk designing the retail digital store

by Judy Mottl — Editor: RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com, Connect Media

Digital chiefs from legacy and new brands share insight, advice, tips and strategy when it comes to designing the store with digital in mind.

Study: Consumers love to touch, love music, but long wait lines not so much

July 13, 2017

When it comes to brick-and-mortar shopping, a majority of U.S. consumers, 72 percent, love being able to touch, feel and try products, and the statistic jumps…

Webinar: How to tap mobile, personalization to drive a seamless customer journey

A one-hour free webinar on July 27, hosted by Adobe, will offer actionable insights and tips for retailers striving to craft a successful customer journey.

Smartphones will soon beat out tablets in UK mobile spend

July 11, 2017

The smartphone will soon blow past the tablet in the U.K. when it comes to mobile shopping, with smartphones grabbing 51.5 percent of spend next year.