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…

An amazing customer experience from TSA?

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

Last Friday I was in line for security at Logan airport. I noticed that there was only one agent checking IDs, so I figured this was going to be a long and…

What if Best Buy charged admission?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

O.K., suspend your disbelief just for a moment and hear me out…

When retail associates hold their head up

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

During a panel discussion this morning at the NRF 102nd Annual Convention & EXPO, the conversation turned to hiring and keeping employees that are willing…

The Retail Revival has begun!

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Are you creating value?

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

Three calls is all that it took to identify a futile effort and how wasteful the investment in an innovation effort had been.

Did you just spell your customer's name wrong?

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

"They spelled my name wrong again!" sings Loudon Wainwright III, the incomparable (if hard-to-spell) singer-songwriter.

Leverage others' experience instead of wasting time on pure invention

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

From the first days of school, we are taught that "copying others is bad." In the process of teaching students to think creatively, we create a lifetime…

Two simple ingredients of personalization that almost all retailers miss

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Having lived in Canada, it is true that Thanksgiving is also celebrated there, albeit a month earlier than the US. The US Thanksgiving celebration has become a…

Autonomy vs. standards: in business, customer service and the customer experience

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

As a business keynote speaker, I spend a lot of time speaking about the need for employee autonomy in customer service and business operations in general. And…

Paraprosdokian phrases for life, and retailing today

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Perhaps Yogi had it right all along: Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

The one simple thing your retail associates should be doing, but probably aren't

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

As Dale Carnegie's sixth principle teaches us, the sound of a person's name is the sweetest and most important sound to that person. It is an immutable truth…

Why build a great customer experience if you have no competition?

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

What if you didn’t have any competition? Would the customer experience you create even matter–if, for example, you ran a government agency or were otherwise…

The waiting is the hardest part (for your customers)

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

Timeliness is a critical part of creating a successful customer experience. As a business keynote speaker, I'm often heard calling on company and conference…

How retailers can attract more male customers

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

In RCE podcast #8, Kim Nasief, CEO of Measure CP, and I were asked if there is a way to attract male shoppers to stores. The generally held and widely accepted…

Will same-day shipping make us happier customers?

by William Cusick — President, Customerspectives

Both Amazon and Walmart are vying to be your retailer of choice, and one aspect that we are all apparently about to start demanding is same-day delivery of our…

I have seen the future of retail and his name is Errick

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

Last week I was in California visiting family, but like most of us on "vacation" these days, I was still working in my subconscious. One of my goals while…

Here's why retailers should put up their Christmas displays before Halloween

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

It's that time of the year ... time for the leaves to change, corn mazes to sprout up, pumpkin spice latte demand so strong Starbucks has shortages. And of…

The high price of being too clever

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

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." So said…

'Sudden' interest in everyday low prices

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

An article by Ely Portillo at CharlotteObserver.com indicates that Lowe's is the latest company to try everyday low prices. This comes on the heels of failed…