7 under-the-radar retail trends for 2017

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Will men and artificial intelligence define retail in 2017? Possibly. Considering the activities in retail today, several experts shared what unexpected trends…

Harnessing mobility in retail: 5 challenges to overcome

Retailers have a number of digital sales channels and a plethora of mobile marketing technologies to choose from. That said, when building a mobile marketing…

3 Ways to Optimize Labor Efficiencies and Cut Costs

Operators are facing high turnover rates and new regulatory pressures, making the task of managing labor costs increasingly more difficult. There are steps…

HP debuts new tools to help retailers boost customer experience

January 26, 2017

HP is debuting its HP Elite x3 Mobile Retail Solution and the HP MX12 Retail Solution, both aimed at helping retailers improve the customer experience and…

Neiman Marcus launches voice-controlled wearables for better communication

January 26, 2017

Neiman Marcus Last Call Stores are deploying voice-controlled wearables to help spur better communication within its luxury fashion retail operation.

2017 & beyond: Prognostications for retail technology

Shopper behavior and expectations have clearly changed and become more sophisticated. Retail stores need to evolve to meet consumer demands, and the influence…

Generation Z loves shopping at the brick-and-mortar retailer

January 25, 2017

While the Generation Z shopper is a digital customer they still love going to the store to shop and that means retailers need to shore up on interactive…

Gymboree taps Aptos tools to enhance customer experience

January 24, 2017

The Gymboree Corp. is deploying Aptos' POS and enterprise order management technology to integrate online and in-store operations to provide customers with a…

Lululemon taps data intelligence to amplify customer experience, relationship

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

The athletic apparel brand is striving to build its human connection with consumers with data analytics.

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, Connect Media

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…