2018's best retail trends: Learning From Kroger, Walmart, Lidl & others

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

As the new year takes root contributor Bryan Pearson offers up eight trend takeaways from 2018.

Walmart testing Flippy for in-store deli operations

January 10, 2019

The nation's top retailer is piloting a robotic kitchen assistant at its headquarters to determine if the technology is a good fit to use within store deli…

Strong customer experience can pay off big for banks, reveals study

January 10, 2019

U.S. retail banks can see a big boost in deposits if they can boost their customer experience, according to a Kantar analysis.

Redefining the consumer experience via digital identity

Linda Touch, global senior director at Equifax, explains why federated digital identity — linking a consumer's digital identity and the attributes, which are…

Kroger teams up with Microsoft on connected grocery initiative

January 8, 2019

Kroger is piloting a connected grocery store in a partnership with Microsoft using connected sensors and the Azure cloud.

DoorDash, GM Cruise to ignite autonomous car tests

January 7, 2019

DoorDash and General Motors Cruise Automation have partnered to put the auto company's Cruise self-driving vehicles to the test to improve autonomous delivery…

Coming down from a service high

by Chip Bell — Customer Loyalty Consultant/Author, Chip Bell Group

Chip Bell explains why coming down from a service high is an opportunity for celebration, affirmation, consolation, and education. Each is a building block for…

Experts share 2019 retail customer experience predictions

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Retail Customer Experience went to the experts and industry watchers to get their predictions and expectations on a wide range of issues, from technology to…

Retail workforce absence hinders employee engagement, claims report

December 28, 2018

Rampant unplanned retail store associate absence is detrimental to employee engagement, staff productivity, team morale and management stress, according to a…

10 most read Retail Customer Experience blogs of 2018

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

This year's Retail Customer Experience bloggers tackled a wide range of topics, technology and trends. Before the new year arrives here's a chance to make sure…

Frictionless shopping 2.0: How its definition has evolved and what it means for brands

Sheryl McKenzie, vice president, products & capabilities, Alliance Data card services business, writes retailers are living in the era of frictionless 2.0…

rue21 taps Kibo e-commerce platform for omnichannel initiative

December 26, 2018

Fashion retailer rue21 plans to deploy Kibo's e-commerce platform and several solutions in early 2019 to support a multitude of fulfillment strategies aimed at…

Nike NY flagship stocked high with customer personalization features

December 24, 2018

The Nike Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City features tons of ways customers can customize and personalize footwear and clothing, as well as innovative…

How 3D technologies are changing the online shopping experience

Kosta Popov, CEO and founder, Cappasity, outlines why retailers need to get ahead of the curve in order to innovate, innovate and innovate and why they should…

Retailers must act to protect customer data

December 21, 2018

The Marriott data breach, which exposed 500 million guests' details over a four-year period, highlights the need for stronger identity proofing procedures and…

Want to win in retail? Focus on driving innovation

Oliver Guy, global industry director, Software AG, writes that the most successful retailers understand that their tech partners can help them put innovation…

Kroger taps MoneyGram for bill payment services

December 19, 2018

MoneyGram has announced an agreement with Kroger to provide bill payment services inside the grocery chain's 1,900 Money Service locations, which include…

10 tips for designing commerce experiences for the majority (Hint: that’s not you)

Kelly Goetsch, chief product officer commercetools, shares insights for designing commerce solutions that better appeal to the mass market.

H&M Home debuts voice-enabled shopping, mobile payment via Google Assistant

December 18, 2018

H&M Home has launched a holiday gift guide partnership with Google that uses Google Assistant voice technology to allow ordering on mobile phones and…

Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York offers experiential experience

December 17, 2018

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York, which opened its doors Dec. 14, offers unique features including an Arriviamo bar boasting a curated menu of coffee…