Customer loyalty requires a retail transformation, reveals IBM study

January 20, 2017

New IBM research reveals retailers must transform fast if they hope to inspire customer loyalty as consumers are busy shopping on their phones, online and in…

Study: Consumers want to be wanted

January 20, 2017

Retailers need to commit to earning a consumer's business as 79 percent of consumers will only buy from brands that provide they care about earning a shopper's…

Target’s digital chief: We’re not technology slackers any longer

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

If there is one message Target's EVP, CIO and Chief Digital Officer, Mike McNamara, wants heard loud and clear, it's this: Target is no longer a laggard when…

Brick-and-mortar store experience worse than washing dishes for many consumers

January 19, 2017

One third of consumers would rather wash dishes than hit a retail store and 40 percent view shopping in a brick-and-mortar retailer as a chore.

Customer success is the key to business growth

Typically the responsibility for customer service is split amongst various in-house teams and there is no overarching coordinated system to manage it. A…

UX university: 4 retailers getting the user experience right

Customer loyalty requires more than offering a customer a free coffee every time they buy 10. There’s no middle ground any longer as user experience is key for…

Staging an experiential marketing encore, the Bloomingdale's, Brooks Brothers way

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

There's no business like show business, and retailers are vying to get in on the act. More merchants are turning to Broadway in their ongoing play for…

Macy's kicks off cost efficiency, streamlining strategy

January 12, 2017

In a quest to boost cost efficiency and streamline its store portfolio, Macy's will close about 100 locations by August of this year, according to a press…

5 key success factors for 'omnichannel as the new normal'

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Chris H. Petersen explains why assorting the hottest products is not enough to win today's consumers.

McDonald's looking to create Starbucks experience with kiosks, digital menu boards

January 10, 2017

McDonald's is looking to upgrade its McCafe espresso machines with the McBarista. This upgrade will feature $12,000 espresso machines, sweets, seasonal coffee…

Disney Magicband-style experience coming to Carnival cruises

January 10, 2017

Princess Cruises, a global cruise line and tour company, announced last week at CES in Las Vegas that it will be the first Carnival Corp. brand to feature the…

IoT, customer-facing robots and VR among topics to be discussed at 2017 ICX Summit

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

The annual conference, which draws hundreds of customer experience leaders and innovators, is June 5-7 in Dallas and features a range of interesting sessions…

Amazon makes meal reordering easier than ever

January 6, 2017

Amazon Prime members can now voice-order restaurant orders via Amazon Restaurants on Alexa-enabled devices, including Amazon's Echo and Dot. Customers can…

2016 in review: Top retail customer experience stories

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

The year 2016 was one of technology, big changes and big steps by retailers aiming to boost and hone the customer experience. Here's a look back at the big…

Shoppers are loving mobile messaging apps, claims new study

January 5, 2017

Retailers may want to consider bolstering mobile messaging communications with consumers as a new study reveals 51 percent of messaging users view it more…

New year, new resolutions: 4 brand strategies to boost customer satisfaction in 2017

From creating improved customer experiences to a renewed focus on employees, 2017 will be a year where companies deploy new employee engagement strategies that…

7 keys to customer experience happiness

Storytelling and understanding the rules of a "happy life" are two of the dominant themes throughout my career and education, with science being added as an…

Retailers striving to beat Amazon must perfect the customer experience

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

To avoid losing more market share to Amazon, competing e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers must perfect the customer experience from the moment a…

Convenience for retail consumers will demand innovation in 2017

2016 was an interesting year in retail. Many established brands died a bricks and mortar death. While many thought this signaled the demise of the physical…

Mall of America taps kiosks to help shoppers find their way around

December 20, 2016

The Mall of America in St. Paul, Minnesota is deploying six interactive wayfinding kiosks to help shoppers needing assistance.