Not So Pretty in Pink

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Customer experience: Southern hospitality at its finest

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

I live in the happiest place in America. No, it's not Disneyland, it's San Luis Obispo, California. At times, it feels like I'm in a small southern town where…

Walmart gas discounts: Will they change the fuel incentive landscape?

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

That value isn’t necessarily derived from lower prices — though, of course, price is a strong loyalty motivator for consumers. As a giant retail leader that…

Stop marketing already!

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

We live in an age George Jetson would consider futuristic (sans the flying cars, of course). We have pushbutton everything. Pushbotton marketing, pushbutton…

Avoiding your Napster Moment

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

In a previous post I talked about how companies are often blind-sided by what I call Napster moments. Napster moments are radical, game-changing innovations…

Safeway Borrows a Page from the Travel Industry

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

We’ve known for a while that Safeway, North America’s second largest grocery chain, has been on the right track when it comes to the Enterprise Loyalty…

You have got to hit the customer

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

No, not literally! Although while hitting customers would obviously be bad for business, it would give you a chance to build a relationship with Bubba the Bail…

Help the front line right the wrong

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

Alma Rettew bought a holiday gift for a friend, and asked L.L. Bean, whom she bought it from, to get it to her friend on a specific date (the company has a…

US Airways suing for lower prices

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

A recent Miami Herald headline - "US Airways sues Sabre over pricing." According to the article US Airways isn't the only airline, American has a suit pending…

You can't sell a Rolex like a Ram Truck

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

More and more brands are opening their own retail outlets in an effort to make their brand stand out. But more importantly to control their image.

Groupons in Plastic Instead of Paper? Not so Fishy

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

How much does it cost to be rude?

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Consumer Reports July 2011 edition tells us that "Sixty-four percent of respondents said that during the previous 12 months they had left a store because…

Are your store operations preventing sales?

by Harry Friedman

Have you ever had someone ask you the reason behind one of your policies or procedures, such as not accepting any deliveries on Tuesdays? Or, maybe you've had…

Five tips for ruining a customer's experience

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

On a recent shopping trip to the local mall, it seems like everywhere I went some small but annoying thing happened that negatively affected my experience.

Scarcity mentality: Boon or bane?

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

Actually it could be either, depending upon where it exists.

A Bulldog in Ferragamo

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Luxury retail chain Saks Fifth Avenue held its annual meeting June 1 and at the gathering – just as in every annual meeting since 2002 – it included a…

The Retail Defense Team: Protecting stores from customers in a mall near you

by Harry Friedman

Lease Line Deputies. Perhaps you've seen them. Perhaps you've had one working in your store. They're found in most retail malls, standing in front of their…

Wowing Customers Doesn’t Come With A Groupon

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

I was reading a blog about using Groupon for a restaurant and a posted comment stood out, "... the key is adding value, so that when they use their Groupon at…

Guy Kawasaki on enchantment in retail

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

I caught up with author, speaker and investor Guy Kawasaki to discuss his new book Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions. Specifically, I…

Heritage vs. innovations vs. relevance

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

In an interview published a few years ago in Fortune magazine, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked if Disney's lessening emphasis on animation was diminishing the…