How artificial intelligence is transforming retail personalization

Retail personalization is certainly not a new concept, but there are many new advances in personalization helping retailers create deeper relationships with…

5 major retail fails from P&G, Macy's, Wal-Mart (and what they teach us)

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Some of the most attractive investments in retail have proven disastrous. Fortunately, retailers have learned to rebuild from past mistakes.

Pokémon GO: A retailer's dream, or a network/app management nightmare?

Most retailers take advantage of applications to improve customer engagement. To facilitate wireless coverage for customers using a retailer's mobile app (who…

Mobile innovation is not about your phone!

by Jeannie Walters — Chief Customer Experience Investigator, 360Connext

What if the future of mobile has nothing to do with the phone in your hand?

Filling big shoes with square feet: What Dollar General-Wal-Mart deal means

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

While Wal-Mart, Target and other chains test ways to maneuver into smaller footprints, other retailers benefit from their missteps.

3 ways to ensure a loyalty program pays off

Retailers need to be convenient, responsive and memorable. At every touchpoint, we should strive to answer the question "how is this helping shoppers out?"

The simple solution for retailers: Be channel agnostic

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Consumer journeys are neither the same, nor consistent. The term omnichannel is becoming ubiquitous. However, it may be one of the most misunderstood terms in…

Megastore on the bubble: What shrinking Target And Wal-Mart stores mean

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Smaller locations may have been the solution for shoehorning large-format retailers into densely populated cities. But the proliferation of digital shopping is…

If you are not at the table, you’re on the menu

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Omnichannel is not an option … it's a question of survival.

The empathic enterprise: What are your balance points?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Key questions for winning by staying human in a digital age.

Thinking inside of the box in order to sell better beds online

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

A couple of creative guys applied technology to get a mattress to fit in a standard carrier shipping box. From a purely product perspective, this innovation…

Early bird gets the worm: Top 5 reasons to meet us in Cali for Fast Cas Exec Summit

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Although our 11th annual Fast Casual Executive Summit isn't until Oct. 9-11, you can get in at $595 as opposed to the regular price of $795 if you register by…

Tips on merging in-store, online retail personalities

One of the biggest issues facing retailers is how to merge in-store personalities with online ones. We're not talking about the same colors and logos and…

3 innovation lessons from the Hippo Water Roller story

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

To understand what innovation means, walk a mile in their shoes.

Why offering more payment options should be a priority for retailers

When making such major life purchases as houses and cars, consumers usually have access to financing. But what happens when they seek flexible payment options…

7 reasons why traditional retailers are struggling

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Traditional retailers' legacy of store success is their biggest challenge.

Merchants chase Uber for a better mobile customer experience

by Will Hernandez — Editor, NetWorld Media Group

It's no surprise the ride-sharing service comes up a lot during discussions about personalization and customer interaction. That was a topic of conversation…

So long Siri ... Hello Alexa ... Goodbye privacy?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

It seems our lives are now filled with sexy sounding digital assistants all competing to serve us. The allure of the new digital assistants is that they are…

10 'Big Ideas' from ICX Summit 2016

by Christopher Hall — w, t

Take a run through this Top 10 list of some of the most thought-provoking and attention-grabbing ideas highlighted at the recent Interactive Customer…

J. Crewsing into CEO branding: What Mickey Drexler can learn from Loblaw, REI

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

In his personal letter to shoppers, J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler appears to be backing his brand promise with a personal promise. But if he wants to be a branded…