I have seen the future of retail and his name is Errick

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

Last week I was in California visiting family, but like most of us on "vacation" these days, I was still working in my subconscious. One of my goals while…

Study: Social media interaction leads to long-term sales increases

October 26, 2012

New research shows that social media interaction between a customer and a brand drives immediate and long-term sales increases. The 2012 LoyaltyOne Social…

Retail, restaurants drive big business with loyalty programs

by Christopher Hall — w, t

Loyalty programs offer a way to build relationships with customers, and gather mission critical insight into their behavior.

Best Buy begins roll out of audio kiosk program

October 24, 2012

Turtle Beach, a provider of gaming headsets, and Best Buy are launching an in-store interactive kiosk program that delivers a fully interactive and educational…

Retailers discuss importance of multichannel at Wincor World 2012

October 23, 2012

Multichannel retailing remains a focus for global retailers, according to a post on fashionunited.co.uk, as stores fight to boost relevance by enhancing the…

Target gears up for holidays with price match policy

October 17, 2012

Target Corp announced the introduction of its new Holiday Price Match policy that, for the first time, will offer guests the ability to match select online…

Walmart's think tank lab to thank for recent innovations

October 16, 2012

While Walmart has been making headlines lately with improvements to its technology and Web presence, the force behind the advances is less widely discussed.

RCE Podcast episode 12: How Walmart same-day delivery might impact retail

Walmart announced this week that it is testing same-day delivery in a few select markets. Will this be truly disruptive to other retailers, or is it just a…

Walmart battles Amazon with launch of same-day shipping

October 10, 2012

Rival retail giants Walmart and Amazon go toe-to-toe once again, with Walmart announcing Tuesday that it had begun testing same-day delivery for online…

Like ketchup, but sweeter! The customer experience and customer taste

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

My son and I were eating barbecue together recently. The restaurant in question is one of those excruciatingly cheerful, homogenized theme restaurants. Not my…

Target launches QR codes for holiday toy shopping

October 4, 2012

In line with the holiday shopping fervor among retailers, Target announced it is adding QR codes in stores for the season's 20 most popular toys. The Target…

These Target training videos are a joke. I think.

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

We've all got that one family member who thinks he's hilarious, but he is not. Let's call him Uncle Kevin. At any family gathering, Uncle Kevin can be counted…

A customer service solution (soul-ution, actually)

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

When I boarded the commuter ferry on Saturday, it seemed unusually crowded. A crew member explained: "We have a capacity crowd — about 2,500 souls — aboard…

Three examples of radical differentiation at Lululemon

The popular yoga retailer 'zigs when everybody else zags.'

RCE Podcast episode 11: Is retail any fun anymore?

A study this week suggesting that "retail therapy" isn't a real phenomenon leads to a fascinating discussion about how we feel and how we want to be spoken to…

The Peak-End Rule: A way to improve every customer experience

by William Cusick — President, Customerspectives

The only way you keep a customer, and get her to buy more, is to create a positive perception. And the only way a perception is created is through the customer…

Retail customers enjoy telling a good lie, study shows

September 17, 2012

Customers get a high amount of satisfaction when able to lie to retailers to obtain refunds, discounts or concessions, according to an article on NBCnews.com.

No fee layaway plan at Tennessee discount store

September 17, 2012

Memphis-based Fred's Super Dollar announced plans to launch a holiday layaway plan that boasts no fees, a down payment of just $1, and a $5 gift card for…

Retail Doctor Bob Phibbs talks customer service training

The Retail Doctor Bob Phibbs recaps some highlights from his customer service training session at the 2012 Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit.

The ten commandments of networking

by Harvey Mackay — Author, Mackay Mitchell

1. I will not assume that the person with the credentials is the person with the power.