Starbucks considers white-labeling its mobile app

April 25, 2014

Tech companies and national retailers have approached Starbucks about whether the coffee giant would consider licensing or white-labeling its successful…

The two sides of customer service training

by Shep Hyken — CAO, Shepard Presentations

Understanding what it means to deliver great customer service and being the type of person who can deliver it are two very different things. Anyone can read…

Speed and quality: Must they be mutually exclusive?

by Jeannie Walters — Chief Customer Experience Investigator, 360Connext

Speed vs quality: Which is more important to your customers? And what impact does each of them have on the customer experience?

National Retail Federation honored by Environmental Protection Agency

April 22, 2014

The National Retail Federation was recognized today on Earth Day by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with its 2014 SmartWay Affiliate Challenge award.

Thierry Mugler gets 'Alien' virtual assistant

April 18, 2014

French luxury fragrance brand Thierry Mugler, part of the Clarins Fragrance Group, has deployed the world's first full-height Tensator Virtual Assistant to…

Why in-queue merchandising matters (infographic)

The waiting line is a golden opportunity to reach consumers, but restraint and proper design are key.

QSR, retail partnerships highlight Q1 for ComQi digital signage

April 17, 2014

Marketplace momentum from emerging partnerships focused on vertical markets and enterprise opportunities highlight a strong Q1 and continuing 2014 outlook for…

Bang & Olufsen launches next-generation retail concept in North America

April 16, 2014

Bang & Olufsen has unveiled its first newly redesigned store concept in North America at the new Madison Avenue showroom in New York. According to the…

A retailer's customer experience checklist

Although they may be harder to tick off in a simple box, customer-centric strategies are extremely important to get right.

Retail lessons for today, learned from PBS' Mr. Selfridge

It turns out that what was true 100 years ago in retail is still true today.

Creating a differentiated experience that customers actually enjoy

Too often, unfortunately, retailers' differentiated customer experiences blend together in a sea of sameness.

PGA TOUR opening three experiential superstores

April 8, 2014

PGA TOUR Superstore has announced three new store openings in 2014 and a growth strategy that will more than double its current retail footprint, adding one…

What are you looking for: The cure or the story?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Seth Godin is one of the most prolific writers and users of social media on this planet. He also writes very catchy headlines, like this one that caught my…

Webinar to explore tax credits, strategies for retailers

April 7, 2014

On Tuesday, April 8, Retail Customer Experience will host a live webinar entitled "Cash In On Hiring Tax Credits." The webinar, sponsored by PeopleMatter, will…

What Whole Foods teaches us about visual merchandising

As much as any retailer can, Whole Foods embodies the notion that stores aren't simply places to buy things.

Customer service goal: We don't want you to come back

by Shep Hyken — CAO, Shepard Presentations

Do you ever get the feeling that some business' customer service goal is the keep the customer from coming back?

CFI Group receives statistical modeling patent for customer satisfaction research

March 28, 2014

CFI Group, a customer satisfaction measurement and analytics firm, announced it has been awarded Patent No. 8,666,515. According to the company, this patent…

CXPA launches certification initiative for customer experience professionals

March 27, 2014

The Customer Experience Professionals Association , an international nonprofit organization created to guide and enhance the growing field of customer…

Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Publix, Costco, Sprouts top Consumer Reports supermarket ratings

March 26, 2014

In Consumer Reports' latest survey, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Publix, Costco and Sprouts earned the highest scores overall among 55 of the nation's major grocery…

Retailers of the future: Innovative retailers take on the Amazon juggernaut

Going up against Amazon's Goliath can be challenging for the more David-sized specialty retailers.