Converse opens largest mall location in Jersey

May 7, 2012

Converse Inc. has opened the doors to its first mall-based location in Westfield Garden State Plaza, the brand's fourth inline retail location in the United…

Why small retailers must work harder on customer service

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

This is a tale of two retailers, one of them a single-location local boutique shop, the other a major multinational corporation. One of them recently gave me…

Brick-and-mortar's inherent advantage: In-store relevance

Smart retailers make customers feel that their preferences, wants and needs are a priority from the minute they walk into the store.

Brand attachment: The Barefoot Bandit and our sense of self

What an 18-year-old on a crime spree teaches us about branding.

Why Customers Seem Scarce - Part 1

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

Far too many sellers suffer believe that customers are scarce and that they can't raise prices for fear of losing the customers they have.

This Mother's Day, say it with plastic?

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Every year we spend billions of dollars trying to find a way to thank our mothers for labor pains and unconditional love, but it turns out our primary display…

Sometimes, taking care of non-customers makes your customers happier

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Caring about people isn't enough on its own to create a transformational customer experience. Without caring, however, treasured moments of genuine human…

Take your work seriously, don't take yourself seriously

by Harvey Mackay — Author, Mackay Mitchell

"Dilbert," which is carried in 1,100 newspapers, has helped us laugh at the crazy dynamics of the workplace. Now if we could only start laughing at ourselves.

Six retailers who blew it - BIG

When I give presentations, I typically like to use case studies to show customers best practices. However, it is frequently the object lessons of who blew it…

When to use customer service games in training

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

Customer service games can add spice to a training program. I ought to know, I wrote the book! Unfortunately, I've seen too many games used just because ...

Infographic: The evolution of customer experience

Sheridan Orr gives an overview and history of the ever-changing customer experience.

RCEES keynote speaker gives advice to Inc. magazine

April 23, 2012

What retailers should know about Google Glasses

Retail experts and techies debate the technology's feasibility and why retailers should care.

Retail Pro upgrades software to help retailers 'improve customer retention'

April 19, 2012

Retail Pro has released 9.2 Revision 5 with new functionality in the area of Customer Loyalty and UPC Reuse, as well as some reworking and enhancement of some…

Study: Airport retailers will increase sales with self-service, mobile & wayfinding

April 19, 2012

Airports and airport retailers looking to better serve and generate more revenue from today's time-starved and mobile-enabled travelers are missing…

Bike seller bridging e-commerce, brick-and-mortar gap with build-a-bike kiosks

April 18, 2012

According to the Fort Collins (Colo.) Coloradoan, Fort Collins bicycle retailer Big Shot Bikes is using build-a-bike kiosks to bridge the gap between…

Opinion: Customization becoming essential to the customer experience

Far from being just a feature, customization is a product strategy.

Stop blabbing about innovation and start actually doing it

by Aaron Shapiro — CEO, HUGE

These days, every established company is at risk of having its industry — and its own business — disrupted by a startup. Cognizant of this, companies devote a…

A conversation about building great retail window displays

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

This weekend, MSNBC's "Your Business" ran a segment on the venerable retail window display, and how the basics of good window design are the same for everyone…

Unlike Apple's walled content garden, Amazon is 'building forests'

The online retailer's deal with J.K. Rowling might hint at its digital retail dominance.