Walmart's 'Project Impact' shoots for cleaner stores, better customer service

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

September 8, 2009

Time is reporting on the real-world impact of Walmart's "Project Impact," a makeover initiative that sees the retailer focusing on cleaner store environments…

Grass-roots marketing: Retailer mails hand-written thank you notes to shoppers

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

September 7, 2009

In Palm Springs, Calif., one retailer is going back-to-basics for customer service, reviving the art of the hand-written thank you note.

Designing a new experience — and putting fun back into retail

Now is a great time to design and launch a new customer experience — especially for brands feeling the pinch of commoditization.

Roots Canada adds social commerce features to web site

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 31, 2009

Roots Canada, a leading Canadian lifestyle retailer, announced it has added social commerce features to its e-commerce site at www.roots.com. The product…

Supermarket woos shoppers with valet parking

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 27, 2009

There's a fierce battle for customers raging between three Staten Island supermarkets, and that battle just got a little more interesting: ShopRite has started…

Meijer to test online ordering, in-store pick-up

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 27, 2009

Internet Retailer reports that supermarket chain Meijer is about to launch its Grocery Express program, which will let customers place orders online, then head…

Research: E-commerce hindered by lack of human assistance

A large number of respondents to a new survey indicate a lack of assistance affected their online purchasing decisions.

Reader Q&A: How do I drive more traffic into the store?

A legendary retailer asks for advice on getting shoppers into the store, and Kate Newlin responds with some practical tips.

Chico's adds live help to its e-tail sites

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 24, 2009

Chico's, which operates three online retail brands (www.chicos.com, www.soma.com and www.WhiteHouseBlackMarket.com), is adding an integrated live help…

Luxury retail at a crossroads

Shattered by heavy discounting, luxury retailers now need to focus on two distinct customer types - those looking for branded items at a lower price, and the…

Hands-on review: Best Buy's Twelpforce

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The electronics retailer is using Twitter to connect customers to an army of tech experts. How well does it work?

Breaking retail's addiction to discounting

When retailers emphasize price above all else, everybody loses. Author Kate Newlin offers some alternatives to "okay, available and cheap."

Luxury retailers need to personalize the online experience

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

August 13, 2009

Shopping a luxury retailer is a singular experience — the setting, the products, the (hopefully) excellent service. But most of those things go away when…

Why good customer service is like billiards

Retail Doc Bob Phibbs explains why customer service staff need to scatter around the customer, like pool balls reacting to the cue.

Three reasons customer service is so bad

August 3, 2009

New York Times blogger Jay Goltz says in his blog that even though people usually blame poor customer service on a particular generation, it really is caused…

Opinion: Why customer satisfaction surveys don't work

With 95 percent of our cognitive processing handled by the subconscious, how much value is there in surveys that probe the other five percent?

Best Buy's new laptop sales model includes Internet service, steep discounts

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 26, 2009

Electronics retailer Best Buy has tried a lot of strategies in recent months to stay ahead of its discount competition, everything from expanded Geek Squad…

What the Amazon/Zappos deal means for customers

Amazon has acquired Zappos.com in a deal that exceeds $800 million. From the customer's standpoint, is this a marriage made in retail heaven?

Jeff Bezos apologizes for Kindle/Orwell incident

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 23, 2009

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos knows his company raised a lot of eyebrows last week with its remote deletion of Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm" from Kindles of users…

AT&T completes makeover of 2,200 retail locations

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

July 20, 2009

The Apple Insider blog reports that the massive makeover of more than 2,200 AT&T U.S. retail locations is complete. The stores now offer netbooks in…