What AI can teach you about your customers

When most businesses think of artificial intelligence, chances are they think about chatbots, logistics, or really any machine learning algorithm that improves…

Future of retail is robotic and not just in the supply chain

While augmenting human labor in the supply chain with robots enables increased productivity, this advancement is rendered ineffective when the back office acts…

Chatbot success 101: Why a single customer view is a must

The need for retailers to have a single customer view to ensure a consistent positive experience, across all the channels via which they interact with…

8-second race: How retailers can connect with fast-moving customers

the window of opportunity for retail marketers to know, reach, convert and engage their customers has dropped to just eight seconds. The key to reaching them…

Last mile: The amazing race to solve the delivery dilemma

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Omnichannel drives new expectations that every retailer must address.

Customer loyalty 101: How to avoid alienating today's shopper

Winning customer loyalty is a continuous and important objective for retailers, but it's not always an easy task. Unfortunately, alienating customers can be.

A new spin on loyalty

As loyalty programs have expanded to include more emotional benefits, they have seen the value associated with meeting a consumer's needs. Now companies are…

Kagan: New rules for success in retail

by Jeff KAGAN — Wireless Analyst, Telecom Industry Analyst

Retail will always be with us, but it will be different going forward. Now is the time to be experimenting and expanding your brand in the mind of your…

Hungry for more conversions? There's an app for that

With the inherent convenience of ordering favorite specialty items online, come new demands from consumers, namely: the expectation of finding their favorite…

Location data is leading a retail revival: Here's how

Location data answers much more than just "Are buyers visiting my store?" It answers questions like "Which locations and audience segments do competitor's…

5 key components to monetize your data

The explosion of information is clearly accelerating. Data is flooding companies and the problem is only getting worse. As the next big explosion heats up with…

Can the voice of the customer drive transformational change?

There's a general assumption in business today that change is good, but we can't launch into change for the sake of it. There needs to be a clear business…

5 top themes for future retail success

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

In mature categories with declining volumes and margins, there are immense pressures on the c-suite to innovate. Consumers have already voted for a seamless…

Kagan: Early adopters gain competitive advantage

by Jeff KAGAN — Wireless Analyst, Telecom Industry Analyst

Jeff Kagan explains why timing your entry into new areas of retail payment technology is key. Early adopters get a competitive advantage yet they take the…

Evolve or die: This is the state of retail

The advent of digital has changed life as we know it, including the shopping experience. The state of retail is now evolve or die. The dogma of old school…

Factoring order fulfillment, returns into a peak season service strategy

As painful as it might seem to jump back into the peak season mindset, fortune tends to favor the prepared, so getting a head start and developing your…

Identifying the millennial 'tribes'

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, Connect Media

Media outlets often make the mistake of stereotyping millennials either as lazy, entitled, antiestablishment types who can’t stop taking selfies, or as clever…

When will retailers wake up and smell the CLV?

Peter Fader, professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder of Zodiac, explains why a truly customer centric…

A look at trends taking over retail in 2017

To keep up with shopper expectations, it's more important than ever for retailers to enhance and integrate the physical and digital. As we move further into…

The future of retail: Thinking small

Leading retailers are beginning to make sweeping changes to keep up with consumer demands. In the past six months retailers like Amazon, Target and Kroger have…