Custom men's fashion meets the house call

July 4, 2011

A story in the Centre Daily Times from State College, Penn. highlights the growth of J. Hilburn, a men’s clothier that specializes in bespoke shirts and…

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…

Boomtownrack.com now offers local apparel shopping by neighborhood and zip code

June 29, 2011

Boomtownrack.com is a local online marketplace focusing specifically on independent apparel boutiques in the Chicago area. Boomtownrack.com uses location based…

OpinionLab adds mobile, QR support to VOC program

June 28, 2011

OpinionLab, provider of voice-of-customer (VOC) listening technologies, has extended its mobile customer feedback tools to make it even easier for consumers to…

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…

Belk taps Oracle to transform its operations

June 27, 2011

Belk, the nation's largest privately owned mainline department store, has selected Oracle Retail Merchandising System to transform its business operations and…

Customer experience lessons from Red Bull

Here are four ways the energy drink brand uses unconventional thinking to stand apart from its competition.

Opinion: Retailers, manufacturers need to work on collaboration

Collaboration shouldn't be exclusive to a new product launch, promotion or supply chain initiative.

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.

Good news for retailers and shoppers: "retail therapy" does make you happy

June 20, 2011

According to an article in the UK Daily Mail, it’s official: shopping does make you happy. The article cites a new study that says buying something nice has “a…

Study: UK online customer service needs improving

June 20, 2011

A new report from Eptica, a UK-based provider of customer interaction management software, surveyed the online customer service practices of 100 leading UK…

Mobile Retail Monday: Simon Malls

The app offers lots of options, but suffers from not having enough relevant content.

Retailer videos find audience on YouTube

According to new research, 73 percent of U.S. retailers are making use of online video.

Wincor Nixdorf develops automatic 360-degree scanner for fast checkout

June 15, 2011

Wincor Nixdorf AG has developed a new automatic checkout solution for ICA, one of the biggest retail chains in Sweden. The new checkout solution, 360 Scan…

The ‘New Circular’: Putting digital shopper marketing to work

Transforming the traditional circular is key in reaching consumers.  

Mobile Retail Monday: 'Create-A-Look' feature distinguishes PacSun iPhone App

Mobile Mondays is a weekly column on mobile apps by retail customer experience authority Mike Wittenstein. Each week, you’ll get a test drive of a leading…

Survey: 48 percent of retail websites not offering product ratings, reviews

June 13, 2011

CrossView, a provider of cross-channel commerce solutions with clients such as Advance Auto Parts and Moosejaw, released the results of a survey showing that…

Countering the 'Groupon Effect' and linking tactics to strategy with mobile marketing

How should retailers use mobile marketing to establish brand loyalty?

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…