Can 'digital associates' create a personal experience online?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

In my last blog, we discussed a major difference between e-commerce and retail stores. Online retail is very effective and efficient IF you know WHAT you want…

Marketing faux pas

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

Eric Spitznagel, in his SFGate article Memorable marketing flip-flops, highlights the errors of some well-known, well-respected brands.

Avon's makeover: A world affair brought home

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

When I was a teenager my sister sold Avon products. She was actually pretty good. Our house was filled with Skin So Soft lotion, Sweet Honesty perfume and…

A positive customer experience may lead to stock market gains

April 3, 2013

Companies that deliver a great customer experience are rewarded — on Main Street and on Wall Street.

Google pilots same-day delivery in San Francisco

April 3, 2013

Google opened its Google Shopping Express same-day delivery service to a test market in San Francisco last week.

How one three-letter word can create a personal buying experience

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Much has been written and continues to be written about the battle between online e-commerce and retail stores. If it is only about lowest price, game over.

Study finds brands miss out on customer feedback

April 2, 2013

A recent study by Venuelabs reveals major brands are missing as much as 86 percent of local consumer sentiment about their in-store experiences.

Are Geeks out of place in Target's CE departments?

Early indications suggest that Target might expand the trial partnership to more locations.

Apple rolling out new customer service initiative

March 29, 2013

Apple is slowly implementing a new customer service initiative across its retail stores. According to 9to5mac, the strategy is called "table selling," and…

Shopper turned delivery person? Walmart considers crowd-sourcing

March 28, 2013

Walmart may soon be crowd-sourcing shoppers for delivery services. According to an article on nbcnews.com, Walmart shoppers could tell the retailer where they…

Positioning and pricing

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

Pricing goes well beyond merely establishing a price. Indeed, there are some industries in which there’s little, if any, ability to adjust price. The health…

Walmart struggles to stock shelves with fewer employees

March 26, 2013

Walmart's thinly spread workforce could be contributing to its increasingly empty shelves. According to an article on Bloomberg, the retailer's disorganized…

Aussie store fights showrooming with $5 'just looking fee'

March 26, 2013

A specialty food store in Brisbane, Australia, has come up with a way to combat showrooming, and a photo of its strategy has gone viral on Reddit. 

This is the most popular customer service question ever

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

“How should I compensate a customer for a service or product failure?”

Shopbust launches mobile mystery shopping platform in Asia

March 22, 2013

The Singapore-based startup Shopbust announced the launch of its fully automated, online mystery shopping platform that helps brands measure customer service…

Oscar de la Renta brings True Fit to online shoppers

March 21, 2013

Oscar de la Renta is refreshing the customer experience on its e-commerce site by offering personalized shopping and fitting profiles with True Fit technology…

Restaurants reel in customers with retail

March 21, 2013

According to a recent interview aired on Minnesota Public Radio, there is a growing trend toward restaurant establishments serving a side of retail. And not…

Market Force study reveals more shoppers trying new retailers

March 20, 2013

Research from a new Market Force study reveals H&M, Kohl's and Macy's are luring the most potential new consumers into their stores. Rounding out the top…

Insights from eGain to lead multichannel strategy at JD Williams

March 20, 2013

Customer engagement solution provider eGain announced today that it was chosen by U.K. retailer JD Williams to lead its multichannel strategy. JD Williams…

Cali store using robotics to compete with online retailers

March 19, 2013

For former Amazon executive Nadia Shouraboura, jeans and robotics are proving a successful combination. An article in the Seattle Times features Shouraboura's…