Tried and true, or tired and through

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

I was talking with a retailer Monday who discussed with me all of the changes and decisions she needs to make concerning her stores, including investing in new…

A missed opportunity to add loyalty value?

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

At COLLOQUY, we regularly discuss the benefits of using loyalty program data to improve customer relationships and targeted customer communication. But can a…

OpinionLab adds auto-translate feature to VOC platform

February 1, 2011

OpinionLab, developer of voice-of-customer (VOC) listening technologies, has unveiled a major enhancement to its feedback-translation tool, enabling companies…

Retail At Risk From Technology

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

We need to address the real concerns facing retail instead of looking to technology for a quick fix. This Manifesto can spur you to change the way your retail…

Customer service greatness, as taught to us by PBS

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Here's an amazing story that any retailer can learn from, a story about the power of surprise and going above-and-beyond for the people that interact with…

When Must is Always, Should is Most of the Time, and Never is Out of the Question

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

One thing that fascinates me when working with retail chains is seeing the different levels of performance that spring from the same retail strategy.  Each…

Shopatron adds new features to e-commerce suite

January 12, 2011

Shopatron has unveiled Shopatron 3.0, promising an upgraded customer experience that will lead to increased sales. This announcement comes after months of…

Eight characteristics of successful retail concepts

What do Apple, Zappo's, REI, IKEA, Walmart and other successful retail brands have in common?

DIY Should Mean Saving Money At Home and the Store

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

The latest grocery news is that the Kroger Co. is testing a new self-checkout technology. My question is: What’s in it for me?

Retaligent intros Charisma 1:1 clienteling and loyalty solution

January 9, 2011

Retail software company Retaligent Solutions Inc. recently announced its new retail-specific Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, Charisma 1:1.

Livetweet: Follow the NRF 2011 Big Show

This weekend, the retail world will converge on New York City for the NRF 100th Annual Convention & EXPO. The event takes place January 9-12 at the Jacob…

Shedding legacy practices is key to building great customer experiences

There is opportunity for those who grasp that customers will respond to an experience delivered from their point of view.

An Impeccable Customer Experience

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

When my children were younger and were called to a meal or wanted to help in the kitchen my wife always asked them if their hands were impeccably clean.  She…

Survey: Shipment tracking, live chat most desired e-commerce features

January 3, 2011

Online service provider Limelight Networks has announced the results of a survey of 1,600 consumers. Limelight Networks sought to determine what customers…

Unbendable Customer Experience Rule #4

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Bad customer experiences get the attention. Good ones get the profit.

Attention is Good, Isn't it?

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

The wrong kind of attention doesn't help retailers one bit when it comes to customer experience and word-of-mouth. 

Drugstore.com uses live chat, email management to improve customer experience, revenue

Drugstore.com utilizes a solution from RightNow Service, which includes Web self-service, agent desktop, live chat, email management and voice for order…

The top 10 Retail Customer Experience stories of 2010

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Practical information and tactics resonated loud and clear with readers this year.

Unbendable Customer Experience Rule #3

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Never let your business processes dictate your customer's experience.  More>>

2011 -- The Year of Retail Redesign

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

2011 will be the year of retail redesign. There are three reasons why this is true. The winners will be the stores that focus on value creation and do so by…